Senate Concurrent ResolutionNo. 134


Introduced by Senator Pan

April 25, 2016


Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 134—Relative to diabetes prevention.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 134, as introduced, Pan. Diabetes: the “Screen at 23” campaign.

This measure would urge the State Department of Public Health to endorse the “Screen at 23” campaign to screen all adult Asian Americans with a body mass index of 23 or higher for type II diabetes.

Fiscal committee: yes.

P1    1WHEREAS, Approximately 2.5 million Californians, or 9
2percent of the population, are diagnosed with diabetes, 46 percent
3of Californians are estimated to have prediabetes, and residents of
4Asian American heritage comprise 14 percent of the population
5of the State of California; and

6WHEREAS, Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death among
7Asian Americans; and

8WHEREAS, Asian Americans are 30 percent more likely to
9have diabetes than White Americans and are also at greater risk
10of developing prediabetes, diabetes, and associated risks at a lower
11body mass index (BMI) than White, Hispanic, Black, or Native
12Americans; and

13WHEREAS, Asian Americans face a health care disparity in
14type II diabetes detection and diagnosis, as the current guidelines
15for screening Asian Americans at a body mass index of 25kg/m2
16 not only miss 36 percent of diabetes diagnoses, or approximately
P2    1116,000 individuals, in California but also underestimate the
2prevalence of prediabetes among Asian Americans; and

3WHEREAS, Two out of three persons with type II diabetes die
4from heart attack or stroke, and adults with diabetes are at risk for
5developing end-stage renal disease and kidney failure, blindness,
6and lower limb loss; and

7WHEREAS, The per capita health care cost of diabetes in
8California is $14,800 per year and the annual cost for diabetes in
9California is $37.1 billion, including $27.6 billion in medical costs
10and $9.5 billion in indirect costs and productivity loss; and

11WHEREAS, Thirty-eight percent of all hospitalized Asian
12Americans in California have diabetes, which leads to more
13expensive hospital care regardless of the reason for hospitalization;
14and

15WHEREAS, Early detection and treatment can mitigate
16diabetes-related complications, risks and costs; and

17WHEREAS, Interventions focusing on nutrition, physical
18activity, and healthy weight loss have been shown to reverse
19prediabetes, improve glucose function in diabetics, and reduce the
20need for multiple medications; and

21WHEREAS, Screening Asian American patients at a BMI of
2223 instead of 25 would unmask over 67,000 diabetes cases, and
23many thousands more prediabetes cases in California, thereby
24initiating treatment or early interventions to reduce negative
25co-morbidities like heart diseases, kidney diseases, and limb
26amputation; and

27WHEREAS, The National Institutes of Health recently found
28that more than half of Asian Americans with diabetes are
29undiagnosed and community-based participatory research and
30studies on Asian American subpopulations have shown that Asian
31Americans develop diabetes at a lower body mass index; and

32WHEREAS, The World Health Organization recommends
33screening Asian patients at a lower body mass index than
34non-Hispanic Whites, and the 2015 official guidelines of the
35American Diabetes Association recommend that Asian Americans
36should be tested for type II diabetes at a body mass index of 23;
37and

38WHEREAS, The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific
39Islanders Diabetes Coalition has coordinated the “Asian BMI”
P3    1efforts of over 15 national and regional organizations, culminating
2in the launch of the “Screen at 23” campaign; and

3WHEREAS, California has the opportunity to become one of
4the first states to formally recognize and recommend screening
5adult Asian Americans for type II diabetes at a body mass index
6of 23, enabling thousands of individuals to get the early care and
7treatment needed to live healthier and happier lives; now, therefore,
8be it

9Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
10thereof concurring,
That the Legislature endorses and supports
11the “Screen at 23” campaign; and be it further

12Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of
13Public Health to endorse and support the “Screen at 23” campaign’s
14efforts to increase awareness of diabetes among Asian American
15communities, including the use of appropriate screening measures
16for Asian American patients and to eliminate disparities; and be
17it further

18Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of
19Public Health to encourage all public and private health providers
20and facilities to also participate in these efforts; and be it further

21Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
22this resolution to the author, the Governor, and the Director of the
23State Department of Public Health for appropriate distribution.



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