HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.28

(By Delegates Leach, Perdue, Susman, Wells and Hall)




Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to direct the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability to conduct a continued study on the obesity epidemic in West Virginia by continuing to monitor ongoing state activities to curtail obesity.

 Whereas, About a third of adults in West Virginia are overweight and one in four are obese; and
Whereas, The United States experienced unprecedented increases in overweight and obesity in the last decade--reaching epidemic proportions. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate of twenty percent or higher. As of the year 2000, twenty-two states reported obesity rates of twenty percent or higher. These increases cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups and both genders; and
Whereas, West Virginia ranks first among all states in obesity; and
Whereas, Forty percent of children in West Virginia are either overweight or obese, and this prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past two decades; and
Whereas, Obesity is associated with increased mortality and risk for a number of disorders, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, Type II diabetes, osteoarthritis and certain cancers; and
Whereas, Obesity has a significantly greater effect on the number of chronic conditions than the effects of current or past smoking or problem drinking; and
Whereas, A study by Obesity Research shows the estimated adult obesity-attributable medical expenditures in West Virginia are $588 million for the total population, $140 million for the Medicare population, and $187 million for the Medicaid population; and
Whereas, According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if this trend is not reversed, obesity-related health problems and associated costs will soon surpass those associated with tobacco; and
Whereas, Research supports the conviction that strong, healthy bodies promote learning and enhance mental and emotional health, social development, self-esteem and overall fitness and that coupling physical activity with an academic curriculum results in an overall increase in academic performance among school-age children; and
Whereas, Early detection and treatment of obesity as well as an emphasis on physical and nutritional education in childhood provides an opportunity for the development of lifelong health and fitness skills as well as proper eating habits; and
Whereas, Obesity is a preventable and treatable disease that has reached epidemic proportions; and education, prevention and proper treatment can reduce health care costs and improve the quality of life for a significant number of adults and children in West Virginia; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance urges the Governor of the State of West Virginia, the Legislature of West Virginia, the Department of Health and Human Resources, the Public Employees Insurance Agency, the Department of Education and other state agencies and institutions to make the prevention and treatment of obesity a priority and to work in conjunction with the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability (LOCHHRA) to reduce obesity and improve the health and wellness of the residents of West Virginia through the following measures:
(1) Working collaboratively with federal agencies, such as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and with other states to promote guidelines and best practices in the prevention and treatment of obesity;
(2) Educating the medical community, teachers and school administrators, employers and the general public about the scope of the problem and ways to prevent and treat obesity in adults and children;
(3) Providing incentives and promoting the availability of obesity-related treatment in the state Medicaid program, PEIA and other state-funded insurance programs;
(4) Identifying and implementing strategies to increase the amount of daily quality physical activity and nutrition education in the curriculum of public schools; and
(5) Providing incentives for workplace initiatives to combat obesity and encourage physical activity; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is requested to conduct a continued study of potential policies and legislation to encourage people to change their lifestyles which would result in dramatic changes in outcome measures on obesity within five years; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2006, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.