Mexico's rich diet of tacos, tortillas and tortas (large sandwiches), which is jokingly nicknamed "Vitamin T," has steered its children to the top of world obesity charts.
The concerned government last week launched a new campaign to battle obesity, which it estimates to cost the health system some 3.2 billion dollars per year.
Obesity - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Complications, Treatment
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
Nine-year-old Diego attends a school in a middle-class neighbourhood of Mexico City, and he said the food was healthier than it was three years ago, when there were many fried dishes made from corn.
But he added that they still sell "quesadillas" -- rolled corn pancakes filled with cheese and sometimes fried in fat -- as well as popcorn layered in butter and sugar-filled drinks.
Battle Childhood Obesity at Home
The risk of diabetes and other health problems is showing an increasing trend with the huge numbers of children and teens becoming overweight or obese.
The risk of diabetes and other health problems is showing an increasing trend with the huge numbers of children and teens becoming overweight or obese.
"And that's only when the teacher comes, which is not all the time, and sometimes we're punished and we don't go outside."
Advertisement
Later Onset of Puberty for Boys Linked to Childhood Obesity
Researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed that increasing rates of obese and overweight children in the United States may be contributing to a later onset of puberty in boys.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed that increasing rates of obese and overweight children in the United States may be contributing to a later onset of puberty in boys.
Its children had the highest rates in the world for obesity, which means a BMI of more than 30.
Advertisement
Childhood Obesity and Heart Disease Risk Later in Life Linked
According to a new study, obesity alone can increase the risk of future heart disease and stroke in kids, as young as seven years of age.
According to a new study, obesity alone can increase the risk of future heart disease and stroke in kids, as young as seven years of age.
The new plan is based on a French project known as EPODE, which has shown success at reducing child obesity through physical activities, weight monitoring and promoting drinking water and eating fruit and vegetables.
Food and drink advertising in Mexico is already supposed to promote healthy eating and exercise, but the requirement is often ignored.
And the battle against obesity is not easy here, where street vendors outside schools across the country sell vast selections of brightly-coloured sweets and enticing fried foods.
Some private schools have already introduced initiatives to improve diets, with varying success.
Veronica Kim, the mother of two children of nine and 10 who study at a private school in Mexico City, said the healthy food the school offered was too expensive.
At least there were more sports on offer at private schools, Kim added.
Outside the public school, Maria Esther Sanchez, Diego's grandmother, said she struggles daily to persuade the nine-year-old to turn to fruit from tacos.
Mary, the manager of the school's food shop, said she had been told to help children improve their eating habits, but added she had weight problems herself.
"We weren't educated to eat healthily. Our food is full of fat and flour," Mary said. "The worst thing is that the tastiest dishes are the most fatty ones."
Source-AFP
TAN
