What is the link in the middle of Hispanics and obesity? Are people of Hispanic origin more prone to obesity than others?
Respected Hispanic trend watcher Jaun G Tornoe feels there is sufficient anecdotal and scientific data supporting the link in the middle of Hispanics and obesity to raise warning flags...
One of the culprits he identifies is the huge choice of cheap, fast food and sugary drinks on offer to newly arrived Latino immigrants, many of whom come from highly deprived backgrounds...
Fast Foods and Obesity - a Warning From a Friend...
In a new blog, Tornoe recounts how, as a new immigrant himself, a friend had warned him of this danger...
"(He) told me right after I moved into the U.S. To be careful with the junk food... He noticed that many new immigrants went crazy with the excessive food offerings this country offers.
"If they are not careful, they will watch their waistline be a victim of over choice in just a integrate of months."
Victims of Good Intentions...
Second and third generation Hispanic families are also at risk. Ironically, they're largely victims of their parents' good intentions.
"Generally speaking, back in Latin America, a chubby baby or limited kid is the inevitable sign of healthiness (compared with the unfortunate scars malnutrition leaves on many persons South of the Border)," writes Torno.
"What best way for parents to feel like they are doing a good job taking care of their offspring, than to show all those nearby them their chubby kids... Then the bad eating habits just take control over the limited kid's life and all the adversities obesity brings begin to show up in the kid's life."
The "Bigger is Better" Myth
This point is reinforced by an record in another authoritative source of Hispanic news, Hispanicbusiness.com...
"It doesn't do to tell a mum her chubby baby isn't wholesome and to cut the fat early for a lifetime of health.
"We have to convert the perceptions of a society where the parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are overweight and don't consider that a problem... We need to help the society see that bigger isn't necessarily better," says the article.
Hispanics are Not Alone
It's worth mentioning that Hispanics are not alone in this. In my home country, South Africa, many of my countrymen and women struggle with obesity and its associated ills, like diabetes and heart disease.
The chief culprit is the readily ready processed food and the rapid spread of fast food outlets. The past decade has brought long-awaited political leisure and expanding prosperity. The flipside is a growing obesity problem.
In people for whom poverty and near starvation still loom large, combating the "bigger is better" myth is highly difficult.
Research into Hispanics and Obesity links
There have also been some scholastic studies of Hispanics and obesity. A explore conducted in May 2004 for Kellogg by La Opinión/El Diario de la Prensa store study Center, shows Latino families not exercising at recommended levels resulting in rising obesity rates among them.
Hispanics and obesity links are also under the spotlight in a five-year study at the University of Texas at El Paso. Utep has received a .1 million grant from the National Institutes of health to study and cut health disparities among Hispanics.
The five-year grant will make the town for the Advancement of Minority health and health Disparities study at Utep. The grant will also help recruit and train faculty and will be used to disseminate study results to the community.
So while its clear that Latino Obesity is a large and growing problem, there is also growing awareness of the problem.
Hispanics and Obesity - The Worrying Truth
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