William H. Frist: “obesity ranks among the most serious health problems facing America today. Since 1970, the percentage of overweight…”

“obesity ranks among the most serious health problems facing America today. Since 1970, the percentage of overweight children between 6 and 19 has quadrupled. Today, nearly one out of three children is overweight and about one in six is obese. Obese children develop type II diabetes at an alarming rate and they can begin puberty as early as age seven. Over 70 percent of obese children become overweight or obese adults. And, obesity in adults can have catastrophic effects--including heart disease, cancer, and stroke at very high rates. The medical profession knows this. In the last several weeks, the American Medical Association has issued new guidelines for fighting obesity. And earlier this week, a group of economists reported that nearly 12 percent of all health care spending stems from obesity. Obesity threatens our health, it threatens our future. And successfully addressing it requires action. Dealing with it requires national leadership and community level commitment. Through continued public education campaigns, we have reduced youth smoking. And I'm convinced we can do the same with obesity. That's why I'm reintroducing two bills to confront the challenge. The first is called the Childhood Obesity Reduction Act: it will give the obesity crisis the attention it deserves. I am grateful to my colleague Senator Wyden for his work in cosponsoring it.…”