Session of 1999
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1612
By Senator Praeger
2-18
9 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the Secretary of the Kansas
10 Department of Health and Environment to review the effect of obesity
11 in both adults and children on costly health complications such as di-
12 abetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, and health complica-
13 tions in children, and to report on current programs of the state de-
14 signed to improve awareness of the problem of obesity and its
15 treatment and to make recommendations to the Legislature for addi-
16 tions and improvements to the state programs prior to the convening
17 of the 2000 session of the Legislature.
18
19 WHEREAS, The Kansas Department of Health and Environment
20 maintains several multi-agency programs to improve the health of Kan-
21 sans, young and old; and
22 WHEREAS, The Kansas Department of Health and Environment's
23 Healthy Kansans 2000 1996 report recognized obesity among the known
24 risk factors contributing to serious health consequences; and
25 WHEREAS, A casual relationship exists between obesity and a num-
26 ber of serious disorders, including hypertension, dyclipedemia, cardio-
27 vascular disease, diabetes (Type II), gallbladder disease, respiratory dys-
28 function, gout, and osteoarthritis; and
29 WHEREAS, Nearly seventy percent of diagnosed cases of cardiovas-
30 cular diseases are related to obesity, and obesity more than doubles a
31 person's chances of developing high blood pressure, and almost half of
32 breast cancer cases are diagnosed among obese women, and forty-two
33 percent of colon cancer cases are among obese individuals; and
34 WHEREAS, Obesity ranks second only to smoking as a preventable
35 cause of death and results in some three hundred thousand deaths an-
36 nually; and
37 WHEREAS, It is estimated that thirty-five percent of the adult pop-
38 ulation is obese and the prevalence of obesity grew a staggering thirty-
39 four percent during the past ten years; and
40 WHEREAS, There is also great concern regarding what effect obesity
41 in children may have on overall health in children, health care costs for
42 children, and treatment to address the problem of obesity in children;
43 and
44 WHEREAS, Insurance industry studies indicate that the total direct
45 costs of obesity-related diseases in the United States is as much as $45.8
46 billion; and
47 WHEREAS, There is a significant potential for a reduction in health
48 care expenditures through obesity prevention efforts; and
49 WHEREAS, There is an urgent need for state health care agencies
50 and medical professionals to place obesity at the top of Kansas' health
51 care agenda; and
52 WHEREAS, The National Institute of Health, the American Society
53 for Bariatric Surgery, and the American Obesity Association recommend
54 that patients who are morbidly obese receive responsible, affordable med-
55 ical treatment for their obesity; and
56 WHEREAS, The recent breakthroughs in drug therapy can treat obe-
57 sity successfully; and
58 WHEREAS, A review by the Secretary of Health and Environment
59 is critical to raise the awareness of the public and private sectors that
60 obesity is a disease of epidemic proportions, that is treatable and that
61 proper treatment will reduce health care costs and improve the quality
62 of life for a large number of our citizens: Now, therefore,
63 Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas, the House of Rep-
64 resentatives concurring therein: That we urge the Secretary of the De-
65 partment of Health and Environment to review the effect of obesity in
66 both adults and children on costly health complications such as diabetes,
67 hypertension, heart disease and stroke, and health complications in chil-
68 dren, and to report on current programs of the state designed to improve
69 awareness of the problem of obesity and its treatment and to make rec-
70 ommendations to the Legislature for additions and improvements to the
71 state programs prior to the convening of the 2000 session of the Legis-
72 lature; and
73 Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to
74 send a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Kansas Department
75 of Health and Environment.