POUNDS OF BILLS AIMED AT OBESITY PILE UP IN D.C. HEALTH EXPERTS: DEMS HAVE SHOT AT PASSING USEFUL POLICY.

Byline: LISA FRIEDMAN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- As Americans wrestle to take off those stubborn pounds, anti-obesity legislation is piling up like layers of transfat in the halls of the nation's Capitol.

Just this month, lawmakers have introduced seven measures aimed at shrinking Americans' waistlines. And dozens more are expected in the coming weeks on everything from requiring Medicaid to pay for obesity treatments to regulating junk-food advertising targeting kids.

Medical experts praise Congress for highlighting a critical health issue. But they also warn that lawmakers' quest to legislate fitness has helped only the poor clerks who must haul the reams of paper on which the bills are being written.

``It shows they are waking up to the looming obesity crisis,'' said Matt Sharp, Los Angeles director of the California Food Policy Advocate.

But, he added, ``the evidence will be borne in the signatures and the budgets, not in the introduction of bills.''

Last year, Congress introduced more than 75 bills regarding obesity, but just two made it past committee: a resolution establishing a National Youth Sports week to promote physical activity and a Republican tort-reform measure dubbed the ``cheeseburger bill'' preventing consumers from suing the food industry.

With Democrats in charge of the House and Senate, health experts said they see the first opportunity in years to craft policy that addresses the climbing obesity rate.

The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 30percent of U.S. adults -- more than 60million people -- are obese.

In Los Angeles County, the obesity rate among adults soared from 14.3percent in 1997 to 20.9percent less than a decade later -- a collective gain of 44million pounds, said Dr. Paul Simon, Los Angeles County's director of health assessment and epidemiology.

``I'm used to seeing really significant increases with infectious diseases, but in my experience it's almost unparalleled to see such a significant change for a chronic condition like obesity,'' he said.

Simon, like many health experts, said he rejects the limited measures Congress took under GOP leadership.

``We don't believe it's simply a collective loss of personal responsibility, (but) we also need to move beyond just public education,'' he said.

In previous years, Democrats have pushed bills calling for tough regulation of the food industry. Many are expected to resurface this year, including one from Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa requiring fast-food restaurants to list nutritional information on their menus.

Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, wrote a bill calling for federal agencies to address ways to encourage healthier lifestyles.

``We need to do more education, more outreach,'' Solis said.

Noting that the rate of diabetes among Latinos is almost twice that of other groups, Solis blamed much of the rising obesity epidemic on limited income, inadequate open space, slashed physical education programs in public schools and a critical lack of health insurance.

Another potential Harkin measure takes aim at junk-food marketing by allowing the Federal Trade Commission to regulate food advertising.

The restaurant industry is expected to fight those measures and push for Congress to once again pass -- and this time sign into law -- the ``cheeseburger bill,'' officially named the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act.

``It is up to people's individual choices to facilitate their individual diets,'' said Mike Shutley, legislative director of the National Restaurant Association.

Sharp said he doubts whether the advertising regulations will pass, and he agreed with Simon that while education grants are helpful, their impact is limited.

He pointed to food stamps as one area where Congress could have a direct influence on lowering obesity rates.

Sharp said that while 2million Californians are part of the food stamp program, another 2million are eligible but do not receive them. He thinks increasing the availability of the program would help more people eat nutritiously.

California lawmakers also are getting in on the action, with state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima, writing legislation that would require restaurant chains to provide nutritional information -- calories, fat, carbohydrates and sodium -- on their menus.

``People are eating out more. Studies have found a positive association between eating out and higher caloric intakes and higher body weights,'' he said. ``Nutritional information is vital to consumers who want to make healthier choices when they are eating out.''

lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com

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