Obesity in Latin America: similarity in the inequalities

The Lancet: "Obesity in Latin America: similarity in the inequalities

Patrícia Pelufo Silveira a, André Krumel Portella a and Marcelo Zubaran Goldani
Barbara Fraser (June 11, p 1995)1 reports a partial point of view about obesity in Latin America. She emphasises that poverty and malnutrition, followed by ingestion of junk (and cheap) food, has a pivotal role in the increased rates of obesity seen especially in Latin American children and women.

In Brazil, the largest country of Latin America, social inequalities seem to interact in a complex fashion. People belonging to privileged social strata tend to have adequate access to a well balanced diet and medical care, whereas those from underprivileged social groups tend not to. However, it is intriguing that, in both these social layers, low birthweight and obesity are becoming more frequent."