Learning Objective #1: Compare overweight children living in Mexico to children living in the USA and discuss gender and age differences among the groups

Learning Objective #2: Discuss potential causes for overweight and nursing interventions to prevent overweight in high risk groups of children

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In the United States, the percentage of overweight children and adolescents has increased dramatically. Children who are overweight often grow up to be overweight or obese adults. This places them at risk for many preventable causes of death. Childhood obesity rates have increased twice as fast in minority groups compared to white groups. Many Mexican immigrants to the USA are overweight. Currently, little data exists on the rate of overweight children who live in Mexico. This study looks at overweight of children in a rural Mexico town of Toshi and compares the results to Mexican children living in less rural areas of Veracruz and Sonoma. These statistics are compared to standards for overweight in United States children. Height and weight was measured for each child and body mass index calculated. In the summer of 2003, children living in Toshi, Mexico were not as likely to be overweight as compared to their peers living in Veracruz and Sonora. The children in Veracruz and Sonora had higher percentages of children overweight or obese than those in the United States. With gender as a factor, both male and female children in Toshi were just at likely to be overweight and considering age as a factor, those children 5-14 years of age were most likely to be overweight with 10 year olds the most overweight of all children. Factors such as diet and exercise might be considered as possible reasons why children in Toshi, Mexico are not as overweight as other Mexican children or Hispanic children living in the United States. There is potential for future nursing research to determine those factors contributing to the overweight conditions in some children and not in others. Nursing interventions can then begin to help prevent and/or control overweight in these children.