Obesity in Mexico

Obesity in Mexico

Obesity is an upcoming epidemic that has been significant problem in several countries, Mexico being one of the highest ranking countries in the world [1].

Mexico has a total number of 205 McDonald’s restaurants, which is not significant, ranking 34th in the world per capita. It is not comparable to the U.S. with leading highest number of McDonald’s restaurants reaching 12,804. As far as soft drinks are concerned, Mexico is not ranked on the top 18 list in the world ranking of McDonald's by country [2], but the country’s consumption has increased by 60 percent over the last 14 years [1]. The intake of fast-food, junk food, and soft drinks would have an effect on the weight gain on the Mexican people because of the numerous calories each item contains. Challenging is the inability to burn that large sum of calories compared to the amount of calories in a balanced diet.

Mexico is using several methods on trying to reform its obese and overweight population. The Mexican Health Secretary launched a new health campaign on February 25, 2008 and PepsiCo launched a program for children [1]. The program is aimed at elementary school-aged children and encourages active participation in exercise activities and to adopt a healthy lifestyle by using a computer game. In this game, the "nutrin," as the figure is called, needs help making decisions on what foods to eat, what sports to play, and when it should go to the doctor for a check-up [3]. There was also discussion on putting a 5 percent tax on soft drinks but was voted against because it was thought to be unfair to the poor when it is more expensive to buy water [1]. Eighty percent of schools do not have drinking water and it is easier to provide soft drinks (Tuckman, 2008). If these programs do not have considerable impact leading to a lessening of the obesity epidemic, the country will have several additional health problems with which to deal. [4].

Obesity, whilst once a mark of wealth, can now be a sign of poverty in the inner cities of transitional economies such as Mexico.[5] Despite this, in rural regions, many are still undernourished rather than overnourished.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Franco Ordonez (March 24, 2008). "Mexico is second-fattest nation after U.S.". http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080324/news_1n24obese.html. Retrieved 21 August 2009. 
  2. ^ Food statistics> McDonald's restaurants (most recent) by country, 2008
  3. ^ Tuckman, 2008
  4. ^ Fernald, Gutierrez, Mietus-Snyder, & Gertler, 2004
  5. ^ The nutrition transition and obesity : Food and Agricultural Order of the United Nations.
  6. ^ "Fat Mexico - Obesity on the rise in Mexico", The Economist.

Further reading


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Obesity in Canada — Obesity rates in Canada and other OECD nations. Obesity in Canada is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Canada.[citation needed …   Wikipedia

  • Obesity in the United States — Historical U.S. Obesity Rate, 1960 2004.[1] Obesity in the United States has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent decades. While many industrialized countries have experienced similar increases, obesity rates in the United… …   Wikipedia

  • Mexico–United States barrier — Fence barrier on the international bridge near McAllen, TX …   Wikipedia

  • Mexico — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Mexico <p></p> Background: <p></p> The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec Mexico was… …   The World Factbook

  • Epidemiology of obesity — World obesity prevalence among males.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Abdominal obesity — Central obesity Classification and external resources A morbidly obese male. Weight 146 kg/322 lbs, height 177 cm/5 ft 10 in. The body mass index is 46. ICD 10 E66 …   Wikipedia

  • New Mexico — This article is about the U.S. state of New Mexico. For other uses, see New Mexico (disambiguation). Land of Enchantment redirects here. For the Michael Martin Murphey album, see Land of Enchantment (album). State of New Mexico Estado de Nuevo… …   Wikipedia

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico — Albuquerque redirects here. For other uses, see Albuquerque (disambiguation). Albuquerque   City   Balloon Fiesta …   Wikipedia

  • United States — This article is about the United States of America. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation). United States of America …   Wikipedia

  • education — /ej oo kay sheuhn/, n. 1. the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. 2. the act or process of… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”