State and Federal Governments Take Initiative to Improve Health and Fitness Levels

Below are reprints of specific recommendations for both individual governors and the nation as a whole to decrease widespread obesity and hypo kinetic disease.

The National Governors Association's (www.nga.org) Initiative:

The Obesity Epidemic - How States Can Trim the 'Fat'

States are using innovative food and physical activity policies/standards, healthy community design, public education, healthcare systems, and tax strategies to address the obesity epidemic.

Obesity is not just a matter of personal health - it's a costly and deadly public health concern that affects economic productivity, state budgets, and personal and family well being. As seen in Figure 1, U.S. adult obesity rates have risen drastically in the last decade, from 12 percent to 20 percent.  Thirteen percent of children and adolescents are now overweight or obese, which represents more than a doubling in the last 30 years.  Minority groups and those with less education and lower income are much more likely to be overweight and obese. Nearly 30 percent of African-American adults and 23 percent of Hispanic adults are obese.  One in five Hispanic and African-American children are overweight.  There has been a ten-fold increase in the number of children with adult-onset diabetes in the last five years.  The results of this ongoing problem are additional absence from work and school, lost productivity, and higher healthcare costs.  At-risk and overweight children increasingly suffer from depression, anxiety, social angst, diabetes and other health problems, and are more likely to grow up to be obese adults. 

States are paying heavily for obesity and its care - currently, four million obese children are Medicaid beneficiaries and an unknown number of adult Medicaid beneficiaries are obese.  There is much work to be done to significantly improve health and the associated healthcare costs.  Fortunately, states are leading the way in addressing this problem. Much of the death, disease, and disability associated with obesity can be prevented through state actions to increase physical activity, promote better diet, and improve prevention and treatment available through healthcare systems.  This issue brief focuses on programs and policies that states can implement to address obesity and its causes. 

The Obesity Epidemic - How States Can Trim the 'Fat'

Reprinted from http://www.nga.org/center/divisions/1,1188,C_ISSUE_BRIEF^D_3878,00.html 

The President's  Challenge (www.fitness.gov) 

If you're interested in adding life to your years and years to your life, or you need help developing your physical fitness or activity program, we've got you covered.

Our useful information is at your fingertips...ready for you to download and print.  Just choose a category to start browsing.

New Executive Order for the President´s Council.
Biographies of the new Council members.
President's Council Fact Sheet.
Physical Activity Fact Sheet.
Report  "Physical Activity Fundamental to Preventing Disease" available online.

Frist, Bingaman and Dodd Introduce Bill To Reduce Obesity

Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Press Release Of Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bill Frist (R-TN), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) today introduced comprehensive legislation aimed at reducing obesity, particularly among children and adolescents.

The "Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act", or “IMPACT,” recognizes significant problems associated with obesity including heart disease, diabetes and cancer and works to reduce those problems by encouraging better nutrition and more physical activity.

“This bill is about giving Americans the information necessary to make informed choices,” said Frist. “With rising rates of obesity among both juvenile and adult populations, it’s critical that we act to raise awareness of healthy behavior and the risk related to obesity. Children learn from example and can benefit from knowing the facts about how they can improve their own health and well-being today. Obesity is for the most part preventable. There is no single solution, but better information, improved nutrition and greater opportunities for physical activity will guarantee progress.”

"Obesity is our nation's fastest rising public health problem, and it's increasingly affecting every segment of the American population - particularly young people. As a nation, we can no longer afford to ignore the escalating costs associated with obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, such as physical inactivity and poor dietary habits. This legislation begins to tackle those serious problems by advancing proven and innovative strategies designed to get people moving, eating well and engaged in healthy lifestyles," Bingaman said. “We must act to stem this growing epidemic of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. Failure to do so, I believe, would serve only to endanger the health of more and more of our children by exposing them to the often disastrous consequences of overweight and obesity,” said Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. “That is why I am pleased to join today with Senators Frist and Bingaman to introduce legislation that takes a measured and important first step toward addressing the deadly implications of obesity.” An estimated 61 percent of U.S. adults and 13 percent of children are overweight, and an estimated 300,000 deaths per year are associated with being overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity is increasing among all age groups. There are twice the number of overweight children and three times the number of overweight adolescents as there were 30 years ago.

Being overweight or obese brings with it an increased risk for heart disease and cancer, the leading and second leading cause of death respectively. Being overweight or obese also brings with it an increased risk for diabetes and musculo-skeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis. Given the many health risks associated with being overweight, a December 2001 report by the Surgeon General entitled, "A Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity" lists the treatment and prevention of obesity as a top national priority.

To accomplish that goal, the senators' legislation would:

• Authorize $10 million in fiscal year 2003 to help provide training for health professionals and health science students on identifying those at risk for overweight and obesity and the treatment and prevention of these conditions. Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized in fiscal year (FY) 2003-2007.
• Authorize $40 million in FY 2003 to assist local communities in promoting good nutrition and increased levels of physical activity among their citizens. Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized in FY 2003-2007.
• Authorize $40 million in FY 2003 to assist state departments of education and schools to develop curricula to help students learn to make healthy choices pertaining to nutrition and physical activity. Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized in FY 2003-2007.
• Direct the Institutes of Medicine to look at the federal government food assistance programs to insure that they are a source for improved nutrition. Authorizes $750,000 in FY 2003 and 2004.
• Authorize $125 million to assist CDC and state governments to provide information to the public on healthy eating and physical activity with an emphasis on youth. Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized in FY 2003-2007.
• Authorize $40 million to assist clinics that serve minority populations that are disproportionately affected by weight disorders to implement obesity prevention and treatment programs. Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized in FY 2003-2007.
• Ask the Department of Health and Human Services to summarize what research on overweight and obesity has revealed to date and to design a future research agenda.
• Set up a foundation that would allow the USDA to conduct research on human nutrition so that government food programs can be more effective. Authorizes $500,000 in FY 2003 to help provide information to the public about the safety and effectiveness of popular weight reduction programs and diets. Such sums as may be necessary would be authorized in FY 2003-2007.

IMPACT has been referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. All three senators are members of that panel.

Reprinted from: http://frist.senate.gov/press-item.cfm/hurl/id=186233