Nutrition Programs in Mexico City

Health Policy plan for nutrition programs to combat obesity for children in Mexico City

Project Brief. The goal of this project is to significantly decrease the prevalence of child overweight and obesity in Mexico City among school-aged children, ultimately improving their overall health.

Project Overview. I designed a health policy intervention to decrease obesity prevalance in children in Mexico City, ultimately improving their overall health and well-being. By implementing comprehensive and sustainable nutrition programs, the project will focus on education, intervention, and community involvement to create lasting positive changes.

With the Human Biology Department at Stanford University

Project Type. Research Assistant, Design Engineer

This is an ongoing project.

Background

Mexico currently has the highest global prevalence of child obesity.

prevalence of overweight obesity among ages 5 to 11 in Mexico in 2016.

estimate of children who are overweight or obese in Mexico.

35.6%

40%

of calories consumed by preschoolers come from sugar products.

The rise in the rates of obesity in Mexico has been linked to the increased consumption of sugar products and calorie-dense foods and beverages, as well as a more sedentary lifestyle (Arredondo, 2007).

Project Scope

Existing Policies

To tackle the obesity epidemic, Mexico has put in place a number of policies, including pioneering interventions such as mandatory front-of-pack food labeling, and taxes on sugary drinks and high- calorie non-essential foods (OECD, 2023). Interventions aimed at reducing rates of obesity in Mexico are typically centered on individual food choices (Fowler & Christakis, 2007).

However, many of these interventions fail because they ignore the environmental influences on food intake and physical activity and neglect to look at social relationships (Turnbull et al., 2019).

PROBLEM

There are currently no interventions utilized in Mexico City which place an emphasis on physical activity in accordance with existing social structures.

Our Approach

Experts suggest that obesity is caused largely by an environment that promotes excessive food intake and social norms regarding the acceptability of obesity and discourages physical activity (Cohen-Cole & Fletcher, 2008).

This highlights the importance of the social and family environment that children are exposed to, thus it is necessary to approach obesity not only as a clinical problem but as a public health problem as well. Among various factors that may influence adolescent obesity, schools are an important setting within which adolescents can shape obesity-related behaviors (Park et al., 2021).

PROPOSAL

A 2 year program in coordination with Project HOPE, the Mexican Government, and other partners such as the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP) to implement a “Schools on the Move” model to promote healthy diets and physical activity in primary schools.

"Schools on the Move"

This intervention aims to deliver key nutrition services to school-age children and adolescents and is anticipated to have substantial impact as schools are agents of change, and health is considered a parameter of educational performance.

FOCUS AREAS:

creating an active culture
developing the pedagogy
increasing movement

The program encompasses various services, including monitoring progress, measuring physical activity levels, incorporating digital solutions, providing training content, developing learning environments, and supplying sports equipment.

Program Timeline

Investment Outcomes

The project will take place in Mexico City, Mexico with a population of approximately 22.3 million people with 14,322 of those being children (INEGI, 2019).

By implementing the “Schools on the Move” program in Mexico City primary schools, we will systematically develop an obesity prevention program for adolescents to promote healthy eating and physical activity in schools.

GOAL

The goal of this project is to significantly decrease the prevalence of child overweight and obesity in Mexico City among school-aged children, ultimately improving their overall health.

In accordance with previous results from similarly implemented programs, we anticipate that implementing this program will decrease the rate of overweight and child obesity by 8% (Blom et al., 2023).

Measurement

BMI Measurement. Obesity will primarily be measured by calculating each child’s BMI as this is the most common way to determine if a child is overweight under the National Institute of Health’s weight status criteria
World Health Organization’s sustainable development goals. Primarily focusing on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators 3.4.1 and 21.2 as well as General Programme of Work (GPW) indicators 21.1, 24.1, 25.1, and 25.2 (World Health Organization, 2021)
The Report Card. A surveillance system that gathers data from various sources to evaluate 16 indicators in four categories: Daily Behaviors; Physical Fitness; Settings and Sources of Influence; and Strategies and Investments

The project’s ability to meet these goals, reduce rates of overweight and obesity, and increase community engagement will showcase the project’s success.

Sustainable_Development_Goals_logo.svg.png

Community Partners

Kinesiology researchers at National Autonomous University of Mexico. A public research university in Mexico to conduct research via surveys and assessments prior to the start of the program launch, mid-way through the program, and at the end of the one-year programming period .
Project HOPE. NGO working to reduce the impact and burden of noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, with a specific focus on reaching young people at risk in Mexico. Responsible for recruiting and training community health workers and educators for the Schools on the Move program

Risks and Challenges

1. Lack of accurate data on child obesity. Sequentially the difficulty of procuring data in Mexico City due to lack of existing data structures.

To mitigate this challenge, we will establish partnerships with local health authorities, research institutions, and community organizations. Collaborating with these entities can facilitate access to accurate data, fostering a more informed approach to addressing child obesity in Mexico City.

2. Attendance. 30% of the children in Mexico only attend school until the 6th year of primary school at most (Child & Family Foundation, 2018). Six million children between the ages of 3 and 17 don't attend school at all and 2.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 must work (Child & Family Foundation, 2018). There are several more possible reasons for low attendance: poverty, wealth inequality, indigeneity, gender inequality, shrinking education budgets.

To address this, early mitigation strategies could involve collaboration with local education authorities, community outreach programs, and initiatives that focus on improving overall school attendance.

Citations

Active Health Kids Global Alliance. (2022). Mexico » Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance. Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance. Retrieved December 11, 2023, from https://www.activehealthykids.org/mexico/

Argumedo, G., Taylor, J., Gaytán-González, A., González-Casanova, I., & Villalobos, M. (2020, April 16). Mexico's 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth: Full report. NCBI. Retrieved December 11, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7178555/

Arredondo, E. M. (2007, Jan). Predictors of obesity among children living in Mexico City. PubMed. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17197269/

Blom, A., Tammelin, T., Laine, K., & Tolonen, H. (2023, November 5). Bright spots, physical activity investments that work: the Finnish Schools on the Move programme. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/13/820#

Turnbull, B., Gordon, S. F., Martínez-Andrade, G. O., & González-Unzaga, M. (2019, May 15). Childhood obesity in Mexico: A critical analysis of the environmental factors, behaviours and discourses contributing to the epidemic. NCBI. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6537260/

UNICEF. (2019, August). Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents. UNICEF. Retrieved December 10, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/documents/prevention-overweight-and-obesity-children-and-adolescents

UNICEF Mexico. (2020, March 4). What are we waiting for? UNICEF. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/stories/what-are-we-waiting-for-obesity-mexico

WHO. (2023, March 2). …. …. - YouTube. Retrieved December 11, 2023, from https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/341982/WHO-EURO-2021-2574-42330-58595-eng.pdf?sequence=1

World Health Organization. (2021, May 5). Levels and trends in child malnutrition: UNICEF/WHO/The World Bank Group joint child malnutrition estimates: key findings of the 2021 edition. World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved December 11, 2023, from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240025257