Key Facts About Childhood Obesity in the Latino Community

“Obesity is a chronic disease that currently affects nearly one-third of the adult American population, 15.5% of adolescents ( ages 12-19), and 15.3% of children ( ages 6-11). Obesity in children and adolescents has many health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood; the increase in obesity rates for children has been especially significant, rising from 5-7% to more than 15% in just two decades.

Latinos and their children have been particularly affected by the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity. In 2005, at least one in four Hispanic adults living in the U. S. was obese (having a Body Mass Index of 30 or more). More than one in six (16.8%) Hispanic high school students in overweight. Hispanics’ rates of being overweight are significantly higher than White high schoolers (11.8%) and about the same as Blacks ( 16.0%) of the same age. An additional 16.7% of Hispanic high school youth are at risk of b becoming overweight. This trend continues among even young Latinos.”

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