Social norms, nutrition, and body image in Latin America and the Caribbean
A study in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico
- Español
- English
Highlights
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the double burden of malnutrition has become a major public health concern. Due to the development and globalization of economies across the region, people have been shifting away from traditional diets based on plants, whole grains, legumes, meat, and fish, to foods that are high in sugar, fats, and sodium. Moreover, there has been a shift within the population from an overall active lifestyle towards a more sedentary one. Those changes in diets, combined with far less physical activity, have laid the foundations for an epidemic of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases in LAC.
To better understand the impact of such shift in nutrition-related behaviors and practices, UNICEF generated evidence on how social norms are linked to nutrition and body image in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico. This study highlights the wide range of factors - psychological, sociological, and environmental - that contribute to the double burden of malnutrition among the population. At the same time, the document presents viable opportunities to promote healthy lifestyles at community level in each of the three targeted countries, as well as in the region.
