House Resolution 44 - Introduced
PAG LIN
H.R. ________ S.R. ________
1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY ABDUL=SAMAD, SMITH, WESSEL=KROESCHELL, THEDE,
1 3 UPMEYER, L. MILLER, HEDDENS, and HEATON
1 4 A Resolution expressing support for improved adolescent
1 5 health.
1 6 WHEREAS, adolescence is a critical time to develop
1 7 positive habits and skills that can lead to healthy
1 8 lifestyles and behavior over an individual's lifetime;
1 9 and
1 10 WHEREAS, many adolescents and young adults struggle
1 11 to adopt behaviors that could decrease their risk of
1 12 sustaining serious injuries or developing chronic
1 13 diseases in adulthood == behaviors such as avoiding
1 14 dangerous situations and taking appropriate safety
1 15 precautions, eating nutritiously, engaging in physical
1 16 activity, avoiding tobacco and drugs, and choosing not
1 17 to abuse alcohol; and
1 18 WHEREAS, environmental factors such as family, peer
1 19 group, school, and community characteristics also
1 20 contribute to the challenges that adolescents face;
1 21 and
1 22 WHEREAS, the Institute of Medicine and the National
1 23 Research Council have concluded that "prevention,
1 24 early intervention and timely treatment improve health
1 25 status for adolescents and prepare them for healthy
1 26 adulthood; such services also decrease the incidence
1 27 of many chronic diseases in adulthood"; and
1 28 WHEREAS, 1.4 million Iowans are already overweight
1 29 or obese, a sample of Iowa children found that nearly
1 30 20 percent were at risk for being overweight and more
2 1 than 18 percent are already overweight, only 16.6
2 2 percent of 9th through 12th grade students reported
2 3 eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables
2 4 daily, and total annual health care costs attributable
2 5 to adult obesity in Iowa are estimated at $783
2 6 million; and
2 7 WHEREAS, type 2 diabetes, which is linked to
2 8 obesity and physical inactivity and most often appears
2 9 in people older than 40, is now being found in younger
2 10 people and even in children and teenagers; and
2 11 WHEREAS, the leading causes of death for Iowans
2 12 ages 15=24 are motor vehicle crashes and suicide, and
2 13 this age group also has the highest rate of
2 14 hospitalizations and emergency department visits for
2 15 these injuries; and
2 16 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and
2 17 Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health
2 18 Services Administration recommends that adolescents be
2 19 screened for alcohol use and depression at regular
2 20 health screenings so they can be referred for
2 21 appropriate services; and
2 22 WHEREAS, the national Advisory Committee on
2 23 Immunization Practices, American Academy of
2 24 Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and
2 25 the American Medical Association recommend a routine
2 26 health care visit for adolescents aged 11=12 to
2 27 receive recommended immunizations and other
2 28 evidence=based preventive health care services; and
2 29 WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control's National
2 30 Immunization Survey found that immunization coverage
3 1 levels among adolescents in 2006 did not meet the
3 2 Healthy People 2010 objective of 90 percent coverage
3 3 for 13=15 year olds for any of the vaccines measured;
3 4 and
3 5 WHEREAS, the Society for Adolescent Medicine has
3 6 found that adolescent well visits are one of the best
3 7 tools of preventive care to ensure continued health
3 8 and safety from childhood to adulthood and that
3 9 children and adolescents who regularly visit a primary
3 10 care physician are less likely to have emergency room
3 11 visits and preventable injuries or hospitalizations;
3 12 and
3 13 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and
3 14 Human Services' Health Resources and Services
3 15 Administration has developed, in conjunction with the
3 16 American Academy of Pediatrics, the Bright Futures
3 17 Initiative, which provides a set of guidelines
3 18 including recommendations on immunizations and routine
3 19 health screenings for adolescents; and
3 20 WHEREAS, because adolescents remain under the
3 21 guardianship of their parents, parental awareness of
3 22 the need for an adolescent well visit plays an
3 23 enormous role in the incidence of adolescent well
3 24 visits; NOW THEREFORE,
3 25 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
3 26 That the House of Represenatatives encourages the
3 27 Department of Public Health to educate parents on the
3 28 importance of an adolescent well physical to prevent
3 29 chronic diseases, avoid injury, appropriately
3 30 intervene to better treat chronic disease, and update
4 1 immunizations.
4 2 LSB 2702HH 83
4 3 jr/nh/14.2