THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	47
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the John A. Burns School of Medicine to convene a working group of interested parties to discuss education on nutrition and lifestyle behavior changes for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.

     WHEREAS, the United States devotes far more of its economy, 17.4 per cent of its gross domestic product, to health than any other country; and

     WHEREAS, in 2013, United States health care spending reached $2,900,000,000,000, or about $9,255 per resident; and

     WHEREAS, chronic diseases have played an important role in this cost escalation, and it is estimated that preventable diseases account for approximately seventy-five percent of national health expenditures; and

     WHEREAS, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, seven of the top ten causes of death among Americans were from chronic diseases, with heart disease and cancer accounting for nearly forty-eight percent of all deaths; and

     WHEREAS, chronic disease is one component of the overall health and health care cost challenges faced within the country;

     WHEREAS, changes in nutrition and lifestyle behavior are a key part of the solution to managing chronic disease and moderating future health care costs; and

     WHEREAS, physicians are uniquely positioned to educate patients about the links among chronic disease, diet, and physical activity; and

     WHEREAS, fewer than twenty-five percent of physicians believe they have sufficient training to talk to patients about nutrition or physical activity, and less than one-eighth of medical visits include counseling for nutrition; and

     WHEREAS, a 2010 survey of nutrition education in the country's medical schools found that nutrition education was covered inadequately or unevenly throughout all levels of medical training; and

     WHEREAS, more than one-half of medical school graduates do not believe the nutrition education they receive is sufficient for medical practice; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the House of Representatives concurring, that the John A. Burns School of Medicine is requested to convene a working group of interested parties to discuss nutrition and lifestyle behavior changes for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group's discussion include exploring the potential benefits of:

     (1)  Periodically disseminating information and educational material regarding the prevention and treatment of chronic disease, through the application of changes in nutrition and lifestyle behavior, to each licensed physician and surgeon and each hospital in the State; and

     (2)  Setting content standards for continuing education requirements concerning chronic disease, including appropriate information on prevention of chronic disease, and treatment of patients with chronic disease through changes in nutrition and lifestyle behavior; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to convene no later than July 1, 2017; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

John A. Burns School of Medicine; Working Group; Nutrition and Lifestyle Behavior Changes