[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 128 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E806-E807]
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 2024

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 6, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced the Promoting Healthier 
Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise Act of 2024, or the LIFE 
Act, which would establish a national program to combat overweight and 
obesity, 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 reducing or 
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 $75 million to the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) for a coordinated national effort to 
reverse increasingly sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. 
Specifically, the CDC, either directly or through grants and contracts, 
would train health professionals to recognize the signs of overweight 
and obesity early in order to educate patients 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 17 percent of 
children ages 10 to 17 had obesity in 2020-2021. 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. The national program established by this bill would 
provide a model for states and local governments to establish similar 
programs.
  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 2023 study by 
the American College of Sports Medicine, yet, even here, obesity 
continues to be a severe problem. Approximately one-fifth of D.C. 
residents are considered obese. Most of the obesity epidemic is 
exercise- and food-related.
  I urge support for this 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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