Mexican Government Takes Steps to Combat Childhood Obesity in Mexico [1]
Mexican President Felipe Calderón claimed earlier in the year that Mexico had the highest rate of obese children in the world. Therefore, Mexico has recently taken certain steps in order to tackle childhood obesity [2]. Public pre-kindergarten and elementary schools, for example, have banned junk food from being allowed in their schools. Along with this, middle schools are now only selling sugar-free drinks and low-calorie snacks as a way to combat childhood obesity and turn Mexico into a healthier environment.
Additionally, the Mexican government has encouraged the adaptation of more hours of physical education per week in schools. Students are now required to take three hours instead of one hour per week of physical education. The Mexican government has also directed media attention towards advocating obese children to join weight-loss programs.
Other important steps that are being taken to combat childhood obesity in Mexico include: encouraging young children to drink proper amounts of water each day and monitoring their intake of soft drinks and junk food.