HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	216
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

designating september 2019 as family meals month.

WHEREAS, Family Meals Month is a national effort to encourage families to pledge to share more meals at home per week; and

WHEREAS, family meals are generally healthier and more affordable than other dining options; and

WHEREAS, ninety-two percent of United States consumers say they want to eat more healthy meals, yet only thirty percent of American families share dinner together every night; and

WHEREAS, conversations around dinner tables establish closer relationships and increase parental involvement in the lives of children; and

WHEREAS, regular family meals are linked to higher grades, increased self-esteem, and strengthened resistance to negative peer pressure in children; and

WHEREAS, with each additional family meal shared each week, adolescents are less likely to show symptoms of violence, depression, and suicide, and they are less likely to use or abuse drugs, run away, or engage in other risky behaviors; and

WHEREAS, children who grow up sharing family meals are more likely to exhibit prosocial behavior such as sharing, kindness, and respect; and

WHEREAS, children who share meals with their family three or more times per week are significantly more likely to eat nutritious foods, maintain a healthy weight, and resist eating disorders; and

WHEREAS, the obesity rate among Hawaii's children has increased from eleven percent in 2016 to fourteen percent in 2017; and

WHEREAS, ninety percent of supermarkets offer fresh, prepared foods, ninety-five percent offer cooking demonstrations, eighty-six percent offer cooking classes, and one hundred percent offer recipes and meal ideas; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that September 2019 is designated as Family Meals Month in the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the people of the State of Hawaii are encouraged to add an additional family meal each week during this month and throughout the year; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Director of Health, and the Governor of the State of Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Designating September 2019 as Family Meals Month