Latino Childhood Obesity Attributed To Lack Of Active Space

In most cases, childhood obesity is attributed to unhealthy nutrition and lack of physical activities, but another reason may play an important role on this disease. Salud America! a Latino organization that advocates for childhood obesity prevention, has found a link between overweight rates and accessible recreational areas in communities. “Latino kids don’t get enough exercise, so it’s critical to make parks, school playgrounds, and other recreational sites safer and more accessible to help Latino kids be active and fight obesity,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the organization and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The advocate group previously found that more than 39 percent of Latino children ages 2-19 are overweight or obese, compared to almost 32 percent of all U.S. children. The alarming report explains that 81% of Latino neighborhoods in the country don’t have safe recreational facilities or play zones for children to be active, which contributes to their higher rates of physical inactivity and obesity.

Researchers recommend introducing new policies that will enforced schools to obtain healthier eating plans and decrease the students' access to high-calorie fast food and sugary beverages. Watch the video below to learn more about childhood obesity.