Mexico: Health bracelet launched to combat childhood obesity that has almost doubled in two decades

MEXICO CITY, 2 JUNE 2025 - A health bracelet with beads for different food groups has been launched by Save the Children in Mexico to promote healthy eating after research found nearly one in five children aged between five and 11 in Mexico suffers from obesity.

Between 1999 and 2020-23, obesity in children aged between five and 11 rose to nearly 18% from 9%, according to the ‘Atlas of Child Nutrition Risk in Mexico’ produced by Save the Children and the Center of Excellence and Innovation for Children's Rights and Opportunities (CEIDON).

Researchers found hundreds of thousands of children in Mexico are suffering from inadequate nutrition, with sweet drinks a significant factor in children’s diets, consumed regularly by 83% of children under five years old, 94% of those aged 5 to 11 years and 90% of adolescents.  Over 40% of children were found to eat sweetened cereals daily [1].  

To combat this health crisis, children aged eight to 12 are learning about healthy eating in Save the Children’s network of community clubs across Mexico. The children are taught using a colour-coded food pyramid showing what a balanced diet should look like.

In Yucatan State - where nearly one in two children under the age of nine are at risk of stunting due to chronic malnutrition [1] – the community club has gone one step further, with participants working with Save the Children to develop a ‘health bracelet’ which can be worn daily by children.

Each bead on the bracelet represents an element of the food pyramid, with the number of beads showing the recommended daily portions, to remind children and parents about the type of foods they should be consuming.

Mexico recently banned junk food in schools to limit children’s access to sugary drinks and high calorie ultra processed snacks, which are often cheaper and more readily available than healthy and nutritious alternatives.  In Latin America and the Caribbean, just under a third of children aged five to 19 – about 49 million – are classed as overweight compared with the global average of 18% [2].

Wilberth, 11, attends a community club in Yucatan and said:

"The bracelet was about showing the different food portions, like for example, the green colour was for fruits and vegetables. You could decorate it with whatever you wanted. The red one was for proteins, the orange one for carbohydrates, and so on. We also added water, which were like little blue beads.

"It’s important because it helps you measure the food portions, know what you should eat, and not overeat, and also helps so that your stomach has variety and stays satisfied for the whole day."

The findings of the research demonstrate the need to implement health and nutrition strategies for children to create real and lasting changes in eating habits.

Nancy Ramírez, Director of Policy Advocacy and Global Issues at Save the Children Mexico, said:

“Mexico is now leading the table of global obesity for adults [3] - the Atlas is a call to action to urgently accelerate change. The ban on junk food in schools  is a welcome and much needed step, but we need to ensure that all children have access to safe, sufficient and healthy food.

“Many schools, especially those in the most deprived areas, do not have safe drinking water or electricity to power fridges. Children must have access to affordable, fresh food and clean water if we are to reverse decades of poor nutrition.

“Save the Children is calling on the government to create specific nutrition goals for children by state and age group and to expand the availability of school meals programmes in Mexico, among the report’s recommendations.

“This challenge is so enormous, and the importance of achieving it is so critical for the survival and well-being of the younger generation, that only a highly coordinated effort can succeed.”

Save the Children in Mexico works in 14 states out of 32 states, directly impacting the lives of more than 400,000 children every year through development programmes and humanitarian aid.  Our work in Mexico started in 1973 and spans health, education, poverty reduction, child protection and migration.

Notes to Editors:

Multimedia content available here: www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2SR108YD

[1] https://savethechildren.mx/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/atlas_riesgos_de_nutricion.pdf The Center for Excellence and Innovation for Children's Rights and Opportunities (CEIDON) was created and supported by Save the Children. The Center conducts research and designs impactful solutions for issues relating to children. It also promotes cultural and awareness shifts with the aim of children being able to exercise their full rights.
 
[2]https://www.unicef.org/lac/media/43076/file/Childhood%20overweight%20on%20the%20rise%20in%20LAC%20-%202023%20Report.pdf

[3] https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/health-at-a-glance-2023_7a7afb35-en/full-report/indicator-overview-country-dashboards-and-major-trends_d4962905.html#chapter-d1e843-3c7a7758e7