title: The Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force (ACT 269): recommendations for obesity prevention in Hawai'i.
abstract: Obesity in both adults and children is a critical issue in Hawai'i, as well as nationally and internationally. Today in Hawai'i, 57 percent of adults are overweight or obese as are almost 1 in 3 children entering kindergarten. Each year, obesity costs Hawai'i more than $470 million in medical expenditures alone.(1) These staggering human and economic costs underscore the serious need for Hawai'i to address obesity now. Due to the urgent need to reverse the current trends in obesity Senate Bill 2778 was signed into law, on July 6, 2012, as Act 269 by Governor Neil Abercrombie, creating The Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force. The task force was charged with developing policy recommendations and proposed legislation for the 2013 legislature. The task force ultimately identified eleven recommendations for the 2013 legislative session and one recommendation for the 2014 legislative session. When implemented together, these recommendations could profoundly reshape Hawai'i's school, work, community, and health care environments, making healthier lifestyles obtainable for all Hawai'i residents.
authors.affiliation: Hawai'i State Department of Health, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Loretta J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Fuddy
authors.forename: M R C
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pressler
authors.forename: Ranjani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajan
authors.forename: Tonya Lowery
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: St John
authors.forename: Bronwyn M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Lola
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Irvin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013219:State Government; D055815:Young Adult