IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 511 
Expressing support for designation of September as ‘‘National Childhood 
Obesity Awareness Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 
Ms. FUDGE (for herself, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. KIND, and Mr. REICHERT) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for designation of September as 
‘‘National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month’’. 
Whereas childhood obesity has more than quadrupled in chil-
dren and tripled in adolescents in the past 40 years; 
Whereas 17 percent or 12,550,000 children and adolescents 
aged 0 to 17 years are obese; 
Whereas childhood obesity is more prevalent among children 
from low-income families; for example, 14.5 percent of 
preschool children living below the poverty threshold are 
obese; 
Whereas significant disparities exist among the obesity rates 
of children based on race; for example, on average 38.5 
percent of Hispanic/Latino children and 35.2 percent of 
African-American children ages 6 to 11 are overweight or 
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obese, compared with 28.5 percent of Non-Hispanic 
White children, and American Indian/Alaska Native ado-
lescents are 50 percent more likely than non-Hispanic 
Whites to be overweight; 
Whereas the financial implications of childhood obesity pose 
a financial threat to our economy and healthcare system, 
carrying up to $14,000,000,000 per year in direct 
healthcare cost, with people in the United States spend-
ing about 10 percent of their total medical costs on obe-
sity-related illnesses; 
Whereas obese children ages 10 to 13 have an 80-percent 
chance of being obese adults and are more likely than 
children of normal weight to become overweight or obese 
adults, and therefore more at risk for associated adult 
health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, 
sleep apnea, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteo-
arthritis; 
Whereas in part due to the childhood obesity epidemic, 1 in 
3 children (and nearly 1 in 2 minority children) born in 
the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes at some point 
in their lifetime if current trends continue; 
Whereas some consequences of childhood and adolescent obe-
sity are psychosocial and can hinder academic and social 
functioning and persist into adulthood; 
Whereas participating in physical activity is important for 
children and teens as it may have beneficial effects not 
only on body weight, but also on blood pressure and bone 
strength; 
Whereas proper nutrition is important for children before 
birth and through their lifespan as nutrition has bene-
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ficial effects for health and body weight, and is important 
in the prevention of various chronic diseases; 
Whereas childhood obesity is preventable; yet for the first 
time in two centuries, the current generation of children 
in the United States may have shorter life expectancies 
than their parents; 
Whereas public, community-based, and private sector organi-
zations and individuals throughout the United States are 
working to decrease childhood obesity rates for people in 
the United States of all races through a range of efforts, 
including educational presentations, media campaigns, 
websites, policies, healthier food options, and greater op-
portunities for physical activity; and 
Whereas September would be an appropriate month to des-
ignate as ‘‘National Childhood Obesity Awareness 
Month’’ to educate the public about the need for in-
creased education and proactive steps to prevent child-
hood obesity: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of ‘‘National 
Childhood Obesity Awareness Month’’ to raise public 
awareness and mobilize the country to address child-
hood obesity; 
(2) recognizes the importance of preventing 
childhood obesity and decreasing its prevalence in 
the United States; and 
(3) requests that the President encourage the 
Federal Government, States, Tribes and Tribal orga-
nizations, localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, 
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businesses, other entities, and the people of the 
United States to observe the month with appropriate 
programs and activities with the goal of promoting 
healthy eating and physical activity and increasing 
awareness of childhood obesity among individuals of 
all ages and walks of life. 
Æ 
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