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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The national Make America Healthy Again movement is |
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raising awareness about the critical need to address rising chronic |
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disease rates, poor nutrition, and declining physical and mental |
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health through education and advocacy; and |
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WHEREAS, The leading cause of mortality and disability in the |
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United States, chronic diseases are attributed to more than 7 out of |
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10 deaths among Americans per year, and over 75 percent of health |
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care spending is related to the management of these conditions; |
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between 2002 and 2022, total Medicaid spending in Texas increased |
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by more than 300 percent, reflecting a substantial financial burden |
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on our health care system; and |
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WHEREAS, The rate of obesity in the U.S. skyrocketed from |
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14.5 percent in 1971 to 42.8 percent in 2018; diagnosed cases of |
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diabetes also surged from 1.6 million in 1958 to over 37 million in |
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2022, and a further 96 million Americans are estimated to have |
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prediabetes; the sharp rise in obesity in the U.S. has coincided |
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with the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, which now |
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account for more than half of all calories consumed by the average |
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American; and |
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WHEREAS, The vast majority of Americans fall short of |
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metabolic health standards, with 93 percent of Americans failing to |
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meet key markers; in addition, more than three-quarters of |
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Americans do not engage in the recommended levels of physical |
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activity, and the average adult spends over six hours per day |
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sitting; and |
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WHEREAS, Fertility rates in the U.S. have declined alongside |
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other health measures, with the birth rate decreasing from around |
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3.7 children per woman in 1960 to around 1.6 children per woman in |
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2020; moreover, sperm counts have also seen an accelerated decline; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The growing concerns around public health are not |
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limited to physical ailments; between the early 1990s and 2018, |
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antidepressant use multiplied fivefold among U.S. adults; from 2011 |
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to 2021, reports of high school students experiencing persistent |
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sadness or hopelessness rose from 28 percent to 42 percent, and |
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reports of them seriously considering suicide climbed from 16 |
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percent to 22 percent over that same time period; and |
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WHEREAS, The state of public health in our country is a |
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critical issue that impacts the lives of every Texan, but by working |
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together to promote better lifestyle choices and strengthen support |
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for mental health, we can help create a brighter future for all; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 4, 2025, as Make Texans Healthy |
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Again Day at the State Capitol and encourage Texans to learn more |
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about the movement and the steps they can take to improve their |
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physical, mental, and metabolic health. |