[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 10, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE PROMOTING HEALTHIER LIFELONG IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOD 
                        AND EXERCISE ACT OF 2022

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2022

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Promoting 
Healthier Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act of 2022, or 
the LIFE Act, which would authorize a national initiative to combat a 
major health problem in the United States that cannot be remedied 
through the health care system alone. Increasing rates of overweight 
and obesity are found among Americans of every age, race and major 
demographic group, and threaten the health of Americans like no other 
condition or disease. In fact, the key to eliminating many of the most 
serious health conditions is not only to reduce overweight and obesity, 
but also to encourage exercise of all kinds.
  This bill would provide $25 million to the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) for a coordinated national effort to 
reverse increasingly sedentary lifestyles and diets that are high in 
fat and sugar. Specifically, this bill would require the CDC to 
establish the first national strategy to combat the overweight and 
obesity epidemic. The CDC, either directly or through grants to states 
and local organizations, would train health professionals to recognize 
the signs of overweight and obesity early in order to educate Americans 
about proper nutrition and regular exercise; conduct public education 
campaigns about how to recognize and address overweight and obesity; 
and develop intervention strategies for use in everyday life, such as 
in the workplace and community settings.
  The National Survey of Children's Health found that 16.2 percent of 
children ages 10 to 17 had obesity in 2019-2020. The CDC National 
Center for Health Statistics reports that Type 2 Diabetes, once 
considered an adult disease, is now widespread among children. The 
rising cost of the health care system, including insurance premiums, 
reflects this epidemic. Today, chronic diseases, many of which are 
caused or exacerbated by overweight and obesity, account for 70 percent 
of all deaths in the U.S. and 75 percent of U.S. medical care costs, 
according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion. A focused national health initiative would provide 
guidance to state and local governments to engage in similar programs.
  A national focus could lead to changes, such as greater participation 
in high school physical education classes, which dropped from 42 
percent in 1991 to 23 percent in 2020, according to the Youth Risk 
Behavior Surveillance System. Changes in nutrition are equally critical 
because more than half of all young people consume too much fat, a 
factor in the increase of overweight youth. Data also show an increase 
in unhealthy eating habits for adults and no change in physical 
activity.
  To cite an example of the need for action, the District of Columbia 
is one of the fittest cities in the U.S., according to a 2019 study by 
the American College of Sports Medicine, yet, even here, obesity 
continues to be a severe problem. Approximately one-fifth of District 
residents are considered obese. Most of the obesity epidemic is 
exercise- and food-related.
  I urge support for this important bill to mobilize the country before 
entirely preventable health conditions, which often begin in childhood, 
overwhelm the Nation's health care system.

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