National Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Monitoring Act, H.R. 2844 HIGXYZ45HIGZYXAs Public Health professionals, you realize the importance of evidence-based decision making. For that reason, the National Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Monitoring Act (H.R. 2844) must be a major legislative priority in 2006. APHA passed a resolution in support of this bill, and APHA has been an active member of the Alliance for Continuing Nutrition Monitoring that is working to pass this legislation in the House and Senate. We recognize there are many critical issues and tight fiscal constraints facing the administration, several of which are related to the nation’s health, nutritional needs, and food security. National health, nutrition and physical activity monitoring activities are essential to address these crucial issues and drive policy for billions of federally funded public health programs, food assistance programs, dietary guidance, food labeling and fortification, food safety, nutrition education, bioterrorism, and food additive and pesticide reviews and approvals. H.R. 2844 is essential to maintaining health and nutrition data collection, regular updating of food composition data, and adequate funding for these public health measures. HR 2844 reauthorizes the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 that expired in 2003, after having led to the cost effective and efficient integration of the separate DHHS and USDA nutrition monitoring surveys. The results of the continuous monitoring of what Americans eat and other health measures also leverage billions of private sector dollars that are allocated to nutrition labeling, food product development, commodity production, bioterrorism, and food safety assessments. Please contact your Representatives and urge them to co-sponsor the National Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Monitoring Act (H.R. 2844), introduced by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, in the 109th legislative session. We await action on this bill in the House Agriculture Committees, so please ask your member of Congress to contact the House Ag Committee and urge passage of bill from Committee. This legislation has already gained support from USDA, DHHS, and CDC, indicated in letters to the Alliance for Continuing Nutrition Monitoring. With your support we will maintain momentum and have HR 2844 passed. To gain more details reference the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (105(8); 1196-1200).

If you are interested in discussing this important legislation further or would like a sample letter, please contact Nancy Chapman at (202) 659-1858 or nancy@nchapman.com.

-Nancy Chapman, MPH, RD, and Leigh Ann Edwards, MPH, RD