• Antonio Barrera-Cruz, Arturo Rodríguez-González, and Mario Antonio Molina-Ayala.
• Coordinación de Programas Médicos, División de Excelencia Clínica, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Distrito Federal, México, Mexico. antonio.barrera@imss.gob.mx.
• Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2013 May 1; 51 (3): 292-9.

AbstractExcess weight (overweight and obesity) is currently recognized as one of the most important challenges of public health in the world, given its size, speed of growth, and the negative effect on the population who suffers it. Overweight and obesity increases significantly the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases, and premature mortality, as well as the social cost of health. Today, Mexico has the second global prevalence of obesity in the adult population (30 %), which is ten times higher than Korea's or Japan's (4 %). Until 2012, 26 million Mexican adults were overweight, and 22 million, obese. This implies a major challenge for the health sector. Mexico needs to plan and implement strategies and cost-effective actions for the prevention and control of obesity in children, adolescents, and adults. Global experience shows that proper care of obesity and overweight demands to formulate and coordinate efficient multi-sectoral strategies for enhancing protective factors to health, particularly to modify individual behavior, family and community.

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