|
 More than 56 percent of Latin American adults are overweight or
obese, compared to a global average of 34 percent, according to a
report by the Overseas Development Institute last year.
The growing problem often affects the poorest in society, and
threatens to overwhelm Latin America's public health systems and
curtail economic gains in the long run, experts say.
"Buying a family combo of fried chicken, chips and a soft drink can
feed me and my three children at a price I can afford," Flores, a
secretary, said as she stood in line.
Since 1991, the number of hungry people in Latin America has nearly
halved to 37 million in December from 68.5 million. While the region
is the only one that is on track to meet U.N. goals on reducing
hunger by 2015, far less attention has been paid to combating
obesity.
In the past decade, fast-growing economies buoyed by a commodities
boom, including Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, have seen a rising
middle class with a taste for more processed food that are high in
salt, sugar and fat.
Aid in the form of cash transfers, pioneered by some of the region's
left-leaning governments, particularly Brazil, mean people have more
money to spend on food.
Governments and nutrition programs now need to focus on ensuring
people buy more foods high in fiber and protein, such as fruits and
vegetables, U.N. officials said.
"In the past, the main problem we had in Latin America was
under-nutrition. We tried to spend efforts on school feeding
programs and supplements for families," said Yenory
Hernandez-Garbanzo from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
"Now, we have to look at the bigger picture. We were feeding these
families with a lot of energy but we weren't teaching them how to be
balanced in their diets," the nutrition officer told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation.
MORE DEATHS
Obesity is the fastest-growing chronic disease, killing 2.8 million
adults every year. Obesity-related conditions, including diabetes
and heart disease, now cause more deaths than hunger, according to
the World Economic Forum.
"Rapidly rising rates of obesity in Latin America and worldwide
bring huge social challenges and places a tremendous burden on the
individuals affected, as well as the global economy and public
healthcare systems," said Florencia Vasta, a specialist at the
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
Mexico faces the region's most acute obesity crisis, with 70 percent
of adults overweight or obese, according to Mexico's National
Institute for Public Health (INSP).
[to top of second column] |
"Obesity in some countries in Latin America, like Mexico, is an
epidemic where extreme measures need to be taken," Juan Rivera, head
of INSP's health and nutrition research center, told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation.
Obesity cost the Mexican economy an estimated $5.5 billion in 2008,
he said, and if the problem is not addressed, the figure is expected
to hit $12.5 billion by 2017.
To combat obesity, which Mexico has declared a public health
priority, lawmakers have introduced measures to promote exercise and
healthy eating, such as free subway rides if passengers perform 10
squats and a 2014 tax on sugary drinks and junk food.
Other measures include banning unhealthy food from school cafeterias
and require all schools to provide water fountains to reduce the
consumption of sugary drinks.
Costa Rica, Uruguay and Colombia have also introduced similar
initiatives to promote healthy food in schools, while Ecuador has
introduced controls on food labeling.
"Mexico has taken good steps in its fight against obesity during
this and the previous administration but there's still much ground
to cover," Rivera said.
Experts say one reason why obesity is such a problem in Latin
America stems from the power of multinational food and beverage
firms, particularly those from the United States.
"One of the biggest issues here is the influence of the food
industry," FAO nutrition expert Melissa Vargas said. "They have ...
a lot of political influence and money for advertising."
(Editing by Katie Nguyen)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
