Overweight and obesity have increased throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, with a greater effect on women and a rising trend in children, indicated in its latest report "Panorama of Food and Nutrition Security In Latin America and the Caribbean" the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

According to this new joint report, nearly 58% of the inhabitants of the region are overweight. In Haiti, the percentage is 38.5%, in Paraguay 48.50%, and in Nicaragua 49.4% of the population is overweight. The countries with the highest rates are Chile with 63%, Mexico 64% and the Bahamas 69%.

Obesity affects 23% of the regional population and the highest prevalence can be seen in all Caribbean countries : Bahamas 36.2%, Barbados 31.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 31.1% and Antigua and Barbuda 30.9%.

The increase in obesity has affected women disproportionately: in more than 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the rate of women is 10% higher than that of men.

Eve Crowley, FAO Regional Representative, said that "the alarming rates of overweight and obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean should be a wake-up call for the governments of the Region to adopt policies that meet all forms of hunger and malnutrition linking food security, sustainability, agriculture, nutrition and health."

To address this situation, FAO and PAHO call for the promotion of healthy and sustainable food systems that link agriculture, food and nutrition and health. They consider that States should "promote the sustainable production of fresh, healthy and nutritious food, ensuring its supply, diversity and access, especially for the most vulnerable."

HL/ HaitiLibre