Study: Malnourishment Present in Healthy Weight Latino Children

Share On Social!

A recent study from scholars at the Center for Healthy Policy at the University of New Mexico on Hispanic children in the Rio Grande Valley found that obesity is not the only health issue affecting youth. Although obesity has been the main issue with the diet and health of Hispanic youth, malnutrition due to a limited diet is becoming an major concern.

The study found that in the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic children ages 2-19 tend to be more malnourished and overweight or obese than non-Hispanic children, but the healthy-weight Hispanic youth have higher rates of being malnourished than their obese counterparts. Malnutrition in young children can stunt growth and cause irreversible issues.

Although researchers are emphasizing a diet that is full of low-fat or low-calorie options, they are only addressing weight concerns instead of concerns in over all nutrition according to this study.

Parents and caregivers should introduce children to a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other foods at early ages to give them the opportunity to have a balanced diet, full of a variety of nutrients.

The study also recommends that parents should not often reach for the easiest, cheapest foods available to them and should instead look for a variety of healthy foods. Because of advertising and food access, parents are not choosing foods based on nutrition.

Some recent immigrants or first generation resident Hispanics may also have issues understanding nutritional information on food packaging because of their limited educational backgrounds and language barriers.

As the study points out, advertising does not showcase healthy options to Hispanics and often does not promote healthy living. Lead researcher Celia Iriart says, “If we advocate more for promoting health and regulating the kind of food that the people access in general, we will have less problems with diabetes, high cholesterol and a lot of other problems that are now like epidemics.”

Another issue covered in the study is regulating food stamp and Woman, Infants, Children (WIC) programs. There is controversy over regulating or limiting what can be purchased through these programs because participants do not wish to be limited.

However the study suggests more strict rules about what foods can be bought with the aid of these programs, in order to each participants more about nutrition and how to provide their families with a diet filled with a variety of foods and nutrients.

Latino Childhood Obesity is a major issue throughout the country, but the study done in the Rio Grande Valley shows that Hispanic children need a diet that promote healthy weight and provides a variety of nutrients. To find out more information about this study, see The Monitor’s report here.