Obesity prevention and control strategies in Latin American and United States Latino populations [Abstract]
Date
2012Metadata
[+] Show full item recordAbstract
Abstract of a paper presented at the International Conference and Exhibition on Obesity & Weight Management, 2012: Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnically diverse group in the U.S.; they are also the most overweight. Mexico is now second to the U.S. in suffering the worst epidemic of obesity in the world. Objectives of this study were to: 1) Conduct a systematic review of obesity-related interventions targeting Latinos living in the U.S. and Latin America; and 2) Develop evidence-based recommendations to inform culturally relevant strategies targeting obesity. Obesity-related interventions, published between 1965-2010, were identified through searches of major electronic databases. Selection criterion included: evaluation of obesity-related measures, intervention conducted in a community setting, with a sample of at least 50% Latino/Latin American participants, or with stratified results by race/ethnicity. Body of evidence was based on number of available studies, study design, execution, and effect size. Of 19,786 articles, 105 interventions met final inclusion criteria. Interventions promoting physical activity and/or healthy eating had strong or sufficient evidence for recommending: (1) school-based interventions in the U.S. and (2) Latin America; (3) interventions for overweight or obese children in the healthcare context in Latin America; (4) individual-based interventions for overweight or obese adults in the U.S.; (5) individual-based interventions for adults in Latin America; and (6) healthcare-based interventions for overweight or obese adults in Latin America.