HLS 21RS-3749 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 120
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Recognizes June 7, 2021, as Louisiana Childhood
Obesity Awareness Day at the state capitol and commends medical professionals for
their efforts to prevent and combat childhood obesity in Louisiana
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To recognize Monday, June 7, 2021, as Louisiana Childhood Obesity Awareness Day at the
3 state capitol and to commend medical professionals for their efforts to prevent and
4 combat childhood obesity in Louisiana.
5 WHEREAS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as
6a body mass index, or BMI, at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same
7age and sex; and
8 WHEREAS, more than twenty percent of Louisiana children between ten and
9seventeen years old suffer with obesity, thus making Louisiana the sixth highest ranking
10state in the country in terms of childhood obesity; and
11 WHEREAS, children who are obese are seventy percent more likely to be obese as
12adults; and
13 WHEREAS, children with obesity are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes,
14hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, and fatty liver disease and are more prone to
15experience anxiety, depression, bullying, low self-esteem, and weight stigma during
16childhood, all of which extracts high physical and monetary tolls among Louisianians and
17Americans; and
18 WHEREAS, genetics, poor nutrition, food insecurity, community design and safety,
19adverse childhood events, poor sleep, and low levels of physical activity are major
20contributors to childhood obesity; and
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HCR NO. 120
1 WHEREAS, in Louisiana, pediatricians and research scientists recognize the health
2threats inherent in obesity and work collaboratively to improve the health and future of
3children in the state; and
4 WHEREAS, these collaborations have given participants a greater understanding of
5the complexities of obesity, and have enabled them to identify the connection between
6obesity and diabetes and other chronic diseases that afflict a disproportionate share of
7children in Louisiana; and
8 WHEREAS, an improved understanding of obesity and its negative impact on a
9growing number of Louisiana's children is informing statewide outreach initiatives to combat
10Louisiana's childhood obesity epidemic; and
11 WHEREAS, the Legislature of Louisiana recognizes that Louisiana's children are the
12state's most valuable resource; and
13 WHEREAS, similarly, the Legislature of Louisiana recognizes the dedicated
14physicians and research scientists who are working to curtail and eliminate childhood obesity
15in Louisiana.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
17recognize Monday, June 7, 2021, as Louisiana Childhood Obesity Awareness Day at the
18state capitol, and hereby commends the cadre of medical professionals who provide
19healthcare, conduct research, and implement important outreach programs across Louisiana
20to prevent and reduce obesity among children in the state.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
22executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and to
23the executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 120 Original 2021 Regular Session Bagley
Recognizes June 7, 2021, as La. Childhood Obesity Awareness Day at the state capitol and
commends medical professionals for their efforts to prevent and combat childhood obesity
in La.
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