H. Res. 112 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

February 13, 2009. 

Whereas heart disease affects adult men and women of every 

age and race in the United States; 

Whereas heart disease continues to be the leading cause of 

death in the United States; 

Whereas an estimated 80,000,000 adult Americans, nearly 

one in every 3, have one or more types of heart disease, 

including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, 

congestive heart failure, stroke, and congenital heart defects; 

Whereas extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified major and contributing factors that increase the risk 

of heart disease; 

Whereas these studies have identified the following as major 

risk factors that cannot be changed: Age (the risk of developing heart disease gradually increases as people age; 

advanced age significantly increases the risk), gender 

(men have greater risk of developing heart disease than 

women), and heredity (children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves; AfricanAmericans have more severe high blood pressure than 

Caucasians and therefore are at higher risk; the risk is 

also higher among Latina Americans, some Asian-Ameri-
2 

•HRES 112 EH 

cans, and Native Americans and other indigenous populations); 

Whereas these studies have identified the following as major 

risk factors that Americans can modify, treat, or control 

by changing their lifestyle or seeking appropriate medical 

treatment: High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, 

smoking tobacco products and exposure to tobacco 

smoke, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes mellitus; 

Whereas these studies have identified the following as contributing risk factors that Americans can also take action 

to modify, treat or control by changing their lifestyle or 

seeking appropriate medical treatment: Individual response to stress, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, use of certain illegal drugs, and hormone replacement therapy; 

Whereas more than 106,000,000 adult Americans have high 

blood pressure; 

Whereas more than 37,000,000 Americans have cholesterol 

levels of 240 mg/dL or higher, the level at which it becomes a major risk factor; 

Whereas an estimated 43,000,000 Americans put themselves 

at risk for heart disease every day by smoking cigarettes; 

Whereas data released by the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention shows that more than 65 percent of 

American adults do not get enough physical activity, and 

more than 39 percent are not physically active at all; 

Whereas 66 percent of adult Americans are overweight or 

obese; 

Whereas 24 million adult Americans have diabetes and 65 

percent of those so afflicted will die of some form of 

heart disease; 
3 

•HRES 112 EH 

Whereas the American Heart Association projects that in 

2009 1,200,000 Americans will have a first or recurrent 

heart attack and 452,000 of these people will die as a result; 

Whereas in 2009 approximately 800,000 Americans will suffer a new or recurrent stroke and 160,000 of these people will die as a result; 

Whereas advances in medical research have significantly improved our capacity to fight heart disease by providing 

greater knowledge about its causes, innovative diagnostic 

tools to detect the disease, and new and improved treatments that help people survive and recover from this disease; 

Whereas Congress by Joint Resolution approved on December 

30, 1963 (77 Stat. 843; 36 U.S.C. 101), has requested 

that the President issue an annual proclamation designating February as ‘‘American Heart Month’’; 

Whereas the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of 

the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart 

Association, and many other organizations celebrate ‘‘National Wear Red Day’’ during February by ‘‘going red’’ 

to increase awareness about heart disease as the leading 

killer of women; and 

Whereas every year since 1964 the President has issued a 

proclamation designating the month February as ‘‘American Heart Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 
4 

•HRES 112 EH 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 

the goals and ideals of American Heart Month and National 

Wear Red Day. 

Attest: 

Clerk.