STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE MICHAEL N. CASTLE
CHAIRMAN

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE

Hearing On:
"ENCOURAGING HEALTHY CHOICES FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN"

February 12, 2004

Good morning. I would like to welcome all of you to our hearing today, Encouraging Healthy Choices for Healthy Children. This is the Committee’s third hearing to prepare for the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act and Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

The battle against childhood obesity is a major issue that this Committee will address in the context of the child nutrition reauthorization. As we all know, childhood obesity has become a major health problem in the United States, and studies suggest that overweight children are significantly more likely to become overweight or obese adults. This is a matter of great concern to us as a Committee, and to society in general. According to a report by the National Institute for Health Care Management, the number of overweight and obese young Americans doubled between 1990 and 2000. As a result, children are increasingly suffering from conditions traditionally associated with adulthood, including Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, orthopedic complications, and are troubled by other effects such as low self-esteem.

In addition to afflicting distress through chronic disease and premature death, the dramatic rise in obesity rates has had economic repercussions. A new CDC-sponsored study reports that obesity-related medical expenditures in the United States reached $75 billion in 2003. These statistics demonstrate that we as a nation must address the growing problem of childhood obesity if we are to prevent further pain and expense.

Parents bear primary responsibility for ensuring that their children eat well and exercise regularly. However, schools can and should play a positive role by giving children access to nutritious meals and snacks, nutrition education, and time to engage in daily physical activity. In 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report identifying schools as a "key setting" for developing public health strategies to prevent obesity. Never before in history have lawmakers and educators been more engaged in efforts to improve academic performance, and at the same time schools are cutting back or abandoning physical education, despite that physical fitness has been shown to improve test scores. A report from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education that compared almost one million students found that higher achievement directly corresponded to a higher level of student fitness, and that those students that exhibited a minimum level of fitness in at least three physical areas made the greatest academic gains.

Over the past several years, schools and programs providing meals and snacks to children have made progress in improving lunch menus to meet federal nutrition standards for fat and calories, but I believe more can be done to provide every child with a school environment that promotes healthy food choices and regular physical activity. The decrease in the physical activity of our children, both in school and at home, has been shown to be a major factor in the rise of childhood obesity.

That is why I introduced legislation, H.R. 2227, the Childhood Obesity Prevention Act, that would authorize grants to fund pilot programs at the state and local levels to encourage the development and implementation of programs to promote healthy eating and increased physical activity among children.

As this Committee seeks to improve child nutrition programs and address the important and complex issue of childhood obesity during reauthorization, we will examine the available science and take into consideration all factors known to contribute to obesity, while supporting the role of local school districts to make decisions about the foods and activities that are available to children in school.

Today we have gathered experts in the areas of physical health and activity, and I look forward to hearing their testimony. I believe that our witnesses’ unique perspectives on physical activity, child nutrition, and health will offer insights that will be tremendously helpful to the Members of this Committee as we work to improve child nutrition programs and to do our part in the battle against childhood obesity. We look forward to their comments.

With that, I would like to recognize my colleague from California, and the Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, Ms. Woolsey.