Public opinion on government actions to prevent obesity in Mexico in 2021

According to a 2021 survey, around 21.4 percent of Mexican respondents agreed that the federal government should implement preventive information campaigns to tackle obesity. Prohibiting or regulating junk food sales was considered another suitable measure by roughly 17.5 percent of interviewees. Other proper actions mentioned by respondents included implementing school programs and healthy eating campaigns.

Overweight and obesity in Mexico

As of 2021, around 72 percent of adults in Mexico were suffering from overweight or obesity. Additionally, 42.9 percent of teenagers and 37.5 percent of children aged five to 11 were dealing with these medical conditions. That same year, the region reporting the highest prevalence of overweight among people aged 20 or older was the State of Mexico, reaching nearly 39 percent of adults. A person is considered overweight when their Body Mass Index (BMI) ranges between 25 kg/m² and 30 kg/m².

Prevalence in Latin America

In Latin America, estimates indicate that over half of the population could be suffering from obesity or overweight by 2030. While in 2020, from 48 to 60 percent of respondents between 16 and 74 years in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Chile claimed they were trying to lose weight, the weight loss and diet management industry in Latin America reached a value of approximately 1.57 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a market expected to increase to over two billion U.S. dollars by 2027.