Hunger May Be Resolving in Latin America, But This Other Health Issue Is Replacing It Hope Gillette - VOXXI
go to original March 16, 2015

Obesity is the scourge of overfed high income countries, right? THINK AGAIN! We weigh up the escalating global epidemic of obesity. In countries where hunger was once the killer, hundreds of millions of people could now be eating themselves to death. (Journeyman Pictures)

Hunger, or the number of people in a nation without access to proper nutrition, is present in every country of the world. In Latin America, great strides have been taken to improve hunger statistics, and since the 1990’s, millions of people have been elevated above the hunger line. As Latin America resolves one issue, however, another issue is developing as a result: obesity.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation from the United Kingdom indicates Latin America and the Caribbean have become the most overweight regions in the developing world, and 56 percent of Latin American adults are overweight or obese, according to a report by the Overseas Development Institute. Though the number of Latin Americans suffering from hunger has dropped from 68.5 million to 37 million, the decrease may be a large part of why obesity is becoming such an issue.

...Unfortunately, educating the public isn’t the biggest hurdle. Without the ability to afford healthy food, those at or below the poverty level have few options but to purchase what they can and need for their families. What Latin American needs, according to some experts, is an outreach program teaching low-income families ways to access healthy food.

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