The Alliance for Affordable Services applauds legislation that looks to schools as the key to preventing lifelong obesity.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced The Childhood Obesity Reduction Act to address the fast-growing problem of childhood obesity. The legislation promotes better nutritional choices and more exercise for students in America's elementary and middle schools.

“Senators Frist and Wyden’s efforts to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity are commendable,” says William Callaghan, President of the Alliance for Affordable Services. “Not only will it lead to a healthier future for our children, but it will also help families keep their overall health care costs down”.

The Childhood Obesity Reduction Act would recognize schools that voluntarily implement plans to increase physical activity and promote healthy nutritional choices. The bill would authorize $2.2 million in fiscal year 2005 to establish a Congressional Council to Combat Childhood Obesity. The Council would highlight successful programs, develop model nutrition and exercise plans for schools, and coordinate outreach and public awareness efforts. After two years of identifying and selecting model programs, the Council will create a public-private foundation that will award grants to schools that wish to implement model anti-obesity programs.

More than 15 percent of American children and teens ages six through 19 are overweight, nearly four times the percentage in 1960. Being overweight or obese carries increased risks for heart disease, cancer and musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis.

It also increases a child’s risk for diabetes, which can lead to a host of chronic illnesses and is the leading cause of kidney disease, heart disease, amputations and blindness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, due to the childhood obesity epidemic, one in three Americans born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Among African American and Hispanic children, that number jumps to nearly half.

Obesity robs Americans of more than just their health. The problems associated with this epidemic also lead to skyrocketing health care costs, robbing us of precious dollars that can be spent elsewhere. The Alliance supports passage of the Childhood Obesity Reduction Act as a way of promoting wellness and reducing the price tag on health care.

About the Alliance
The Alliance for Affordable Services is a not-for-profit association dedicated to attacking soaring health care costs through wellness programs, information on wise medical practices, legislative advocacy and incentives for members to control their own medical costs. The association uses the power of the group to negotiate significant savings on a variety of benefits.

For more information on the Alliance, please contact call 1-800-733-2242. Or, visit the Alliance Web site at www.AffordableServices.org.

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