Press Releases

Success Stories of PAHEF-Funded Projects Tackling Childhood Obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean to Be Presented at SLAN Conference

Media Contact: Ashley Gatewood
          202-974-3727
          gatewooa@pahef.org


WASHINGTON, DC (November 16, 2009) — Rates of childhood obesity are skyrocketing in developing countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Some countries are experiencing the dual problem of certain population segments suffering from malnutrition while other segments are obese. Research has shown that obese children grow to become obese adults who engage in a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits. These habits lead to a spectrum of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.

To address childhood obesity throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) is playing a prominent role at the SLAN (Latin American Society of Nutrition) Conference being held November 15 – 19, 2009, in Santiago, Chile. The chair of the PAHEF Board of Trustees, Dr. Benjamin Caballero, will address the issue of the nutrition transition ongoing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Dr. Caballero will highlight key elements needed for successful prevention programs, including sensitivity to socio-cultural and regional differences.

Among the conference’s presenters, three principal investigators will give presentations on the results of their nutrition-related, PAHEF-funded projects. Additionally, PAHEF sponsored the investigators’ participation in the SLAN Conference. Mr. Robert Wright will share the successes of the “Lyrics for Life” project. It engaged 1,000 children in an urban slum of Kingston, Jamaica, to write lyrics about making smart choices to maintain a healthy weight. Winning songs were selected and later performed during the Bob Marley Week celebration. The project’s other components included promotion of increased physical activity at home and school, a school garden to promote eating fruits and vegetables, and implementation of healthy lifestyle education in schools.

To combat obesity in children as young as 4 years old in Chile, Dr. Camila Corvalán spearheaded a five-prong approach in her PAHEF-funded project “Can We Adapt a Chilean Preschool Welfare Program to Ensure Healthy Growth and Long-Term Health of Its Beneficiaries: A Feasibility Study.” Her presentation focuses on the role of nutrition assistance programs to help young children achieve normal growth. It also asked the question of how feasible it is to implement these changes and replicate the program elsewhere.

The third presentation focuses on a PAHEF-funded project entitled “Intervention Model for the Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition through Promotion of Healthy Diet and Physical Activity in Elementary School Children.” Dr. Manuel Ramírez from the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) will discuss how schools provide the ideal environment to reach children with healthy messages. His project developed an intervention model to reduce and prevent obesity and micronutrient deficiencies through promotion of a healthy diet and physical activity in children 7 to 12 years old living in urban communities of Guatemala.

“Childhood obesity has become a formidable health threat in the developing world. PAHEF is proud to sponsor the participation of the these investigators and to fund these projects in Latin America and the Caribbean that combat the major factors of childhood obesity such as lack of education, poor eating habits, and sedentary lifestyles,” said Edward L. Kadunc, executive director of PAHEF. “It is our hope that early intervention can help children make smart lifestyles choice for the rest of their lives.”

The SLAN Conference will be held at Centro de Convenciones Espacio Riesco, Av. El Salto, 5.000 – Huechuraba, Santiago, Chile from November 15 – 19, 2009.

Founded in 1968, the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) is a public 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to fostering public health programs in the Americas that address major health concerns. PAHEF improves the lives of people throughout the Americas by working with the public and private sectors as well as major public health research, policy, and development groups.

PAHEF enjoys a unique relationship with PAHO, the Pan American Health Organization, which serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.