Latino Kids More Obese Than Their Peers Due to Lack of Active Space

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Obesity is among the leading health concerns worldwide and there is a growing rate of obese children. A new report revealed that Latino kids are more obese compared to other children their age.

According to Latina, more Latino children suffer from obesity than their non-Hispanic peers. In fact, four out of 10 Latino youths between ages 12 and 19 are overweight or obese compared to just 28.5 percent of non-Latino white youngsters.

In most cases, obesity is attributed to unhealthy eating and lack of physical activities. Most children today spend their time indoors watching television or playing video games. Health advocates are calling parents to send their youngsters outside where they can run, jump, swing and sweat, Yahoo! News has learned.

A report from Salud America! suggested that this will be difficult for Latino kids who are living in segregated and underserved neighborhoods.

Per the report, the U.S. Census Bureau conducted a national survey and they found out that "fewer Latino (70%) than white (82.5%) respondents described their neighborhoods as having safe places for children to play."

A study conducted in Southern California revealed that children of racial/ethnic minorities living in poverty have limited access to parks and physical activity areas compared to children living in advantaged neighbors.

It found out that that 81 percent of Latino neighborhood do not have recreational facilities compared with 38 percent of white neighborhoods, regardless of income levels. For instance, in Los Angeles County (44.6 percent Latino), low-income urban districts with high percentages of racial/ethnic minorities had only 0.68 total park acres for 1,000 people. Meanwhile, districts that are mainly comprised of wealthy and white residents had 1,587 total park acres per 1,000 people.

The national data revealed that Latino neighborhood was closer to parks but had lower percentages of green space compared to non-Latino neighborhoods.

The report advised that addressing the disparities by providing sufficient access to parks and active spaces might help Latino children become more physically active, in the process maintain a healthy weight and enjoy a better overall health during their childhood and into adulthood.

Latinos are also using the technology to improve their youth's health by developing apps like WeWalk and Choose Healthier. WeWalk was developed by a 13-year-old Latina based in San Antonio, Texas who was concerned with the growing rate of overweight and obesity in her city. Her vision is to combine active living, healthy eating and gaming. The app is currently being beta tested.

Meanwhile, Choose Healthier targets residents from Austin, Texas (35.1 percent Latino) and includes mapped routes for wellness-related activities like running and cycling yoga and Zumba classes.