(1) The Legislature finds the following:

(a) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released studies documenting:

(i) Overweight and obese children experience the same risk factors that are associated with heart disease in adults, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and Type 2 diabetes, once referred to as adult-onset diabetes;

(ii) Every year, an estimated three hundred thousand (300,000) people in America die because of diseases caused by being overweight and obese;

(iii) Studies have shown that up to eighty percent (80%) of overweight adolescents become overweight adults;

(iv) Fourteen percent (14%) of deaths from cancer in men and twenty percent (20%) of cancer deaths in women are because of being overweight and obese; and

(v) The annual economic impact in the United States from obesity on our health care system is estimated at One Hundred Forty-seven Billion Dollars ($147,000,000,000.00);

(b) According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, Mississippi’s childhood obesity rates are the highest in the nation;

(c) A recent study by a major insurance carrier stated that fifty percent (50%) of all Americans will have diabetes by the year 2020, costing the health care system approximately Three Trillion Three Hundred Fifty Billion Dollars ($3,350,000,000,000.00) if current trends in obesity are not abated; and

(d) According to the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, adults with a household member who participated in a community garden consumed fruits and vegetables one and four-tenths (1-4/1) more times per day than those who did not participate, and they were three and one-half (3-1/2) times more likely to consume fruits and vegetables at least five (5) times daily.

(2) Therefore, the Legislature declares that the intent of this chapter is to make school property available to community members during nonschool hours for recreational activities in order to support active living, reduce obesity, reduce health care costs associated with obesity, increase community safety, maximize community resources, and promote community support for schools.