Obesity is an increasingly important health issue in the United States. This is especially true for the Latino community. Latinos in the United States suffer from obesity at a higher rate compared to the overall population.
Studies have found that this disparity may be enhanced as Latinos become acculturated in the U.S. Acculturation is the process whereby the attitudes and/or behaviors of people from one culture are modified as a result of contact with a different culture. This means that the more Latinos modify their attitudes or behaviors to be like Americans, they more likely they are to become obese. While that alone may account for a great deal of the Latino community's higher rates of obesity, especially among immigrants, other factors, like wealth must be accounted for as well.
While it is important to recognize the reasons why Latinos are more likely to be obese, our intentions are to educate the Latino community on how to fight the obesity problem. This site is designed to inform Latinos about obesity, to suggest strategies on how to prevent obesity, and to provide lifestyle changes that will help the obese fight to regain their health.
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