N.Y. Public Health Law § 261: Legislative intent

§ 261. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds, determines,

and declares that obesity is a serious medical problem affecting up to

one-third of all Americans. In addition, a nineteen ninety-seven Kaiser

Permanente study concluded that there is a significant potential for a

reduction in health care expenditures through obesity prevention. In

addition:

1. Obesity is known to cause or exacerbate a number of serious

disorders including hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease,

diabetes, respiratory dysfunction, gout, and osteoarthritis;

2. Nearly eighty percent of patients with diabetes mellitus are obese;

3. Nearly seventy percent of diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease

are related to obesity; and

4. Obesity ranks second only to smoking as a preventable cause of

death, with some three hundred thousand deaths annually attributable to

obesity.