Early feeding patterns among Mexican babies: findings from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey and implications for health and obesity prevention

• Published in: BMC nutrition Vol. 1; no. 1
• Main Authors: Deming, Denise M., Afeiche, Myriam C., Reidy, Kathleen C., Eldridge, Alison L., Villalpando-Carrión, Salvador
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 28.12.2015
• Subjects: Nutrition
• ISSN: 2055-0928; 2055-0928
• DOI: 10.1186/s40795-015-0035-5

In the last few decades, Latin American countries have experienced dramatic increases in childhood overweight and obesity rates [1] due to a rapid shift in the composition of the diet, which may be due, in part, to rapid urbanization [2]. In Mexico, the national health and nutrition surveys over the past 24 years have shown a marked nutrition transition characterized by a steady decline in child undernutrition and a consistent increase in overweight and obesity at alarming rates in all age groups [3] with the highest reported rates of change in obesity prevalence in the world [4]. Among Mexican children, overweight and obesity rates increased from 26.9 % in 1999 to 34.4 % in 2012 among 5- to 11-year-olds and overweight increased from 7.8 % in 1988 to 9.0 % in 2012 in children under age 5 years [3]. This small albeit important increase in the prevalence of overweight in Mexico's youngest children contributes to the growing recognition that early childhood provides the best opportunity for addressing obesity prevention [5].