By Roberto Vicevich
Tradition, education and other conditions cause Latino mothers to believe fatter babies are healthier, public health professionals announced last week.
'It''s a cultural idea that seems to start from previous generations,' said Dr. Yanira Cruz, executive director of Hispanic-Serving Health Professional Schools. 'They seem to be unaware that obesity could cause serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some type of cancers.'
In Utah, members of Latino organizations said they think many Hispanics are not well informed about the consequences of obese children.
'It''s a myth by Latino mothers to believe that their babies need to be robust,' said Nelsy Delgado, director of Latino Alliance in Utah.
New immigrants don''t seem to have problems with obesity, but the second generation has the tendency to gain weight and become obese, Cruz said.
Obesity may also affect children''s stature, according to research by Dr. Fernando Mendoza, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University. First generation Mexican-American children are smaller and shorter that their non-Hispanic counterparts.
However, by the second generation, Mendoza found the same children had gained unhealthy amounts of weight.
'Second generation of Hispanics have the highest level of obesity,' Mendoza said.
Exercising and eating well would be the solution to help children avoid obesity in the early years, but Cruz said schools across the country don''t seem to be headed in the right direction.
'Many physical education programs are being eliminated, and children don''t have access to these programs that would improve their physical condition,' Cruz said.
Delgado said most food in Latin America is fresh and healthy, but in America, the processed food contributes to obesity problems.
'Public schools are also responsible for weight increase, because they provide meals that include corn dogs, tacos and hamburgers that are not healthy for our children,' she said.
To help combat the problem, Utah public officials have created programs across the state to educate people about their diet and the risks of being overweight.
'We are trying to address this problem in our community,' said Tony Yapias, director of the State Office of Hispanic affairs.
The number of obese individuals has increased almost 1 percent every year and affects all Americans. It becomes a problem for Hispanics because of the high prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents, who in turn become obese adults, according to the news release by HSHPS.
But obesity is not only hitting Hispanics, Mendoza said.
'I observed in one of my trips back to Washington that at the airport, out of 20 people five were obese,' he said.
Health problems linked to obesity include heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and heart diseases.
Poverty, poor education and lack of access to health care compound the problem. In addition, 27 percent of Hispanic children are uninsured, according to the report by the Hispanic-Serving Health Professional Schools.
Since 1996, the Hispanic-Serving Health Professional Schools has worked to improve the health of Hispanics through academic and student development, research and other programs.
'We are trying to increase the number of Hispanics in the health profession and increase the level of research on Hispanic issues,' Cruz said.