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Approximately 17 percent of all U.S. children are
obese. While the problem cuts across
lines of race, ethnicity and gender, the obesity rate among Hispanic children
in the United States is the highest of any group. In recent years, public health experts and
policy-makers have dedicated a great deal of energy to examining the problem of
obesity among the nation’s Latino children and to developing strategies to address
the crisis. Yet, a recent report by the
Center for Poverty Research at the University of California at Davis suggests
that water quality in Latino communities may be a significant factor in
contributing to Latino obesity rates.
Looking at water supplies in two low-income immigrant communities in
California’s central valley, researchers found that many residents in these
areas avoided drinking water, in favor of sugary beverages, because of
long-held fears about contaminants in the water supply. Laura Bliss, a fellow for the Atlantic Magazine's
Citylab blog, wrote recently about the UC Davis report. She spoke to La Vuelta
about the report’s findings and what they suggest about the connection between
environment and obesity in California’s Latino communities.
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