Most people associate malnutrition with underweight and wasting. However, overweight is also a form of malnutrition. According to the Mexican Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion, obesity is the main health problem in Mexico. It is a problem that is practically everywhere, even in rural communities.
Overweight and obesity are the main problems affecting the health of school-age children, according to data from the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. It is estimated that in Mexico, one in three children has both conditions, which puts them at risk of suffering from cardiovascular and kidney diseases and diabetes at an early age.
The main causes are the consumption of processed foods with large amounts of sugar, trans fats and salt, and the lack of physical activity. The consumption of these products is characteristic in some of the communities we support; the children refer to consuming them frequently. They also present clinical signs that are most likely related to the deficiency of nutrients such as B complex vitamins, omega 3 and 6, and protein.
When children suffer from malnutrition, they are more prone to present delayed growth and low weight in some stages or throughout their lives. INSP researcher Juan Rivera Dommarco has stated that, “if we do not act we would be condemning children to an unhealthy future and an expensive planet.”
The Response to Obesity Requires a Comprehensive Approach
An important part of our mission is education on the importance of proper nutrition, good hygiene, and regular exercise.
Through our Extended Alimentation Program, we work directly with the families of school children who present with obesity or are at risk of obesity. We conduct home visits and socio-economic studies, and provide fruits and vegetables for the family.
Our nutritionists conduct regular health assessments of all the children in our school meals program, through height, weight, and body fat measurements. The measuring process also enables the nutritionists to look for other signs of malnutrition in the children, such as listlessness, lack of pigment in the hair, white spots on the skin, and fragile nails. Another very recurrent sign in this population is the presence of dental caries in different degrees. Both signs are linked, as they have in common the consumption of beverages with high caloric density and foods of simple carbohydrates.
The clinical signs we observe in some of the underweight and overweight children reflect intermittent periods of malnutrition during their young lives, especially lack of adequate protein and vitamins. We also observe signs of poor hydration, such as dry mouth, lips, and skin, and lack of elasticity of the skin. This situation decreases body weight and can affect physical and cognitive performance.
In response, we deliver clean drinking water to the school kitchens, and menus in all of our school kitchens are varied every month, with different menus for the schools in the communities with obesity. The nutritionists also conduct nutrition workshops for the parents, since bad eating habits start at home. Mothers appreciate receiving instruction on inexpensive yet healthy meals that their children will enjoy.
In addition, we continue to work with school principals to eradicate junk food stores located near schools.
Often, residents of these communities have easy access to foods of low nutritional quality, and little availability of food that covers their basic nutritional needs. These conditions make the Feed the Hungry school lunches a very important part of the students’ daily lives, and family support a valued community service.
EN 
ES 