[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING CHILDHOOD OBESITY AWARENESS MONTH

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                         HON. PATRICK J. TIBERI

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 21, 2012

  Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as 
Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Childhood obesity is a growing 
epidemic and is a serious problem facing this country. According to the 
Centers for Disease Control, the rate of childhood obesity has more 
than tripled over the past 30 years. In 2011, 15 percent of high school 
students in my home state of Ohio were obese. Children and adolescents 
who are obese are more likely to continue this trend as adults, and 
obese adults are much more at risk for health problems such as heart 
disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer.
  Childhood obesity is an issue that affects the whole nation and needs 
to be addressed for the future of our children. Hundreds of billions of 
dollars are spent annually to treat obesity-related medical conditions, 
and as a growing number of adolescents are not able to pass a physical 
fitness test to serve in our nation's military, it has become a 
national security threat as well.
  As a co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Childhood Obesity, 
we are working to identify, discuss, and promote policy ideas to 
address this epidemic. Everyone has a role to play in finding a 
solution--parents, families, communities, schools, and local 
governments.
  In Central Ohio, valiant efforts have been made to not only promote 
healthy eating and physical activity, which have been proven to lower 
the risk of becoming obese, but also to find other innovative ways to 
address this issue. The Ohio State University (OSU) is spearheading a 
number of research initiatives to explore how biological processes 
appear to play a large role in influencing the risk for obesity. This 
research is helping us to better understand the causes for obesity so 
that we can work towards a meaningful solution.
  There are many programs at Nationwide Children's Hospital in my 
district to tackle the problem of obesity. I share their belief that an 
important approach to addressing adult obesity is beginning with 
children. One program, the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, 
focuses on programs for the home, school, and community to ensure the 
development and promotion of healthy lifestyles. The hospital has also 
played a role in establishing the Ohio Healthy Weight Outcomes (OHWO) 
coalition, which is a public-private partnership that is currently 
implementing an obesity prevention and treatment project in a low-
income neighborhood in Columbus. Their goal is to reduce the prevalence 
of childhood obesity in 5th graders by 10 percent in five years.
  Across the country families, schools, communities, and organizations 
like OSU and Nationwide Children's Hospital have all made strides in 
addressing the obesity epidemic. However, much remains to be done, and 
I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress as well as 
with my constituents in Central Ohio to find solutions to lower the 
rate of childhood obesity.

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