IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 220

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the

heart disease in women.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 23, 1999

Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD (for herself, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr.

BONIOR, Mr. COYNE, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. FROST, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms.

NORTON, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mrs. KELLY, Ms. KILPATRICK,

Mr. MCNULTY, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Mr. MEEHAN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO,

Mr. SHOWS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, and Mrs. JONES of Ohio)

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on Commerce

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with

regard to the heart disease in women.

Whereas heart disease is the number one cause of death in

American women;

Whereas more than 500,000 women in the United States die

from heart disease each year;

Whereas women often have other diseases such as arthritis

or osteoporosis that can mask heart attack symptoms

and can delay medical care;

Whereas the 1998 National Vital Statistics Report stated

that 328,625 white females and 40,306 black females ex-
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•HRES 220 IH

perienced heart disease during that year in the United

States;

Whereas high cholesterol and high blood pressure are two of

the risk factors that can lead to heart disease;

Whereas 50.5 percent of white women, 41.5 percent of black

women, 33.3 percent of Hispanic women, 36.6 percent of

Asian Pacific women, and 28.8 percent of American Indian women experience heart disease;

Whereas 53 percent of white women, 47 percent of black

women, 43 percent of Hispanic women, 25.8 percent of

Asian Pacific women, and 37.6 percent of American Indian women have cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or higher in the United States;

Whereas the 1998 National Vital Statistics Report found that

79 percent of black women and 60 percent of white

women over 45 years old were classified as having high

blood pressure in the United States;

Whereas heart disease and high blood pressure can contribute

to heart failure, an inability of the heart to pump blood

at a rate adequate to meet the demands of the body’s tissues, the need for emergency open-heart surgery, or

death; and

Whereas women can prevent heart disease by stopping the

use of tobacco, reducing the daily intake of alcohol, controlling blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and weight,

exercising for 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times a week, and

taking a low-dose aspirin once a day or antioxidant vitamin, through 5 servings of fruits or vegetables daily:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved,
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•HRES 220 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

2 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Women and

3 Heart Disease Awareness Resolution’’.

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE WITH REGARD TO WOMEN

5 AND HEART DISEASE.

6 The House of Representatives—

7 (1) recognizes the severity of the issue of

8 women and heart disease;

9 (2) calls on the people of the United States to

10 take this opportunity to learn about heart disease,

11 its symptoms, and the steps women can take to

12 lower their risk;

13 (3) recognizes the importance of federally fund14 ed programs that provide research and collect data

15 on the rate of heart disease among women, accord16 ing to age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and

17 (4) recognizes the importance of the National

18 Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National In19 stitutes of Health, and the need for adequate fund20 ing to continue research and data collection about

21 women and heart disease, particularly with respect

22 to minority populations.

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