Obesity Prevention in Latin America

Abstract

In Latin American countries, obesity prevalence has increased significantly as a result of rapid urbanization and an improvement in socioeconomic conditions. We report the prevalence of overweight and/or obesity and prevention efforts in five countries: Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Chile. In children, the highest and lowest rates of obesity are found in Chile (23 % in 6-year-olds) and Peru (1.8 % in those <5 years), respectively. In adults, Mexico and Chile present similar high rates of obesity (around 35 %), whereas in Brazil and Colombia, the rates are around 20 % and 16.5 %, respectively. In general, the highest prevalence occurs in low-income women. Every country has developed initiatives to target obesity, from the government to the private sector and academia, mainly at the health sector and school settings. Food labeling is being addressed, but has not been implemented yet. Two interventions are described, a community-based in Mexico and a school-based in Chile. Because the increase in chronic diseases, especially diabetes, has paralleled that of obesity, effective prevention efforts are urgently needed.

Abdominal obesity and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents, are we aware of their relevance?

“…Thus, currently the prevalence of overweight in children from Latin America is over 25 %,whereas in adults, it is higher than 50 %.The prevalence of obesity in children also reached more than 3 % (exception in Peru where for preschool children it is less than 2 %), and in adults, this prevalence is higher than 25 % [18]. In Brazilian children, overweight prevalence ranged from 25 to 40 % and among adolescents, it is 22 % in boys and 19.4 % in girls [18]. Recently, a meta-analysis conducted in Brazil showed that the overall prevalence of obesity among children/adolescents was 14.1 %.…”

Overcoming the challenges of conducting physical activity and built environment research in Latin America: IPEN Latin America

“…LA's aging population has grown, pushing up rates of NCDs risk factors and the prevalence of NCDs in the region. Obesity and physical inactivity are now especially important public health challenges (Barreto et al, 2012, Frenk et al, 1991, Kain et al, 2014, Rivera et al, 2002). …”

Diabetes Prevention Interventions in Latin American Countries: a Scoping Review

“…Mexico and Chile are now amongst the nations with the highest overweight and obesity rates in the world-- over 70% in both countries. 3,4 Brazil has the 4 th highest prevalence of diabetes in the world: nearly 12 million people (or roughly 10% of the Brazilian population) have diabetes. 1,5,6 The costs associated with this growing epidemic are substantial.…”

“…4 While the rate of economic development has been uneven across the region, in general economies in LACs have improved, with a reduction in poverty and increased urbanization. 4 Although these trends have brought many benefits, they also have been accompanied by changes in physical activity levels and diet that have contributed to the increase in diabetes.…”