IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 708 

Supporting the designation of the week of September 18 through September 

23, 2023, as ‘‘Malnutrition Awareness Week’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 

Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. BACON, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. MCGOVERN, 

Mr. LAWLER, Mr. CARSON, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, and Ms. LEE of Nevada) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 

addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, 

and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the designation of the week of September 18 

through September 23, 2023, as ‘‘Malnutrition Awareness Week’’. 

Whereas malnutrition is the condition that occurs when a 

person does not get enough protein, calories, or nutrients; 

Whereas malnutrition is a significant problem in the United 

States and around the world, crossing all age, racial, 

class, gender, and geographic lines; 

Whereas malnutrition can be driven by social determinants of 

health, including poverty or economic instability, access 

to affordable health care, and low health literacy; 


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•HRES 708 IH 

Whereas there are inextricable and cyclical links between poverty and malnutrition; 

Whereas the Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as when a person or household does not have regular, 

reliable access to the foods needed for good health; 

Whereas communities of color, across all age groups, are disproportionately likely to experience both food insecurity 

and malnutrition; 

Whereas Black children are almost 3 times more likely to live 

in a food-insecure household than White children; 

Whereas infants, older adults, people with chronic diseases, 

and other vulnerable populations are particularly at risk 

for malnutrition; 

Whereas the American Academy of Pediatrics has found that 

failure to provide key nutrients during early childhood 

may result in lifelong deficits in brain function; 

Whereas disease-associated malnutrition affects between 30 

and 50 percent of patients admitted to hospitals, and the 

medical costs of hospitalized patients with malnutrition 

can be 300 percent more than the medical costs of properly nourished patients; 

Whereas, according to the ‘‘National Blueprint: Achieving 

Quality Malnutrition Care for Older Adults, 2020 Update’’, as many as half of older adults living in the 

United States are malnourished or at risk for malnutrition; 

Whereas, according to recent Aging Network surveys, 76 percent of older adults receiving meals at senior centers and 

other congregate facilities report improved health outcomes, and 84 percent of older adults receiving home-delivered meals indicate the same; 


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•HRES 708 IH 

Whereas disease-associated malnutrition in older adults alone 

costs the United States more than $51,300,000,000 each 

year; and 

Whereas the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral 

Nutrition established ‘‘Malnutrition Awareness Week’’ to 

raise awareness and promote prevention of malnutrition 

across the lifespan: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That Congress— 

2 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘Malnutrition 

3 Awareness Week’’; 

4 (2) recognizes registered dietitian nutritionists 

5 and other nutrition professionals, health care pro6 viders, school food service workers, social workers, 

7 advocates, caregivers, and other professionals and 

8 agencies for their efforts to advance awareness, 

9 treatment, and prevention of malnutrition; 

10 (3) recognizes the importance of existing Fed11 eral nutrition programs, like Older Americans Act of 

12 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) nutrition programs 

13 and Federal child nutrition programs, for their role 

14 in combating malnutrition, and supports increased 

15 funding for these critical programs; 

16 (4) recognizes— 

17 (A) the importance of medical nutrition 

18 therapy under the Medicare Program under 

19 title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.); and 


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•HRES 708 IH 

1 (B) the need for vulnerable populations to 

2 have access to nutrition counseling; 

3 (5) recognizes the importance of the innovative 

4 research conducted by the National Institutes of 

5 Health on— 

6 (A) nutrition, dietary patterns, and the 

7 human gastrointestinal microbiome; and 

8 (B) how those factors influence the preven9 tion or development of chronic disease through10 out the lifespan; 

11 (6) supports access to malnutrition screening 

12 and assessment for all patients; 

13 (7) encourages the Centers for Medicare & 

14 Medicaid Services to evaluate the implementation of 

15 newly approved malnutrition electronic clinical qual16 ity measures; and 

17 (8) acknowledges the importance of healthy 

18 food access for children, especially in childcare set19 tings and schools, and the benefits of evidence-based 

20 nutrition standards. 

Æ 


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