A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) placed Costa Rica as the Central American country with the highest number of overweight children.
According to the study, Costa Rica presents a child overweight rate of 8.1%, while Nicaragua registers 6.2% and Honduras has a 5.2%.
“This type of condition increases the chances of suffering from noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular diseases that require attention,” reported the study.
On the other hand, FAO stated that Costa Rica reached the goal of reducing the level of hunger below 5%. Currently, chronic malnutrition among under-5-year-old children in the country is 3.4%. The report notes that the Government-sponsored Preschool and School Feeding Program has achieved the expected results.
It concluded that obesity and overweight have increased throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, with a greater impact on women and an increasing trend in children. It is estimated that about 58% of the inhabitants of the region are overweight (360 million people).