[Policies and strategies to combat obesity in Latin America].

BACKGROUND

Latin America is the region with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity, therefore, strategies and policies have been implemented in some countries to reduce this health problem. Among these, fiscal policies, such as taxes on sugary drinks, high-calorie products, the regulation of advertising and food labeling.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the main strategies and policies against obesity, and the effect they have had on the population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A search was made for articles in English and Spanish published in Pubmed, Scielo, Google Scholar. The keywords were included: health policies, nutritional labeling in Latin America, food labeling, tax on sugary drinks and non-basic foods with high energy density.

RESULTS

Within the strategies, traffic light labeling, and warning labeling were the most accepted and understood. As for the taxation of sugar sweetened beverages, studies showed a positive effect on the reduction of consumption, purchase and sale, as well as a decrease in purchases of non-essential energy-dense foods. However, nutritional education in vulnerable groups is essential to better understand their interpretation.

CONCLUSIONS

The studies analyzed suggest that food labeling, sugar sweetened beverages and non-essential energy-dense foods taxes could effectively reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population in the long term, as well as the costs associated with these diseases.