HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

310

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ADOPT MORE BLUE ZONE VITALITY PROJECTS WITH ASSISTANCE AS-NEEDED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is responsible for promoting good health among its residents and providing opportunities to improve quality of life; and

 

WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control has reported that the number of Americans with diabetes has tripled from 5.6 million in 1980 to 18.1 million affected persons in 2008, with diabetes being the seventh leading cause of death in both the United States and Hawaii; and

 

WHEREAS, the CDC has listed the State of Hawaii on the second tier of nationwide diabetes prevalence, it is important for the long-run health and wellbeing of our residents to call attention to the facts which are directly relevant and potentially amendable; and

    

WHEREAS, the Asian American Diabetes Initiative has cited that persons of Chinese, Japanese and Native Hawaiian descent are at significantly higher risk of developing diabetes, and are adequately representative of the State's population; and

 

     WHEREAS, approximately 32.45 percent of diabetics report poor mental health, trends towards obesity, and a quality of life lower than their counterparts; and

 

WHEREAS, the State has an opportunity to provide access to essentials consistent with the principles of a healthy lifestyle, such as; safe streets, nutritious meal options, recreational parks and social networks within communities; and

 

WHEREAS, the aforementioned principles are the fundamental premises of Blue Zone vitality projects, that is, projects that aim to transform willing communities; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is empirical evidence of the successful cultivation of a Blue Zone community in Albert Lea, Minnesota, wherein the community worked together to redesign their community to encourage walking, biking, access to local farmers markets, and access to community events that fostered and nurtured healthy lifestyles; and

 

     WHEREAS, participants in the Albert Lea, Minnesota Blue Zone vitality project continue to benefit from; an average increased life expectancy of 3.2 years, an average drop of 21 percent in absenteeism for key employers, and a 49 percent decrease in health care costs for city employees; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Center for Disease Control's Diabetes Prevention Program has empirically proven that prevention, or delay of type 2 diabetes is possible through simple life style modifications; and

 

     WHEREAS, adopting Blue Zone vitality projects in Hawaii could afford participants a more convenient means of living a healthy lifestyle while improving their physical health, mental health and quality of life; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is within the ability of the State to improve the safety and walkability of our streets, assist food vendors in the formation of menus with healthy substitutions; improve access to food vendors and households to locally grown food products, and to encourage community involvement in redesigning and upgrading communities to promote health and well-being; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Health, and in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, are the appropriate State agencies to develop and oversee the implementation of Blue Zone vitality projects; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health is urged to promote Blue Zone vitality projects and to work with the State Department of Agriculture, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, the Healthy Hawaii Initiative,  the John H. Burns School of Medicine, the Sustainable Communities Initiative and similar groups to encourage and recommend adoption of the principles of the Blue Zone Vitality Project; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture prepare a report on these efforts and submit their findings to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2013; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Director of the State Department of Health, the Chairman of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the Chairman of the State Board of Agriculture, the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons and the Honolulu chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Relating to Community Health Projects.