Nine Latin American and Caribbean countries intensify efforts to curb obesity with PAHO support – PAHO/WHO

Washington, DC, March 4, 2025 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is working on a project with nine Americas countries in an initiative to strengthen actions against obesity in the region, which has the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world. In the Americas, 67.5% of adults and 37.6% of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 are overweight or obesity, increasing the risk of non -communicable diseases and highlighting the urgency of immediate action.

The severity of this problem was underlined in the 75th World Health Assembly in 2022, when countries approved the Who acceleration plan to stop obesity. This plan aims to stop the growing obesity rates through an integral approach that combines regulatory, fiscal and multisectoral strategies.

In the Americas, nine countries are pioneers in this initiative: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. The lessons learned during this acceleration phase are expected to serve as a model for the future expansion of the plan throughout the region.

The current perspective is worrisome: since 1990, the overweight and obesity rates of adults in the Americas have increased by 52%, increasing from 44.4% to 67.5% in 2022. If the current trend continues, the projections indicate that by 2030, the prevalence of overweight and the obesity between adults will reach 73.2%.

«These numbers are alarming and represent not only statistics, but millions of lives affected by chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and various types of cancer,» said Dr. Anselm Hennis, director of the Department of Non -Communicable Diseases and Mental Health in Paho. «If we do not act decisively, preventable diseases and premature deaths will continue to increase.»

To address this challenge, the PAHO and the participating countries are implementing a series of measures based on the technical recommendations of the acceleration plan. These strategies include the application of the warning labels of the package front and the regulation of marketing of unhealthy food products, the promotion of breastfeeding, the regulation of food offered in schools and the adoption of fiscal policies that promote healthy diets. In addition, efforts include the improvement of physical activity, particularly in public and school environments and the strengthening of primary health care.

The plan also underlines the importance of monitoring and evaluating interventions to allow innovation of policies based on the results. Since each country has different contexts and capacities, progress varies; However, the lessons learned are expected to be valuable for future expansion. Argentina, Barbados, Chile, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay have already begun to develop their roadmaps. Chile, which has the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the region (78.8%), was the first to present a national plan for the prevention of child and adolescent obesity. Meanwhile, Mexico and Panama are in the final stages of the development of their respective national plans.

To support these efforts, the PAHO continues to provide technical assistance, construction of intersectoral capacity and coordination. These actions also contribute to PAHO’s best attention to the Initiative of Non -Communicable Diseases (NCDS), whose objective is to expand equitable access to integral health services at the level of primary health care.

In the observance of World Obesity Day, which takes place on March 4, Pah will organize a web seminar at 10:00 am (Washington time, DC) to share experiences and highlight the urgent need for collaborative solutions to this public health challenge.