New Childhood Obesity Report

Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on Recommendations in New IOM Childhood Obesity Report

September 2, 2009

The American Heart Association commends the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council for recommending a solid array of meaningful community actions in their new report Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults. With childhood obesity rates on the rise nationwide, our youngsters have substantially greater risks for developing and dying from chronic illnesses such as heart disease and stroke in early adulthood. But we can play a critical role in helping our children live longer, healthier lives by reaching them where they live and play through increased physical activity and improved nutrition. The American Heart Association is committed to continuing our advocacy effort and the contributing role we have at the state and community level to implement many of the report’s recommendations such as advancing menu labeling legislation, implementing safe routes to school, improving nutrition and physical activity in before-and-after school programs, increasing access to healthy and affordable foods, and making changes to the built environment that increase availability of walking and biking trails and recreational facilities. By making comprehensive policy and environmental changes, we can dramatically improve the health and well-being of our children and reduce their risk for chronic diseases. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be applauded for sponsoring this study and providing a framework for a national call-to-action. For more information visit, www.americanheart.org/obesitypolicy

(IOM report) Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity: http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/59845/72798.aspx

A Healthy Workforce is a Productive Workforce

At an event last week, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) (right, shown with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX))announced the reintroduction of the “Healthy Workforce Act”, which would offer tax credits to employers that provide wellness programs to their employees. To qualify for the tax credit, wellness programs must be certified by the Department of Health and Human Services, and must offer at least three services from a list of options including: health education and health screening; a workplace committee to encourage and track employee participation; behavioral change activities focused on tobacco use, obesity, stress, and other health risks; and workplace policies to promote health and wellness. The American Heart Association supports the “Healthy Workforce Act” and joins the bill sponsors in calling on employers and employees to do their part to make prevention and wellness part of the workplace.

In the House, a companion bill was introduced by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA).

CLICK HERE for more information on Workplace Wellness.

House Passes FDA Tobacco Bill!!

Just moments ago, the US House of Representatives passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act by a vote of 298-112. This is a great victory for heart disease and stroke advocates. The legislation would protect our nation's children from deadly tobacco addiction and the increased risk of heart disease and stroke that comes with it.

Many of our You're the Cure advocates called, emailed and faxed their legislators in advance of this vote. Thank you for all your efforts- they were vital to our success today. Congratulations on this success!

You can read the statement from Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association here:
" We’re extremely pleased this important legislation won approval in the House. This vote brings us closer to putting a deceitful and dangerous industry under the watchful eyes of government regulators. The tobacco industry has proven that it cannot be trusted to regulate itself and protect children from the deadly effects of tobacco use. Shameful attempts to addict children and young adults with misleading advertising campaigns must come to an end. This legislation will save lives, help break the cycle of addiction, reduce health care costs and force tobacco companies to educate consumers about the true health hazards associated with tobacco products. With more than a third of smoking-related deaths linked to heart disease and stroke, Congress must move quickly to send this bill to the President’s desk for his signature. We commend Chairman Henry Waxman and Representative Todd Platts for their leadership and call for immediate action in the Senate. To protect the nation’s health, we must ensure that deadly products on the market receive the same or greater regulatory scrutiny as a box of macaroni and cheese."

Another Step Forward for FDA Regulation of Tobacco

This afternoon, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act! This legislation would finally give the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and marketing.

The legislation is now clear for a vote by the full House of Representatives. We are hopeful a House vote will occur in the next few weeks.

Just a few weeks ago, we blogged about another committee's passage of this bill. We're thrilled Members of Congress are moving this legislation forward.

A Message from AHA President Dr. Timothy Gardner

Dear You’re the Cure advocates:

I had the great privilege to attend the White House Summit on Health Reform and be involved in what appears to be a major effort at true Health Care Reform.

I had the opportunity to speak with several members of Congress, including Senators Specter, Hatch, Whitehouse and Mikulski, and other attendees, including Dr. Nancy Nielsen, President of the AMA and Dr. Jeff Harris, President of the American College of Physicians. The panelists included congressional leadership and representatives from the business, health care and labor communities. The discussion included most of the major challenges in healthcare reform including troublesome coverage issues, costs problems, prevention, comparative effectiveness research, individual and employer mandates, regional differences in care, perverse incentives, inadequate workforce and public versus private options for universal coverage.

President Obama closed the Summit with his pledge to work with all of those present to achieve a sustainable reform of our Health Care System.

Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke is the mission of the American Heart Association. The current healthcare crisis in the United States – which has been exacerbated by the economic situation - threatens this mission. Individuals who lack health care coverage – and those who are underinsured – are far less likely than their insured counterparts to receive appropriate and timely medical care and as a consequence, suffer worse medical outcomes.

The American Heart Association is positioned to be a strong leader in healthcare reform as we continue to strive for meaningful, affordable healthcare coverage for all. As patient advocates and supporters of quality healthcare, we believe that effective prevention strategies and the application of evidence-based guidelines must be key elements in order to improve quality of care and reduce costs.

Our advocacy work continues to be guided by AHA’s key principles for reform:

1. All residents of the United States should have meaningful, affordable and high quality health care coverage.
2. Preventive benefits should be an essential component of meaningful health care coverage, and incentives should be built into the health care system to promote appropriate preventive health strategies.
3. Race, gender and geographic disparities in health care must be eliminated.
4. Support of biomedical and health services research should be a national priority, and inflation-adjusted funding for the National Institutes of Health must be maintained and expanded.

Moving forward, the Association will continue to work with President Obama and Congressional leadership to craft proposals that will benefit all Americans including the more than 80 million individuals who suffer from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

Timothy J. Gardner, M.D.
American Heart Association President

House Committee Passes FDA Regulation of Tobacco!

Today, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, legislation that would give the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and marketing. The bill passed with a vote of 39-13.

Members of Congress have an opportunity with this bill to protect America's children from deadly tobacco addiction and end the deceptive marketing practices of Big Tobacco. More than 960 health, children's and faith groups have signed a letter indicating their support of the bill.

Nearly identical legislation was passed by the House of Representatives last year, but the Senate failed to bring the bill up for a vote despite broad bipartisan support. Today's action was a great step forward, and we're hopeful the 111th Congress will quickly attend to this unfinished business.

Ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation and work for its quick passage. Visit http://www.heartprescription.org/ today!