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Obesity in Mexico becomes a large problem in cities

Squeezed behind the tiny wheel of his bright green Volkswagen Beetle, Ignacio Montealegre gazed down at his protruding belly and succumbed to a moment of nostalgia.

"I used to be slim, but then I got married and had to work so hard I stopped playing football and got fat," the 105kg taxi driver explained. "At the end of the day I go home, eat and go to sleep in front of the television."

Montealegre is a man of his time. He is also testament to a big new health challenge facing his country even as malnutrition still haunts its poverty-stricken countryside, particularly in indigenous communities.

Usually associated with the developed world, obesity is now an epidemic sweeping much of Latin America, with Mexico among the worst affected along with Chile and Peru.

A recently released national survey by the Health Ministry classified 28 percent of adult Mexican women as obese, with another 36 percent overweight. Just under 19 percent of Mexican men are obese and another 41 percent overweight. The figures confirm the shock sprung two years ago by a groundbreaking study revealing a 158 percent increase in obesity over a decade, prompting disbelief among many scientists.

Not any more. Now the consensus is that Mexico's combination of junk food, rapid urbanization and genetic traits mean obesity rates have overtaken Europe's fattest country, Britain, where around 22 percent of adults are obese. More worryingly it is catching up with the US where adult obesity tops 30 percent.

Experts say the health problems of traditional Mexican fare have been halted by the invasion of relatively inexpensive industrially produced foods. American fast food restaurants became fixtures in the 1990s, and today it is often easier to find a bag of crisps than a banana even in the remotest jungle village.

Household expenditure on fruit and vegetables fell by over a quarter between 1986 and 1998, while over a third more was spent on soft drinks.

Urbanization has only made things worse. Those who can afford cars would rather wait in valet-parking queues outside restaurants than leave their vehicle a block away and walk. The majority, obliged to take public transport, often demand that buses drop them off at their own street corner.

Meanwhile, slouching in front of the television now dominates leisure time, in part because the open spaces that once housed local football teams have disappeared under urban sprawl. Only 13 percent of Mexicans say they play sport.

Whatever the root causes, nutritionists warn that Mexico is settling into the established trend where obesity is primarily associated with the least fortunate.

"That is the tendency," says a government nutritionist, Simon Barquera. "That is where we are headed."
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