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The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Mexican children

Blanca E del Río-Navarro1, Oscar Velázquez-Monroy, Claudia P Sánchez-Castillo

  • 1Hospital Infantil de Mexico, Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico.

Obesity Research
|February 26, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Overweight and obesity affect Mexican children aged 10-17, with varying rates based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Rates are higher in Northern Mexico, necessitating new public health strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Public Health Nutrition
  • Childhood Obesity Research

Background:

  • Childhood overweight and obesity represent a significant global health concern.
  • Understanding national and regional prevalence is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Mexican children aged 10-17 years.
  • To compare prevalence data using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Mexican National Health Survey 2000, including 7862 boys and 8947 girls.
  • Measured height and weight to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) percentiles.
  • Applied CDC and IOTF BMI criteria to categorize overweight and obesity.

Main Results:

  • Overweight prevalence (CDC) ranged from 10.8% to 19.1% and obesity from 6.8% to 14.7% across age and sex groups.
  • IOTF criteria yielded similar overweight rates but lower obesity rates.
  • Prevalence did not correlate with stunting, and higher rates were observed in Northern Mexico.

Conclusions:

  • Mexican children exhibit lower overweight/obesity prevalence compared to U.S. Mexican-American children.
  • Geographic disparities exist, with higher rates in Northern Mexico.
  • Urgent need for updated prevention and management policies for excess weight in this population.
Abstract

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