ACR 199, as amended, Bonta. Obesity Awareness Month.
This measure would annually proclaim the month of November as Obesity Awareness Month in California.
Fiscal committee: no.
P2 1WHEREAS, Obesity is recognized as a national epidemic, and
2each state must seek out all necessary means to fight it; and
3WHEREAS, More than one-third of adults in the United States
4(34.9 percent), or approximately 111 million Americans, have
5obesity; and
6WHEREAS, In California, nearly 60 percent of adults are
7overweight or have obesity and one in four have obesity; and
8WHEREAS, Minorities in California are disproportionately
9affected by obesity, with approximately 34.7 percent of African
10Americans and 31.7 percent of Latinos considered as having
11obesity; and
12WHEREAS, Those without economic means are
13disproportionately affected by obesity; 33 percent of those with
14incomes of $15,000 per year or less have obesity, compared with
1524.6 percent of those who make at least $50,000 per year, while
1633 percent of those not graduating high school have obesity,
17compared with 21.5 percent of those who graduated college or
18technical college; and
19WHEREAS, Obesity has been linked to many comorbidities
20and chronic diseases, with the six most common and most costly
21being type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke,
22arthritis, and certain types of cancer; and
23WHEREAS, Obesity is one of the largest drivers of health care
24costs, with estimates ranging from $147 billion to $210 billion in
25annual medically related costs as of 2012; and
26WHEREAS, The State of California paid approximately $1.3
27billion in obesity-related costs in Medi-Cal in 2013, and annual
28costs of severe obesity amounted to $9.1 billion in overall health
29care costs in 2013; and
30WHEREAS, The estimated medically related costs of adult
31obesity are expected to rise to $620 billion annually by 2030; and
32WHEREAS, Obesity-related job absenteeism costs employers
33in the United States at least $4.3 billion annually, taking a toll on
34the economy; and
35WHEREAS, Almost every state that demonstrates a 5-percent
36decrease in average body mass index will experience an
37approximate 6.5-percent to 7.9-percent reduction in overall health
38care costs over the next 5 to 10 years; and
39WHEREAS, The American Medical Association (AMA) has
40now recognized obesity as a chronic disease requiring a range of
P3 1medical interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention,
2and health professionals from a large and growing number of other
3professional medical societies have signaled their support for the
4AMA’s decision to recognize obesity as a disease; and
5WHEREAS, Significant innovations in treatment and medical
6interventions, including, among others, pharmacotherapy, have
7been approved for the medical community in recent years; now,
8therefore, be it
9Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
10thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of
11November 2016, and each November thereafter, as Obesity
12Awareness Month in California; and be it further
13Resolved, That the Legislature supports policies to reduce obesity
14in California and the costs associated with the disease; and be it
15further
16Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
17of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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