Senate Resolution 20 - Introduced
PAG LIN
S.R. ________ H.R. ________
1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY SCHMITZ, HATCH, RAGAN, SEYMOUR, and HARTSUCH
1 3 A Resolution expressing support for improved adolescent
1 4 health.
1 5 WHEREAS, adolescence is a critical time to develop
1 6 positive habits and skills that can lead to healthy
1 7 lifestyles and behavior over an individual's lifetime;
1 8 and
1 9 WHEREAS, many adolescents and young adults struggle
1 10 to adopt behaviors that could decrease their risk of
1 11 sustaining serious injuries or developing chronic
1 12 diseases in adulthood == behaviors such as avoiding
1 13 dangerous situations and taking appropriate safety
1 14 precautions, eating nutritiously, engaging in physical
1 15 activity, avoiding tobacco and drugs, and choosing not
1 16 to abuse alcohol; and
1 17 WHEREAS, environmental factors such as family, peer
1 18 group, school, and community characteristics also
1 19 contribute to the challenges that adolescents face;
1 20 and
1 21 WHEREAS, the Institute of Medicine and the National
1 22 Research Council have concluded that "[p]revention,
1 23 early intervention and timely treatment improve health
1 24 status for adolescents and prepare them for healthy
1 25 adulthood; such services also decrease the incidence
1 26 of many chronic diseases in adulthood"; and
1 27 WHEREAS, 1.4 million Iowans are already overweight
1 28 or obese, a sample of Iowa children found that nearly
1 29 20 percent were at risk for being overweight and more
1 30 than 18 percent are already overweight, only 16.6
2 1 percent of 9th through 12th grade students reported
2 2 eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables
2 3 daily, and total annual health care costs attributable
2 4 to adult obesity in Iowa are estimated at $783
2 5 million; and
2 6 WHEREAS, type 2 diabetes, which is linked to
2 7 obesity and physical inactivity and most often appears
2 8 in people older than 40, is now being found in younger
2 9 people and even in children and teenagers; and
2 10 WHEREAS, the leading causes of death for Iowans
2 11 ages 15=24 are motor vehicle crashes and suicide, and
2 12 this age group also has the highest rate of
2 13 hospitalizations and emergency department visits for
2 14 these injuries; and
2 15 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and
2 16 Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health
2 17 Services Administration recommends that adolescents be
2 18 screened for alcohol use and depression at regular
2 19 health screenings so they can be referred for
2 20 appropriate services; and
2 21 WHEREAS, the national Advisory Committee on
2 22 Immunization Practices, American Academy of
2 23 Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and
2 24 the American Medical Association recommend a routine
2 25 health care visit for adolescents aged 11=12 to
2 26 receive recommended immunizations and other
2 27 evidence=based preventive health care services; and
2 28 WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control's National
2 29 Immunization Survey found that immunization coverage
2 30 levels among adolescents in 2006 did not meet the
3 1 Healthy People 2010 objective of 90 percent coverage
3 2 for 13=15 year olds for any of the vaccines measured;
3 3 and
3 4 WHEREAS, the Society for Adolescent Medicine has
3 5 found that adolescent well visits are one of the best
3 6 tools of preventive care to ensure continued health
3 7 and safety from childhood to adulthood and that
3 8 children and adolescents who regularly visit a primary
3 9 care physician are less likely to have emergency room
3 10 visits and preventable injuries or hospitalizations;
3 11 and
3 12 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and
3 13 Human Services' Health Resources and Services
3 14 Administration has developed, in conjunction with the
3 15 American Academy of Pediatrics, the Bright Futures
3 16 Initiative, which provides a set of guidelines
3 17 including recommendations on immunizations and routine
3 18 health screenings for adolescents; and
3 19 WHEREAS, because adolescents remain under the
3 20 guardianship of their parents, parental awareness of
3 21 the need for an adolescent well visit plays an
3 22 enormous role in the incidence of adolescent well
3 23 visits; NOW THEREFORE,
3 24 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
3 25 encourages the Department of Public Health to educate
3 26 parents on the importance of an adolescent well
3 27 physical to prevent chronic diseases, avoid injury,
3 28 appropriately intervene to better treat chronic
3 29 disease, and update immunizations.
3 30 LSB 2702SS 83
4 1 jr/nh/14.1