Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Long-term InVestment in Education for Wellness Act” or the “LIVE Well Act”.
Long-term InVestment in Education for Wellness Act
A BILL
To amend section 28 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to include eating disorders prevention within the nutrition education and obesity prevention grant program and the local wellness program; and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
Eating disorders affect 30 million Americans during their lifetime and have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.
Eating disorders affect people of all body sizes, ages, races, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses.
Eating disorders are complex, biologically based serious mental illnesses that include the specific disorders of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorders.
Eighty percent of people with an eating disorder are normal or higher weight, and 81 percent of people with binge eating disorder are clinically higher weight or have obesity.
One in 4 people seeking obesity treatment has an underlying eating disorder that is often undiagnosed.
Children in higher weight bodies are more likely to engage in unhealthy weight-control measures, and 2/3 are at risk of an eating disorder.
Research shows that focusing on weight talk, weight stigma, and dieting does not result in long-term reduction in weight; 2/3 of dieters will regain more weight than lost from dieting.
Studies show that shifting prevention focuses from weight and dieting towards long-term health practices, including a focus on body positivity, nutrition, decreasing weight-based bullying or harassment, and physical activity, without a focus on weight, BMI testing, or negative weight talk, reduces risk factors for populations affected by eating disorders and populations affected by obesity.
Sec. 3 Eating disorders prevention
in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of subsection (a), by striking “and” and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”,
by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
“(b) Grant Programs—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service, shall implement an evidence-based nutrition education, eating disorders prevention, or obesity prevention program for eligible individuals that promotes healthy food choices and physical activity with a focus on long-term health practices.”
in subsection (c)—
in the heading by striking “and” and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”,
in paragraph (1)—
by inserting “evidence-based” after “deliver”, and
by striking “and” and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”,
in paragraph (2)—
in subparagraph (A) by striking “and” and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”, and
in subparagraph (B)—
in clause (iii) by striking “ and” at the end,
in clause (iv) by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”, and
by adding at the end the following:
“(v) ensure that interventions encourage screening for eating disorders and include long-term health practices.”
in paragraph (3)—
in subparagraph (A)—
in clause (i) by inserting “eating disorders prevention and screening,” after “education,”, and
in clause (iii) by inserting “and long-term health practices” after “nutrition”, and
in subparagraph (B)—
in the matter preceding clause (i)—
by inserting “and eating disorders prevention,” after “education”, and
by inserting “, Assistant Secretary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,” after “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, and
in clause (ii) by inserting “and eating disorders” after “education”,
in paragraph (4)—
by striking “and” after “education”, and
by inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or” after “nutrition education”,
in paragraph (6)—
by striking “and” after “nutrition education”, and
by inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or” after “nutrition education”,
in paragraph (7)(C)—
by striking “and” after “nutrition education”, and
by inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or” after “nutrition education”,
in paragraph (8) by striking “and” the first place it appears and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”, and
in paragraph (9)(A)(i)—
by striking “and” after “the nutrition education”, and
by inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or” after “nutrition education”,
in subsection (d)—
in paragraph (1) by striking “and” the first place it appears and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”,
in paragraph (3)—
in subparagraph (A) by striking “and” and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”, and
in subparagraph (B) by striking “and” and inserting “, eating disorders prevention, or”, and
by adding at the end the following:
“(4) Authorization of Appropriations—There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.”
by adding at the end the following:
“(f) Definition—In this section the term “long-term health practices” means long-lasting changes within an individual focused on nutrition, body positivity, and physical activity, focusing on overall health outcomes including changes in behavior and metabolic health.”
Sec. 4 Local wellness grants
In general— Section 9A of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758b) is amended—
in subsection (b)—
in paragraph (1), by inserting “promotion of long-term health practices (as defined in subsection (f) of section 28 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a)), reduction of disordered eating within children,” after “activity,”, and
in paragraph (3), by inserting “registered dietitian nutritionists, licensed mental health professionals,” after “administrators,”,
in subsection (d)—
paragraph (1)—
by inserting “and in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,” after “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,”, and
by inserting “school health professionals,” after “school food authorities,”,
in paragraph (2)(C)—
by inserting “and eating disorders prevention and screening” after “sound nutrition”, and
by inserting “and long-term health practices (as such term is defined in subsection (f) of section 28 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a))” after “nutrition environments”,
in paragraph (3)—
in subparagraph (A), by inserting “and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration” after “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, and
in subparagraph (C), by striking “2014” and inserting “2021”, and
in subparagraph (D), by striking “2011”, and inserting “2020”.
Applicability— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply beginning with the first school year that begins at least 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.