Ángeles Cruz and Alonso Urrutia
La Jornada newspaper
Tuesday, August 5, 2025, p. 9
Weight and stature review, visual and mouth health in basic education students records a 33 percent advance with almost 4 million children evaluated, in which it was confirmed that 37 percent of minors, on average, live with overweight and obesity, which increases the risk for diseases such as diabetes and arterial hypertension.
By entity, it emphasizes that the highest prevalence – 48 to 56 percent – is recorded in Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán and Tabasco.
Among the preliminary results of the Healthy Vive Happy program, it was also found that as age increases, excess body weight of children increases.
The data were presented at the Conference in the National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum stressed the importance of the strategy carried out by the Ministry of Public Education and the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), to support families and teachers to teach children what to eat and how to exercise to have healthy life. He stressed that to this is added the prohibition of selling junk products in schools.
Zoé Robledo, director of the IMSS, presented the preliminary results of screening. Of the total, one million 986 thousand 117 of children were referred to a health unit for excess weight. Also 2.4 million with decay and one million 367 thousand 991 suffering from visual deficiency.
The evaluations will continue in the 2025-2026 school year, which will begin on September 1, to complete the goal of 90 thousand schools with 12 million children.
Yesterday, the Tuxtepec General Hospital, Oaxaca, was also inaugurated, the first of the two built with resources for the sale of the presidential plane last six -year term. The investment was 2,300 million pesos and will benefit more than one million people living in 109 municipalities in Oaxaca and Veracruz.
Alejandro Svarch, director of IMSS Welfare, informed that he will offer services of 19 medical specialties, for which 46 specialists have already been hired. The hospital has 150 beds, 25 offices and three operating rooms fully equipped.
On another issue, Robledo reported that 16 thousand Mexicans living in the United States have joined the IMSS as independent workers, so they have access to all benefits.
