Sociocultural factors of vulnerability to overweight during the first years of life in Mexico

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the role of socioeconomic and culture factors on the vulnerability to obesity in mothers and their two years’ old children, in urban communities of Southern Morelos, Mexico. Materials and methods. We conducted fieldwork and non-participative observation. During 2019, 17 semi-structured interviews were applied to a sub-sample of a cohort. Data were ordered and analyzed with the support of the Atlas-Ti v. 7 software, by using 18 free codes. Results. Social factors like family income and gender roles, combined with kinship influence and believings about children’s supposed preference for ultraprocessed products, are influencing on the availability of caloric meals and beverages that generate vulnerability to obesity in early childhood. Mothers’ economic activity, parents participation and to prevent influence of relatives can create opportunities for better quality meals and major physical activity. Conclusions. The low availability of healthy meals, the risks of food unsafety, and the familiar and culture factors, all of them as part of the described socioeconomic context, increase the vulnerability to obesity of mother-child binomial.