Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity
The Issue
Poor diet, inactivity, and various other factors are contributing to high obesity rates across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 65% of adult Latinos and 40% of Latinos under the age of 18 are overweight or obese. For both children and adults overweight and obesity may contribute to Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. The CDC estimates that for 1/2 of Latino children born after the year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.
LULAC's Latinos Living Healthy initiative aims to reduce barriers that prevent access to healthy affordable foods and safe spaces for physical activity and encourages Latinos to make healthy choices when it comes to foods and physical activity.