HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

94

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE KAPIOLANI MEDICAL CENTER FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S OBESITY TASK FORCE TO PROPOSE ACTION PLANS FOR ADDRESSING PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN HAWAII.

 

 

WHEREAS, obesity in the United States is considered the major health issue of the 21st century, with an estimated two-thirds of the adult population (self-reporting) being overweight (64.5 per cent) and of these, one-third are obese (30.5 per cent) in 1999-2000; and

WHEREAS, an estimated forty-four million Americans were obese in 2001, representing an increase of seventy-four per cent in ten years; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii more than one-half (53.1 per cent) of the adult population was overweight (thirty-six per cent) or obese (17.1 per cent) in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii spends about $290,000,000 or 4.9 per cent on its total medical expenditures on obesity-related medical conditions; and

WHEREAS, the United States spent an estimated $75,000,000,000 in 2003 for obesity-related medical costs, with more than half of the costs paid by taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid programs, which cover sicknesses caused by obesity such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, and gall bladder disease; and

WHEREAS, obesity in childhood is a predictor of obesity in adulthood, and the health related behaviors established in youth -- unhealthy eating and inadequate physical activity -- contribute to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes in adulthood; and

WHEREAS, in some communities and populations in Hawaii, childhood obesity is twice the national average for children age six to eleven years, and the prevalence of overweight children in all ethnic groups ages one to four years was above the expected fifteen per cent; and

WHEREAS, a task force has been convened by Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children to examine the issues and costs of childhood obesity for Hawaii, and the task force is developing a white paper summarizing their findings; and

WHEREAS, the task force has included representatives from the Department of Health, the Academy of Pediatrics Hawaii Chapter, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, the Kamehameha Schools, the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, the University of Hawaii Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Science, the University of Hawaii Department of Sports Medicine, Hawaii Medical Service Association, Kaiser Permanente, and practicing pediatricians; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children's Obesity Task Force is requested to propose action plans for addressing prevention and treatment of childhood obesity in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to expand its membership to include the Department of Education, the Department of Transportation, and other departments and agencies overseeing key areas relating to mental health, public safety, and recreation, such as the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, county Departments of Planning and Permitting, and Parks and Recreation, and American Heart Association; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to report its findings and recommendations in the form of a legislative briefing no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2005 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children's Obesity Task Force, Director of Department of Health, President of the Academy of Pediatrics Hawaii Chapter, Chair of Board of Directors of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, CEO of Kamehameha Schools, Chair of University of Hawaii School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Chair of the University of Hawaii Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Science, Chair of the University of Hawaii Department of Sports Medicine, Chair of Board of Directors of Hawaii Medical Service Association, Chair of Board of Directors of Kaiser Permanente, Superintendent of Education, Director of Transportation, and Chair of the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition. The Obesity Task Force may also send copies of this Resolution to any agency as warranted.

 

Report Title:

Childrens' Obesity Task Force