Latino Childhood Obesity Linked to Lack of Play Space, Says Study

Latino youths are growing more obese than their white counterparts, at least partly because of a lack of recreational areas in the neighborhoods where they primarily grow up.

A new study from Salud America!, advocate group that prides itself on working toward obliterating childhood obesity, found that food options are not the only major factor contributing the weight gains among many Latino youngsters.

In terms of sheer numbers, the study found that roughly 81 percent of primarily Latino neighborhoods have no facilities or spaces designated for exercise or other forms of physical activity. By comparison, only 38 percent of non-Latino white communities are faced with that same dilemma.

Salud previously found that 39 percent of all Latino children between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight, some 7 percentage points higher than the average for U.S. children overall.

Such conditions tend to place victims at higher risk of developing a host of chronic ailments. These factors particularly raise a red flag given that Latino children represent the largest, youngest and fastest-growing minority group in the country. Overall, Latinos youths now compose 22 percent of all youth in the U.S.

Among other factors the organization noted contributing to the trend are Latino kids having fewer options for physical activity outside of school or class; the easy availability in schools of snacks and beverages high in fat and sugar; the overall lack of access to healthy food alternatives such as fresh produce, whole grains and other low-fat dairy products; and the regular consumption of sugary drinks, such as fruit-flavored juices, sodas, sports energy drinks and sweetened milk.

Throughout her time in the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama has made battling childhood obesity one of her primary crusades. Earlier this year, her "Let's Move" initiative turned five. In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control announced the "prevalence of obesity" dropped 43 percent among young children aged 2 to 4 over an 8-year period beginning in 2004.