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Latinos and Obesity

health

thu 11/15/2007

Almost two out of three Americans are either overweight or obese. Latinos, the largest ethnic minority in the country, are more likely to be obese than either Blacks or Whites. Obesity isn't just about looking big, it's about serious health problems and the financial and emotional difficulties associated with illness.

One reason behind this epidemic of obesity is not just how Latinos live but where…

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Soft drinks have been tied to obesity. Some schools have banned sodas but eight out of 10 high schools still rely on soft drink manufacturers to provide beverages to students. An estimated 16 percent of Latino high schoolers in the U.S. are overweight,with another 16 percent at risk of becoming overweight.

Low-income households are more likely to rely on convenience stores rather than supermarkets, which can lead to a diet filled with high-calorie and high-fat foods. Poor neighborhoods usually have a higher proportion of fast-food restaurants. In 2005, at least one in four Latino adults in the U.S. was obese. Those who battle obesity are more likely to have life-threatening health problems like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Sources:
Reuters
Washington Post
ABC News
National Council of La Raza

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6 responses to “health: Latinos and Obesity”

brilliant, Mun2- whose idea was it to sum up the reports as a comic bookish learning experience? Part of the obesity problem is that 'personal responsibility' is secondary to an enviroment that is overwhelmingly unconducive to healthy and safety.

From personal experience of growing up in new york in the late 80s and early 90s (pre-gentrification): we didn't have gym supplies until soda machines were placed in our school, every single kid partook of federally subsidized lunches (which wouldn't be bad if the food was better and kids didn't run to bodegas because they were hungry), and summers were the worst because I couldn't go out and play in the hydrant or hang out since the streets were dangerous. I had to wait until the weekend for my parents to have free time to take us to the park. Like the kids around me at the time, we depended on bodegas to supplement meals and supermarkets were always more expensive in poorer neighborhoods and offered little fresh fruit. And parks after dark served only nefarious purposes. It was tough to get enough physical activity and be a carefree kid doing so.