California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 199

Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta

June 21, 2016

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 199—Relative to Obesity Awareness Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 199, as introduced, Bonta. Obesity Awareness Month.

This measure would annually proclaim the month of November as Obesity Awareness Month in California.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Obesity is recognized as a national epidemic and
each state must seek out all necessary means to fight it; and

WHEREAS, More than one-third of adults in the United States
(34.9 percent), or approximately 111 million Americans, are obese;
and

WHEREAS, In California, nearly 60 percent of adults are
considered overweight or obese and one in four are obese; and

WHEREAS, Minorities in California are disproportionately
affected by obesity, with approximately 34.7 percent of African
Americans and 31.7 percent of Latinos considered obese; and

WHEREAS, Those without economic means are
disproportionately affected by obesity; 33 percent of those with
incomes of $15,000 per year or less are obese, compared with 24.6
percent of those who make at least $50,000 per year, while 33
percent of those not graduating high school are obese compared
to 21.5 percent of those who graduated college or technical college;
and

WHEREAS, Obesity has been linked to many comorbidities
and chronic diseases, with the six most common and most costly
being type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke,
arthritis, and certain types of cancer; and

WHEREAS, Obesity is one of the largest drivers of health care
costs, with estimates ranging from $147 billion to $210 billion in
annual medically related costs as of 2012; and

WHEREAS, The State of California paid approximately $1.3
billion in obesity-related costs in Medi-Cal in 2013, and annual
costs of severe obesity cost $9.1 billion in overall health care costs
in 2013; and

WHEREAS, The estimated medically related costs of adult
obesity are expected to rise to $620 billion annually by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Obesity-related job absenteeism costs United
States’ employers at least $4.3 billion annually, taking a toll on
the economy; and

WHEREAS, Almost every state that demonstrates a 5-percent
decrease in average body mass index will experience an
approximate 6.5 percent to 7.9 percent reduction in overall health
care costs over the next 5 to 10 years; and

WHEREAS, The American Medical Association (AMA) has
now recognized obesity as a chronic disease requiring a range of
medical interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention,
and health professionals from a large and growing number of other
professional medical societies have signaled their support for the
AMA’s decision to recognize obesity as a disease; and

WHEREAS, Significant innovations in treatment and medical
interventions, including pharmacotherapy and other medical
interventions, have been approved for the medical community in
recent years; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of
November 2016 and each year thereafter as Obesity Awareness
Month in California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature supports policies to reduce obesity
in California and the costs associated with the disease; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
to the author for appropriate distribution.