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January 13, 2009
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109th Congress

Public Laws | arrow indicating current page Pending Legislation

Health Promotion Funding Integrated Research, Synthesis, and Training Act

S. 628

Background

Lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and tobacco use are leading causes of preventable death and disability. Many see a need for a coordinated effort by the Federal Government to promote healthy lifestyles in order to prevent premature death, chronic illness, and reduced quality of life, as well as high medical costs and lost wages. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) reintroduced his legislation from the 108th Congress to "build the foundation for a stable coordinated strategy to develop the basic and applied science of health promotion, synthesize research results and disseminate findings to researchers, practitioners and policy makers."

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) was established in 1986 to promote and coordinate health promotion and disease prevention research among NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) and advise the Director of NIH and senior staff on health promotion and prevention research and related activities. ODP offices coordinate research at NIH in the areas of dietary supplements, rare diseases, and the application of research findings to medical practice. ODP also works with other Federal agencies and the private sector to stimulate and facilitate collaborative efforts.

As the primary link between the Office of the Director, NIH, and the ICs, ODP coordinates, collaborates, and manages information exchange across the diverse fields of biomedical science involved in health promotion and disease prevention research at NIH. Through the NIH Prevention Research Coordinating Committee, which has representatives from each of the ICs, ODP taps expertise across many disciplines to integrate NIH activities with other health promotion and disease prevention organizations and obtain technical review and comment on prevention issues affecting governmental policy and reports.

An example of prevention research at NIH involves addressing the problem of obesity. Because of the escalation in obesity and the extraordinary difficulties in its prevention and treatment, a number of NIH ICs and Offices are taking important new steps to augment their obesity research portfolios. Recognizing the trans-NIH nature of this problem, the Director of NIH established the NIH Obesity Research Task Force to accelerate progress in obesity research at NIH. The Task Force recently released its Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research to provide a guide for coordinating obesity research activities across NIH and for enhancing the development of new research efforts based on the identification of areas of greatest scientific opportunity and challenge.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

  • Subtitle B of the legislation would require the Director of NIH, through the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, to 1) establish a plan, in concert with the Department of Health and Human Services, on how to develop the basic science of health promotion through NIH, and 2) conduct or support early research programs and research training regarding health promotion. The plan would be required to include a research agenda to develop the basic science of health promotion, recommend funding levels for the various areas of research in the agenda, and recommend the best combination of NIH agencies and non-Federal entities to carry out research under the agenda. To carry out the early research programs, the bill would authorize $30 million for fiscal year (FY) 2006.
  • Other provisions of the legislation would:
    • Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a plan for health promotion programs, including provisions to address how best to develop basic and applied science of health promotion. The bill would authorize $6 million in FY 2006, $4 million in FY 2007, and $3 million for FYs 2008-2010.
    • Require the Secretary, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish health promotion research centers and a plan that would include a research agenda. The bill would require the establishment of not more than five new centers for FYs 2006-2011. In addition, the CDC Extramural Research program would be required to conduct outreach to attract applicants and to devote a portion of research funding to developing the applied science of health promotion. The Director of CDC would also be required to carry out a workplace health program.

Status and Outlook

S. 628 was introduced by Senator Lugar on March 15, 2005, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. No further action has occurred on this legislation.

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