Section 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.