BILL NUMBER: ACR 199	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Bonta

                        JUNE 21, 2016

   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.