South Carolina General Assembly
112th Session, 1997-1998

Bill 1256


Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


                    Current Status

Bill Number:                    1256
Type of Legislation:            Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:               Senate
Introduced Date:                19980526
Primary Sponsor:                Giese
All Sponsors:                   Giese and Hutto 
Drafted Document Number:        psd\7434ac.98
Residing Body:                  House
Current Committee:              Medical, Military, Public and
                                Municipal Affairs Committee 27
                                H3M
Subject:                        Obesity, Health and Environmental
                                Control to study health complications
                                caused by; Medical

History

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19980527  Introduced, referred to Committee        27 H3M
Senate  19980526  Introduced, adopted, sent to House


View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

TO REQUEST THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF OBESITY IN BOTH ADULTS AND CHILDREN ON COSTLY HEALTH COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, HEART DISEASE, AND STROKES AND HEALTH COMPLICATIONS IN CHILDREN, TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT IN AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM OF OBESITY AND SUGGESTED TREATMENT MODALITIES, AND TO REPORT THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY BEFORE THE CONVENING OF THE 1999 REGULAR SESSION.

Whereas, a casual relationship exists between obesity and a number of serious disorders, including hypertension, dyalipidemia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes (type two), gallbladder disease, respiratory dysfunction, gout, and osteoarthritis; and

Whereas, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases indicate that nearly eighty percent of patients with diabetes mellitus are obese and the incidence of symptomatic gallstones soars as a person's body mass index increases beyond a certain level; and

Whereas, nearly seventy percent of diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity, and obesity more than doubles a person's chances of developing high blood pressure, and almost half of breast cancer cases are diagnosed among obese women, and forty-two percent of colon cancer cases are among obese individuals; and

Whereas, obesity ranks second only to smoking as a preventable cause of death and results in some three hundred thousand deaths annually; and

Whereas, it is estimated that thirty-five percent of the adult population is obese and the prevalence of obesity grew a shocking thirty-four percent during the past ten years; and

Whereas, a 1997 study by Kaiser Permanents indicated that the total direct costs of obesity-related diseases in the United States in 1990 was $45.8 billion; and

Whereas, the Kaiser study concluded that there is a significant potential for a reduction in health care expenditures through obesity prevention efforts; and

Whereas, there is an urgent need for state health care groups and medical societies to place obesity at the top of their health care agendas; and

Whereas, many physicians do not treat obesity because they mistakenly believe there is no treatment for it; and

Whereas, the National Institute of Health, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, and the American Obesity Association recommend that patients who are morbidly obese receive responsible, affordable medical treatment for their obesity; and

Whereas, the diagnosis of morbid obesity should be a clinical decision made by a physician based on proper medical protocols; and

Whereas, the recent breakthroughs in drug therapy can treat obesity successfully and the New England Journal of Medicine recently emphasized the legitimate use of pharmacotherapy as a component of treatment of medically significant obesity; and

Whereas, the new breakthroughs in obesity treatment are not widely known and efforts must be made to inform the general public and health care professionals that pharmacotherapy can be used as an effective and cost-effective treatment for obesity; and

Whereas, there is also great concern regarding what effect obesity in children may have on overall health in children, health care costs for children, and treatment modalities to address the problem of obesity in children; and

Whereas, this study by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is critical to raise the awareness of the public and private sectors that obesity is a disease of epidemic proportions that is treatable and that proper treatment will reduce health care costs and improve the quality of life for a large number of our citizens. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, does hereby request the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Environmental Control to study the effect of obesity in both adults and children on costly health complications such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke and health complications in children, to make recommendations for improvement in awareness of the problem of obesity and suggested treatment modalities, and to report the findings of the study and recommendations to the General Assembly before the convening of the 1999 regular session.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

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