Oral

The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically in the US, especially among children of Mexican origin. Almost 40% of Mexican-American children in the US are classified as at risk for overweight or overweight. Recently, the Institute of Medicine and the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica in Mexico convened a joint US-Mexico workshop on preventing obesity among children of Mexican descent. Workshop participants concluded that childhood obesity is a major public health problem for children of Mexican descent on both sides of the border and that there is an urgent need for action. Binational collaborations were recognized as an invaluable step to designing and evaluating effective obesity prevention programs for children of Mexican descent in the US and Mexico. The purpose of this session is to share findings from several recent binational studies on childhood obesity among children of Mexican descent in the US and Mexico and to make recommendations for binational prevention strategies. We bring together several researchers who have collected information on the influence of migration and acculturation on the childhood obesity epidemic that are considered necessary for designing effective and sustainable intervention programs in both countries. Furthermore, through these binational projects, researchers gained experience in utilizing methodologies that could be effective for evaluating binational prevention strategies.

Session Objectives: 1. Apply a binational perspective to understanding the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity among children of Mexican descent 2. Identify at least four factors that contribute to childhood obesity among children of Mexican descent residing in the US and Mexico 3. Discuss potential public health interventions that address childhood obesity among children of Mexican descent using a binational perspective

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing