Simón Barquera

Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública | INSP · Center for Nutrition and Health Research

Purpose of review: There are today 11 mega-countries with more than 100 million inhabitants. Together these countries represent more than 60% of the world's population. All are facing noncommunicable chronic disease (NCD) epidemic where high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases are becoming the main public health concerns. Mo...

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the global burden of ACD and its risk factors and to discuss the main challenges and opportunities for prevention. Publicly available data from the Global Burden of Disease Study were analyzed for ischem...

Background: Child and maternal health outcomes have notably improved in Mexico since 1990, whereas rising adult mortality rates defy traditional epidemiological transition models in which decreased death rates occur across all ages. These trends suggest Mexico is experiencing a more complex, dissonant health transition than historically observed....

Background: Up-to-date evidence about levels and trends in disease and injury incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) is an essential input into global, regional, and national health policies. In the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013), we estimated these quantities for acute and chronic diseases and injuries for 18...

Background: Ingestion of water has been associated with general wellbeing. When water intake is insufficient, symptoms such as thirst, fatigue and impaired memory result. Currently there are no instruments to assess water consumption associated with wellbeing. The objective of our study was to develop and validate such an instrument in urban, low...

In 2020, Mexico’s Congress mandated front-of-package warning labels (FOPWL) and two cautionary legends; one of which for non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) with a statement “Contains NNS. Avoid in children”. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the “excess in sugar” warning label (WL) and NNS cautionary legend on preference and healthful...

Purpose To develop Mexico’s first methodologically rigorous clinical practice guideline for the management of adult overweight and obesity. The target audiences are interdisciplinary healthcare professionals across healthcare systems who are the first point of contact for patients with obesity in Mexico, patients, and health system decision makers....

Background Poor diet quality contributes to morbidity and mortality and affects environmental sustainability. The EAT-Lancet reference diet offers a healthy and sustainable solution. This study aimed to estimate the association between diet cost and dietary quality, measured with an EAT-Lancet Index. Methods An EAT-Lancet index was adapted to asse...

OBJECTIVE To quantify global intakes of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) and trends over time among children and adolescents.

Objetivo. Describir la prevalencia de obesidad en adultos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición Continua 2020-2023 (Ensanut Continua 2020-2023), sus principales características sociodemográficas, su asociación con enfermedades crónicas, factores de riesgo y consumo de bebidas energéticas industrializadas (BEI), así como las tendencias en los...

Objetivo. Describir la prevalencia de adultos con hipertensión arterial (HTA) diagnosticada, tratada y controlada, utilizando el marco de las cascadas de atención en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición (Ensanut) 2020-2023. Material y métodos. Se analizó la información de 3 094 adultos ≥20 años de edad. Los adultos con HTA (n= 1 059) fueron el...

Objetivo. Examinar los factores asociados con el incumplimiento de las recomendaciones de los comportamientos del movimiento (CM) y la asociación con el estado nutricional en escolares y adolescentes mexicanos. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal con datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2022-2023 (Ensanut 2022-2023). Se obtuvo inf...

Objective To quantify global intakes of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) and trends over time among children and adolescents. Design Population based study. Setting Global Dietary Database. Population Children and adolescents aged 3-19 years in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, jointly stratified at subnational level by age, sex, parental edu...

Worldwide, as well as in Mexico, the leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypertension is the main risk factor for CVD; about 50% of the adult population suffers from this condition. High sodium (Na) intake combined with low potassium (K) intake can trigger cardiovascular disorders such as high blood pressure (BP). The aim of thi...

Background Front-of-package nutritional warning labels (WLs) are designed to facilitate identification and selection of healthier food choices. We assessed self-reported changes in purchasing different types of unhealthy foods due to WLs in Mexico and the association between the self-reported reductions in purchases of sugary beverages and intake o...

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of mortality in Mexico. Factors contributing to NCDs-related deaths may vary across small geographic areas such as municipalities. We aimed to predict municipal-level factors associated with NCD mortality in Mexican adults from 2005 to 2021 using the small-area analysis (SSA) approa...

Objective To examine sociodemographic differences in the awareness, understanding, use and effect of nutrition labels among Mexican and Chilean youth. Methods Online surveys among youth (10-17 years) were obtained in 2019 (n=2631). Participants reported their awareness, understanding, and use of their country-specific nutrition facts tables (NFT)...

El objetivo de esta actualización de postura es describir los principales escenarios en los que se presentan los conflictos de intereses (CDI), así como los lineamientos para orientar la conducta de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Nutrición (SLAN) y sus miembros, en el marco de las relaciones con actores comerciales. El contenido del presente docume...

We developed a mobile application to promote healthy lifestyles and collect non-communicable disease (NCD) data in Mexico. Its theoretical foundations are supported by a framework-guided literature review. With design sprints, Scrum, Model-View-Controller, and Representational State Transfer architecture, we operationalized evidence-based nutrition...

bjective To estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its association with sociodemographic factors in Mexican older adults (OA). Materials and methods This study analyzes data from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2016. We incorporated data from 804 participants aged 60 years or older. Information on sex, age, body m...

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with a higher risk of death in low- and middle-income countries. Diet and excess weight are risk factors for NCDs. In Mexico, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased dramatically in the last 30 y and is among the highest in the world. To address this p...

A new food system indicator framework and monitoring architecture is presented to track food system transformation towards global development, health and sustainability goals. Five themes are considered: (1) diets, nutrition and health; (2) environment, natural resources and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty and equity; (4) governance; and (5) r...

Objetivo. Analizar los diferentes elementos en los argumentos recibidos durante la consulta pública del Proyecto de Modificación a la Norma Oficial Mexicana-051 (NOM-051), con énfasis en la protección de niñas, niños y adolescentes (NNA). Material y métodos. Se analizó la información de 1 095 argumentos, se identificó a los actores clave y se reali...

Food and beverage marketing influences children's food preferences and dietary intake. Children's diets are also heavily influenced by their family environment. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between parent's self-reported exposure to unhealthy food marketing and a range of outcomes related to children's desire for and intake...

Background: Front-of-package nutritional warning labels (WLs) are designed to facilitate identification and selection of healthier food choices. We assessed self-reported changes in purchasing different types of unhealthy foods due to WLs in Mexico and the association between the self-reported reductions in purchases of sugary beverages and intake...

Objetivo. Examinar las características sociodemográficas e indicadores de salud asociados con el cumplimiento de las recomendaciones de los comportamientos del movimiento en adultos mexicanos. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal que utilizó datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición (Ensanut) 2022. Se obtuvo información de actividad fís...

Background Since 2020 in Mexico, front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) have been implemented in processed products. Evidence supports warning labels allow consumers to identify unhealthy products. We aimed to evaluate the hypothetical impact of the FOPWL regulation on the Mexican population’s intake of critical nutrients and energy, based on the rep...

Barquera, S., White, M., Argumedo, G., Batis, C., Rivera-Dommarco, J. (2023). Role of Government and Non-government Organizations in the Obesity Pandemic and Its Prevention. In G. Bray (Ed), Handbook of Obesity- Volume 2, 5th edition (pp. 79-87). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003432807

Introduction Sugar taxes threaten the business models and profits of the food and beverage industry (F&BI), which has sought to avert, delay or influence the content of health taxes globally. Mexico introduced a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax in 2014 and other regulatory measures to improve population diets. This paper examines how policy netwo...

Objective: Front-of-pack warning labels introduced in Mexico in 2020 included disclaimers that caution against allowing children to consume products with non-sugary sweeteners and caffeine. We examined the awareness and use of the disclaimers among Mexican adults and youth one month after the regulation was implemented. We also investigated their...

Background: To improve the food environment and guide consumers to select healthier foods, the implementation of a front of package warning labelling (FOPWL) started in Mexico in October 2020. We aimed to identify the self-reported support, understanding, use and perceived impact of the FOPWL 1-5 months after its implementation among parents of sch...

La muerte súbita cardiaca es un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Aunque su incidencia no es conocida, se estima que causa hasta 50% de la mortalidad de origen cardíaco y hasta 20% de la mortalidad total en los adultos. En México, estimaciones previas sugieren que causa en promedio 33 000 muertes al año; sin embargo, los datos no son preci...

Objetivo. Identificar los mensajes persuasivos usados por la industria de alimentos y bebidas no saludables en las redes sociales más visitadas por niñas, niños y adolescentes mexicanos y determinar a qué grupo de edad estaban dirigidos. Material y métodos. Se analizaron 892 anuncios de los 20 productos y marcas de alimentos y bebidas no saludables...

Poster of the study protocol to implement a surveillance system of physical activity, sleep and sedentary time in children attending primary education in Mexico

Objetivo. Describir la prevalencia de los comportamientos del movimiento (CM) en 24 horas en población mexicana.Material y métodos. Se recolectó información de acti-vidad física (AF), tiempo sedentario y sueño para individuos de 10 a 78 años por medio de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2022 (Ensanut 2022). Resultados. Más de 65% de niños...

Objective. To describe the prevalence of obesity in adults, measured through the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), stratifying by risk factors and comorbidities. Materials and methods. Information from 8 563 participants in the Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2022 (Ensanut 2022) was analyzed. Obesity was classified by BMI a...

Objective. To describe the prevalence of obesity in adults, measured through the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), stratifying by risk factors and comorbidities. Materials and methods. Information from 8 563 participants in the Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2022 (Ensanut 2022) was analyzed. Obesity was classified by BMI a...

Objetivo. Estimar la prevalencia de prediabetes y diabetes en la población adulta mexicana. Material y métodos. Se utilizó información de la submuestra de adultos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2022 con una muestra de sangre de 10 ml. Se excluyeron 150 individuos con ayuno menor a 8 horas y cuatro personas con diabetes gestacional. La...

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the main cause of death in Mexico, while high blood pressure is suffered by about half of the adult population. Sodium intake is one of the main risk factors for these diseases. The Mexican adult population consumes about 3.1 g/day, an amount that exceeds what is recommended by the World Health Org...

Purpose of Review High-sodium intake is a main risk factor for increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Reducing sodium intake at the population level is one of the most cost-effective strategies to address this. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis are to examine data from rec...

Purpose of review: High-sodium intake is a main risk factor for increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Reducing sodium intake at the population level is one of the most cost-effective strategies to address this. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis are to examine data from re...

Background Digital food marketing is increasing and has an impact on children's behaviour. Limited research has been performed in Latin America. Objectives To determine the extent and nature of Mexican children's and adolescents' exposure to digital food and beverage marketing during recreational internet use. Methods A crowdsourcing strategy was...

Transforming food systems is essential to bring about a healthier, equitable, sustainable, and resilient future, including achieving global development and sustainability goals. To date, no comprehensive framework exists to track food systems transformation and their contributions to global goals. In 2021, the Food Systems Countdown to 2030 Initiat...

Food and beverage marketing appealing to children and adolescents has an impact on their food preferences, purchases requests, consumption patterns, health outcomes, and obesity. The objective of this study was to assess the nature and extent of food and beverage marketing on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube posts in Mexico. This was a content anal...

(1) Background: The importance of studying the health interventions used to prevent and treat overweight and obesity in school-aged children is imperative. This overview aimed to summarize systematic reviews that assess the effects of school-based, family, and mixed health interventions for preventing and treating overweight and obesity in school-a...

Background Parents are exposed to breastmilk substitutes and baby foods marketing on the internet and social media, which hinders adequate breastfeeding and complementary feeding. This study identifies digital marketing strategies for breastmilk substitutes, specifically commercial milk formula and baby foods used by the industry to influence infan...

Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to children and adolescents. This impairs target setting and investment in evidence-based actions to support healthy sustainable diets. Here we quantified global, regional and national dietary patterns among children and adults, by age group, sex, educatio...

Objetivo: Describir el proceso de diseño de Vida Saludable, un nuevo programa de estudios para la educación básica en México. Material y métodos. Se conformó un equipo de trabajo entre especialistas en salud y la Secretaría de Educación Pública. Se establecieron las bases científicas de Vida Saludable, se seleccionaron y evaluaron materiales para...

Objetivo: Describir el proceso para diseñar una estrategia de comunicación con el fin de promover el uso del etiqueta-do frontal de advertencia (EFA) y la selección de alimentos saludables en niños, niñas y adolescentes (NNA) mexicanos. Material y métodos. Estudio de cuatro fases con esco-lares, adolescentes y cuidadores: 1) investigación formativ...

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the main cause of death in Mexico, while high blood pressure is suffered by about half of the adult population. Sodium intake is one of the main risk factors for these diseases. The Mexican adult population consumes about 3.1 g/day, an amount that exceeds what is recommended by the World Health Org...

Background: There is little evidence of the association between digital marketing of formula and baby food and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. Objective: Assess parents’ exposure to digital marketing of formula and baby food for children <2 years and its association with the purchase and IYCF practices in Mexico. Methods: Parents ≥...

Introduction and Objectives Fatty liver disease is an important public health problem. Early diagnosis is critical to lower its rate of progression to irreversible/terminal stages. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of non-invasive prediction scores for fatty liver disease (NAFLD and NASH) diagnosis in adults. Materials and Methods A search...

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem, with considerable growth in prevalence and mortality in recent years. Screening of CKD at primary care is crucial for the implementation of prevention strategies. The aims of this study are to assess CKD risk prediction scores and to develop a risk prediction score for the Me...

Background: Ultraprocessed products (UPPs) have been associated with unfavorable health outcomes; however, until now, they have not been associated with the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition, known as the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) at the individual level. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were performed on data collected...

Background In Mexico, the inclusion of a front-of-pack label in the Official Mexican Standard 051 (NOM-051 for its Spanish acronym) has been widely discussed for years by different stakeholder groups. In 2019, the NOM-051 modification project was proposed, which included front-of-pack warning labels. To be modified, it underwent a public consultati...

Proper nutrition is an essential part of healthy lifestyles and well-being. However, due to its multiple causes, malnutrition has become the factor that causes the greatest burden of disease in the world. Poor nutrition due to excess consumption of critical nutrients, alcohol, tobaco, and physical inactivity constitute the four main risk factors fo...

Background In 2020, Mexico experienced one of the highest rates of excess mortality globally. However, the extent of non-COVID deaths on excess mortality, its regional distribution and the association between socio-demographic inequalities have not been characterized. Methods We conducted a retrospective municipal and individual-level study using...

Hemorheology and microcirculation alterations are caused by erythrocyte size and shape (ESS) modifications. People´s diets can alter erythrocyte functions and membrane fluidity by changing cell membrane components. The aim was to identify differences in ESS obtained by scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in people with prediab...

Front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) is a tool that enables consumers to compare foods and select healthier options. Due to low understanding of the Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labeling among Mexicans, a law was implemented in October 2020 that modified the FOPL to a warning labeling (WL) system. The purpose of this study was to compare the perception an...