Mexico's growing child obesity rate stokes concerns

Country’s child obesity rate has reached alarming levels as some 4.5 million kids are overweight.

Mexico’s authorities have warned that the country’s child obesity rate has reached alarming levels as some 4.5 million kids aged between five and 12 years are overweight. Health and education officials have implemented anti-obesity programmes in schools with bans on junk food and soft drinks rich in salt, sugar and saturated and trans-fats. Yet, most children still have sweets and greasy treats within reach in food carts and shops.

Elementary school director Maria Teresa Zamorano said that parents also contributed to their children s unhealthy diet. "There are many obese children in schools because even though we work with them inside schools, even though education authorities tell us  you shouldn t sell this , outside the school there are many things for sale and their parents buy them," she said. In Mexico, unlike developed countries, children are not given lunch at school, which makes the control of their diet a much harder task for authorities.