I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1163 
To reduce childhood obesity, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 16, 2007 
Mrs. LOWEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Education and Labor, 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 
A BILL 
To reduce childhood obesity, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Obesity in 
Schools Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) 
It 
is 
estimated 
that 
64.5 
percent 
(119,000,000) of American adults and 15 percent 
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(9,000,000) of American children are overweight or 
obese. 
(2) The prevalence of obesity among children 
aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 
years, going from 7 percent in 1980 to 18.8 percent 
in 2004. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 
more than tripled, increasing from 5 percent to 17.1 
percent. 
(3) An estimated 61 percent of overweight 
young people have at least 1 additional risk factor 
for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or high 
blood pressure. In addition, children who are over-
weight are at greater risk for bone and joint prob-
lems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological prob-
lems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem. 
(4) According to the Department of Health and 
Human Services, obesity-related illnesses cost this 
nation approximately $117,000,000,000 per year in 
increased 
health 
care 
costs. 
This 
includes 
$61,000,000,000 in direct medical costs for treat-
ment of related diseases and $56,000,000,000 in in-
direct costs such as lost productivity. 
(5) A report released by Trust for America’s 
Health, entitled ‘‘F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies 
are Failing in America’’, found that the United 
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States does not have an aggressive, coordinated na-
tional strategy needed to address this crisis. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL STRATEGY TO REDUCE CHILDHOOD OBE-
SITY. 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in co-
operation with State and local governments, Federal agen-
cies, local educational agencies, health care providers, the 
research community, and the private sector, shall develop 
a national strategy to reduce childhood obesity in the 
United States. Such strategy shall— 
(1) provide for the reduction of childhood obe-
sity rates by 10 percent by the year 2011; 
(2) address both short- and long-term solutions 
to reducing the rates of childhood obesity in the 
United States; 
(3) identify how the Federal Government can 
work effectively with State and local governments, 
local educational agencies, health care providers, the 
research community, the private sector, and other 
entities as necessary to implement the strategy; and 
(4) include measures to identify and overcome 
all obstacles to achieving the goal of reducing child-
hood obesity in the United States. 
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