South Carolina General Assembly
113th Session, 1999-2000

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

Bill 3846


Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


                    Current Status

Bill Number:                      3846
Type of Legislation:              Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:                 House
Introduced Date:                  19990406
Primary Sponsor:                  McGee
All Sponsors:                     McGee and McKay
Drafted Document Number:          l:\council\bills\bbm\9197djc99.doc
Companion Bill Number:            716
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:     19990408
Subject:                          Obesity Awareness Month, June designated 
                                  as; Resolutions


                        History

Body    Date      Action Description                     Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  ______________________________________ _______ ____________
House   19990408  Received from Senate
Senate  19990407  Adopted, returned to House
                  with concurrence
Senate  19990407  Recalled from Committee                10 SI
Senate  19990407  Introduced, referred to Committee      10 SI
House   19990406  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate


                             Versions of This Bill

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 DECLARE THE MONTH OF JUNE OF EACH YEAR AS OBESITY AWARENESS MONTH IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, a causal relationship exists between obesity and a number of serious disorders, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, type-two diabetes, gallbladder disease, respiratory dysfunction, gout, and osteoarthritis; and

Whereas, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases provides information which indicates 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, the information also reveals that nearly seventy percent of diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity, obesity more than doubles a person's chances of developing high blood pressure, 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 in the last ten years; and

Whereas, a 1997 study by Kaiser Permanente indicated that the total direct costs of obesity-related disease in the United States in 1990 was 45.8 billion dollars; 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 South Carolina's health care agenda; 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 also is great concern regarding the effect obesity in children may have on their overall health, health care costs, and treatment; and

Whereas, making June of each year Obesity Awareness Month in South Carolina, is critical to raise the awareness of the public and private sectors that obesity is a treatable disease and that proper treatment will reduce health care costs and improve the quality of life for many of our citizens. Now, therefore,

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

That the members of the General Assembly declare the month of June of each year as Obesity Awareness Month in South Carolina.

----XX----


This web page was last updated on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 9:25 A.M.