A report, released on February 1st, warned that obesity, overweight and malnutrition affecting women and children in Central America are causing alarm because of the increased rate of morbidity and deaths associated to chronic diseases.
Central America is a region that faces the problem known as the ‘double burden of malnutrition’, which means that malnutrition coexists with overweight and obesity,
stated a report from Estado Nación regional program.
The report informed that the prevalence of chronic malnutrition during the period 2008-2011 was 28.4% in the region, which doubles the average in Latin America and the Caribbean (12.8%).
Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama’s values are close to 20% and the most dramatic case is Guatemala, with a 49% rate: it is very high to the international parameters defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) .
In addition, the prevalence of obesity and overweight in women exceeds 50% in the countries of the region, except in Panama, where it reaches 30%.
The phenomenon of the double burden of malnutrition is increasing in most of the countries of the area and it requires we change the approach to public policies on food and nutritional security,
informed the report.
Such conditions have an impact on the increase in morbidity and death rates associated with diabetes, hypertension, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.