[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGES FACING AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Academy of 
Nutrition and Dietetics, which prepared this statement for me in 
acknowledgement of Black History Month.
  Minority populations, especially the African American population, 
continue to remain in relatively poor health when compared to the 
majority population and also continue to be underserved by the 
healthcare delivery system.
  One of the biggest health challenges facing our country today is 
obesity, and the African American community is especially at risk. In a 
2015-2016 study by the CDC, the report found non-Hispanic Black adults, 
at 46.8 percent, had a higher prevalence of obesity than non-Hispanic 
White adults, which was 37.9 percent.
  Compared to other States, Illinois' obesity rate is a significant 
area of concern, with 31 percent of adults having obesity. This 
statistic is higher than the U.S. median.
  Illinois has the 27th highest adult obesity rate in the Nation and 
the 7th highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17. Chicago's African 
American community is the demographic with the highest obesity rate at 
39.8 percent.
  With such a high percentage of the African American community falling 
in the obese category, this demographic runs a higher risk for obesity-
related conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, 
and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of 
preventable, premature death.
  Compared to the general population, African Americans are 
disproportionately affected by diabetes. African Americans constitute 
more than 35 percent of all patients receiving dialysis treatment for 
kidney failure but only represent 13.2 percent of the overall U.S. 
population.
  High blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure 
among African Americans and remains the leading cause of death due to 
its link with heart attacks and strokes.
  With these troubling statistics, where do we go from here? Awareness, 
education, and access are the keys to changing our Nation's health, and 
food and nutrition practitioners play a very important role in leading 
the health revolution.

  Obesity is partially attributed to poor nutritional intake and has 
been implicated as a contributor to cancer, heart disease, stroke, and 
diabetes.
  Food and nutrition practitioners have an opportunity and an ethical 
obligation to positively influence the healthcare experience of 
individuals. These experts have the power to influence factors 
affecting health disparities at the individual and the population 
levels, including programs such as SNAP, WIC, adult care food programs, 
and other nutrition programs.
  By connecting with individuals who are most at risk, food and 
nutrition practitioners can make a huge change when it comes to the 
health of African Americans, as well as the health of all Americans.
  I thank the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for preparing this 
information for me.

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