HB 7203

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the prevention of obesity; amending s.
3	381.0054, F.S.; requiring the Department of Health to
4	collaborate with other state agencies in developing
5	policies and strategies to prevent obesity which shall be
6	incorporated into agency programs; requiring the
7	department to advise health care practitioners regarding
8	morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with the
9	condition of being overweight or obese; requiring the
10	department to inform health care practitioners about
11	clinical best practices for obesity prevention and to
12	encourage practitioners to counsel their patients
13	regarding the adoption of healthy lifestyles; requiring
14	the Department of Health in partnership with the
15	Department of Education to award grants to local school
16	districts to implement a pilot program to promote healthy
17	eating habits, increase physical activity, and improve
18	fitness; specifying requirements for the pilot program;
19	requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
20	Government Accountability to complete a report to
21	determine the program's effectiveness in changing body
22	mass index, increasing knowledge, and improving attitudes
23	and behaviors of students related to nutrition and
24	physical activity; requiring the Department of Health and
25	the program provider to seek partnerships with various
26	entities and organizations for assistance in providing
27	funding and resources; requiring school districts that
28	participate in the pilot program to collect certain
29	information that is identified by the Office of Program
30	Policy Analysis and Government Accountability for the
31	evaluation of the program's effectiveness; providing an
32	appropriation; providing an effective date.
33
34	WHEREAS, in 2003, 14 percent of high school students were
35	at risk of being overweight and an additional 12.4 percent were
36	overweight, and
37	WHEREAS, in 2003, more than 50 percent of high school
38	students did not participate in any physical education at
39	school, and
40	WHEREAS, in 2003, only approximately 20.7 percent of high
41	school students in this state ate five or more servings of
42	fruits or vegetables each day in a 7-day period, and
43	WHEREAS, in 2003, 42.7 percent of high school students
44	watched television for 3 or more hours on an average school day,
45	and
46	WHEREAS, in 2003, 39.9 percent of middle school students
47	did not go to physical education classes at all during an
48	average school week, and
49	WHEREAS, in 2003, on an average school day, 45.3 percent of
50	middle school students watched television for 3 or more hours,
51	18.2 percent used the computer for fun for 3 or more hours, and
52	14.8 percent reported playing video games for 3 or more hours,
53	and
54	WHEREAS, in 2003, only 11.3 percent of middle school
55	students reported eating five or more servings of fruits and
56	vegetables per day, and
57	WHEREAS, approximately 60 percent of overweight children
58	have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease such as
59	high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and about 25 percent of
60	overweight children have two or more risk factors, and
61	WHEREAS, 25 percent of adults and children are obese and 15
62	million Americans are morbidly obese, and
63	WHEREAS, obesity as a cause of death is preventable and
64	20,000 Floridians die annually from obesity-related diseases,
65	and
66	WHEREAS, obesity-related medical expenditures for adults in
67	this state total more than $3.9 billion yearly, with over half
68	of the costs being financed by Medicare and Medicaid, NOW,
69	THEREFORE,
70
71	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
72
73	Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 381.0054, Florida
74	Statutes, is amended to read:
75	381.0054  Healthy lifestyles promotion.--
76	(1)  The Department of Health shall promote healthy
77	lifestyles to reduce the prevalence of excess weight gain
78	overweight and obesity in Florida by implementing appropriate
79	physical activity and nutrition programs that are directed
80	towards target all Floridians by:
81	(a)  Using all appropriate media to promote maximum public
82	awareness of the latest research on healthy lifestyles and
83	chronic diseases and disseminating relevant information through
84	a statewide clearinghouse relating to wellness, physical
85	activity, and nutrition and their impact on chronic diseases and
86	disabling conditions.
87	(b)  Providing technical assistance, training, and
88	resources on healthy lifestyles and chronic diseases to the
89	public, county health departments, health care providers, school
90	districts, and other persons or entities, including faith-based
91	organizations, that request such assistance to promote physical
92	activity, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle programs.
93	(c)  Developing, implementing, and using all available
94	research methods to collect data, including, but not limited to,
95	population-specific data, and track the incidence and effects of
96	weight gain, obesity, and related chronic diseases. The
97	department shall include an evaluation and data collection
98	component in all programs as appropriate.
99	(d)  Partnering with the Department of Education, local
100	communities, school districts, and other entities to encourage
101	Florida schools to promote activities during and after school to
102	help students meet a minimum goal of 60 minutes of activity per
103	day.
104	(e)  Partnering with the Department of Education, school
105	districts, and the Florida Sports Foundation to develop a
106	program that recognizes schools whose students demonstrate
107	excellent physical fitness or fitness improvement.
108	(f)  Collaborating with other state agencies to develop
109	policies and strategies for preventing obesity, which shall be
110	incorporated into programs administered by each agency and shall
111	include promoting healthy lifestyles of employees of each
112	agency.
113	(g)  Advising, in accordance with s. 456.081, health care
114	practitioners licensed in this state regarding the morbidity,
115	mortality, and costs associated with the condition of being
116	overweight or obese, informing such practitioners of clinical
117	best practices for preventing obesity, and encouraging
118	practitioners to counsel their patients regarding the adoption
119	of healthy lifestyles.
120	(h)(f)  Maximizing all local, state, and federal funding
121	sources, including grants, public-private partnerships, and
122	other mechanisms, to strengthen the department's current
123	physical activity and nutrition programs and to enhance similar
124	county health department programs.
125	Section 2.  (1)  The Department of Health in partnership
126	with the Department of Education shall award grants to local
127	school districts to implement a 3-year pilot program that is
128	directed towards students in the 4th and 5th grades in 10
129	geographically and demographically diverse counties. The pilot
130	program must:
131	(a)  Have a program provider. The program provider shall:
132	1.  Have a prevention-education program currently in use
133	throughout the school districts in this state in order to
134	receive funds under the grants provided by the pilot program;
135	2.  Promote the "Fresh 2-U" campaign by the Department of
136	Agriculture and Consumer Services;
137	3.  Have an established partnership with the Produce for
138	Better Health Foundation and promote its "5 A Day the Color Way"
139	campaign; and
140	4.  Work with school districts to use multimedia methods
141	and awareness events and promote healthful nutrition and
142	physical activity opportunities throughout the school year
143	targeting students, staff, parents, and caregivers.
144	(b)  Establish a school-based program in elementary schools
145	for purposes of promoting healthy eating habits, increasing
146	physical activity, and improving fitness, and include a formal
147	curriculum on physical activity and nutrition that is consistent
148	with recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on the
149	Obesity Epidemic, February 2004.
150	(c)  Provide education and professional-development
151	training to teachers on how to implement the program to model
152	physical activity and healthy eating behavior and on the
153	importance of building positive physical habits during school
154	and away from school.
155	(d)  Empower teachers to facilitate educational
156	opportunities to support and sustain lifelong physical activity
157	and healthy eating.
158	(e)  Incorporate physical activity and nutrition education
159	into core classroom subject areas and various curricula,
160	including, but not limited to, math, science, home economics,
161	and language arts, and must be linked to the Sunshine State
162	Standards.
163	(f)  Integrate nutrition and physical activities into other
164	educational opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.
165	Teachers, administrators, school food service personnel, other
166	school personnel, and parents and students shall collaborate on
167	creating a positive physical activity and healthy nutrition
168	environment. The program must also include resources and
169	activities that engage and involve parents and caregivers.
170	(g)  Provide resources and education for core classroom
171	teachers to promote collaboration between the physical education
172	and core classroom teachers and create a comprehensive
173	educational experience for the students to develop the skills,
174	knowledge, and attitudes to make healthy decisions using
175	critical thinking skills throughout their lives, while enhancing
176	students' reading and academic skills.
177	(h)  Provide resources that are sustainable and provide
178	open, web-based resources to teachers and students across the
179	state.
180	(i)  Be compliant with applicable state education
181	standards.
182	(j)  Have nutrition-education activities that are developed
183	in partnership with the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
184	(k)  Be evidence based and research based and have had
185	results published in a peer-reviewed journal demonstrating a
186	statistically significant reduction in body mass index and an
187	increase in fruit and vegetable consumption and levels of
188	physical activity among participating students.
189	(l)  Hire a statewide coordinator to provide ongoing
190	support for teachers and staff who implement the program.
191	(2)  At the completion of the 3-year pilot program, the
192	Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
193	shall conduct a performance evaluation to determine the
194	program's effectiveness in changing body mass index, increasing
195	knowledge, and improving attitudes and behaviors of students
196	related to nutrition and physical activity. Following the
197	completion of the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years, the
198	Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
199	shall submit interim reports to the President of the Senate and
200	the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
201	(3)  To be eligible for the grant, school districts must
202	agree to collect information that the Office of Program Policy
203	Analysis and Government Accountability needs to conduct its
204	evaluations. This information will facilitate the Office of
205	Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability's
206	evaluation of the pilot program's effectiveness in changing body
207	mass index and increasing knowledge and improving attitudes and
208	behaviors related to nutrition and physical activity. The Office
209	of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability must
210	supply a form for participating school districts to record the
211	information and identify the information that must be collected
212	for the evaluation. The school district must collect baseline
213	and end-of-school-year information concerning the participating
214	students.
215	(4)  In addition to working with the Department of
216	Education and local school districts, the Department of Health,
217	working together with the program provider, shall seek
218	partnerships with local businesses, industries, corporations,
219	philanthropic foundations, and other organizations and shall
220	seek state and federal grant opportunities that may assist in
221	providing funding or resources to schools.
222	Section 3.  The sum of $_______ is appropriated from the
223	General Revenue Fund to the Department of Health for the 2006-
224	2007 fiscal year to implement the provisions of s. 381.0054,
225	Florida Statutes.
226	Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.