New strategy against obesity
Although this government left behind the National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Overweight, Obesity and Diabetes, focused on reducing diseases and preventing their complications, efforts to address this epidemic have grown, says the researcher.
In February 2019, the Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health, Hugo López-Gatell, announced that the strategy would be restructured due to implementation problems and the lack of performance and impact indicators.
(Photo: Dulce Soto / Political Expansion.)
In addition, he pointed out at the time, the cost of that strategy was very high “for a foreseeably small impact.”
Now, stated Dr. Barquera, the strategy was expanded and seeks to transform the food system to make it “fair, sustainable and healthy”, which would reduce the risk of chronic diseases, in addition to obesity.
The soda tax, the Healthy School Environments initiative that prohibits junk food in schools, the frontal warning labeling of processed products and the national agreement for food health are some of the strategies that Mexico has implemented against obesity in this six-year term and in the past.
“If we compare ourselves with most countries, we are doing very well. Everyone is admired by the Mexican warning label, they are admired that we have this advertising regulation, but also, if we already see it with a sense of criticism, the tax is very low, it would have to increase on junk food and there is many things that have to be reinforced ”, he acknowledges.
Reducing obesity is essential because it is related to more than 15 diseases, including breast, colon and digestive tract cancer. Also, with autoimmune, kidney and liver and cardiovascular diseases, as well as diabetes.
