§ 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.