Obesity in Mexico
[5] By the 1980s, Latin American populations began to experience widespread changes in their diet, away from produce and grains toward processed food in a manner similar to what had previously occurred in developed countries.
[6] The main reason for this shift is the dominance of transnational food companies in the Mexican market, following a trend seen in other parts of the world.
[7][8] This shift was toward the consumption of high-energy -sugar, -fat, and -salt food featuring various types of sweeteners and animal products and a decrease in whole grains and vegetables.
[1][7] With easier access to food providers and supermarkets, more affluent households also tend to buy more fruits, fish, eggs and vegetables and less oils and grains, while poorer urban households tend to choose foods that exceed their energy needs and lack essential vitamins and minerals.
Sugar, fat, fast food, soft drinks, and the list goes on - all of them were suspect of being the reason for the worldwide increasing overweight and obesity rates and yet none of them could essentially be made responsible.
[citation needed] A review of studies (Dinsa et al.) analyzing the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity among men, women, and children in developing countries found that in upper-middle-income countries like Mexico (Mexico is categorized as upper middle income (The World Bank) and middle HDI (UNDP)) obesity is highly prevalent.
While energy-dense products, rich in sugar and fats, cost less in relation to the energy they provide, low-energy healthy food like fruits and vegetables is more expensive in this respect (Drewnowski, 166).
[citation needed] Another aspect that deserves attention is that people of lower SES usually live in less secure neighborhoods where walking around might present a danger.
As a study conducted in New York found, the "walkability" of one's neighborhood and the lack of availability of healthy food establishments are also predictors of obesity (Muñez Oliveira, 23).
[citation needed] All in all, the socioeconomic factor as a determinant for food choice, living conditions, and possible indicators of past undernourishment has been proved to be a predictor of obesity and weight gain.
Therefore, future policies countering obesity should aim at increasing the accessibility of healthy food alternatives for the less affluent population, e.g. by subsidizing fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich whole grains.
However, the creation of consciousness about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity among the population, and particularly among children, remains an essential measure as well.
[citation needed] After the widespread introduction of processed foods, obesity rates began to rise in the country.
[13] Since the 1990s, fat has become the principal source of energy in the Mexican diet and it is assumed that the consumption of highly processed food will continue increasing.
Standardized mortality rates (SMR) for diabetes, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and hypertension have increased dramatically.
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.
[20] Voit, a sport brand, with the cooperation of the Mexican Football Federation and the health secretary of Mexico, released a new campaign with the name of "Measure yourself and activate".
For this campaign Voit produced a special orange match ball with the name of "Xacte midete 2012" (Measure yourself exactly 2012) for professional football games in Mexico.
The House passed the proposed measure to charge a 5% tax on packaged food that contains 275 calories (1,150 kJ) or more per 100 grams, on grounds that such high-energy items typically contain large amounts of salt and sugar and few essential nutrients.
