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National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Date: May 19, 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Minors and Children Health and Health Care

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Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 996, a resolution to recognize September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and I applaud Congresswoman Fudge for introducing this resolution to bring awareness to such an important issue.

Obesity has been linked to a wide range of negative health outcomes, and the alarming rise of childhood obesity, if left unchecked, could lead to a national health crisis. Obese children are at greater risk for a number of diseases and are more likely to have health problems that put them at risk throughout their life for diabetes, cardiovascular illness, and cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, so it is vital that we take action, recognize the problem, and begin to address it.

I, too, would like to commend First Lady Michele Obama and, in Nevada, State Senator Valerie Weiner for their tireless efforts to combat this problem.

I am also proud to serve on the Education and Labor Committee which will soon be taking up reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. I look forward to the opportunity to address childhood obesity and the crisis it creates through that important legislation.

In the meantime, I am pleased to support the resolution before us today, H. Res. 996, brought by the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) because it will help raise awareness of childhood obesity, acknowledge its adverse lifetime consequences, and offer ways to combat the growing problem.

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