SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Un reporte reciente encontró que la lucha contra la obesidad infantil puede comenzar en el vientre materno. Expertos en salud, e incluso la Primera Dama Michelle Obama, coinciden en que por eso es importante comenzar el embarazo con un peso adecuado e iniciar a los niños en el camino correcto.

El estudio, realizado por la Universidad Técnica de Munich, Alemania, deja ver que ponerse en forma antes de embarazarse puede ser una de las mejores cosas que una madre haga por la salud de su hijo. La investigación encontró que los niños que nacen de madres obesas tienden a tener mayores problemas de peso que los que nacen de madres esbeltas. Además, reporta que los hijos de madres que desarrollaron diabetes durante el embarazo presentaron una posibilidad mayor de tener sobrepeso a la edad de once años.

El Dr. Howard Zisser, jefe de investigación del Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (Instituto Sansum de Investigación sobre la Diabetes) en Santa Bárbara, dice que él y su grupo apoyan la recomendación que hace estudio a las mujeres embarazadas de mantener un peso saludable.

"El consejo es que lo mejor es tener un peso óptimo antes del embarazo. Del estudio se desprende que las mujeres que tuvieron sobrepeso durante el embarazo tienden a tener bebés y niños con sobrepeso."

La Primera Dama Michelle Obama lanzó un plan de acción para combatir la obesidad infantil. Su recomendación número uno es la importancia de iniciar el embarazo con un peso adecuado y mantener un peso saludable durante los nueve meses. Otra manera que tienen las madres de limitar la obesidad de sus hijos consiste en darles pecho durante al menos 6 meses, y no darles comida sólida antes de los cuatro meses.

Una de las mayores tasas de obesidad es la del condado de Los Ángeles, donde uno de cada cinco niños es obeso. La doctora Elaine Batchlor, Médica Ejecutiva del L. A. Care Health Plan (Plan de Cuidados a la Salud de Los Ángeles), comenta que por eso es importante iniciar a los niños en el camino correcto.

"Una manera de verlo es que estamos ante la primera de muchas generaciones de niños que podrían llegar a tener una menor esperanza de vida que sus padres, debido al impacto de la obesidad y a las patologías relacionadas con ella.”

El reporte de la Universidad Técnica de Munich, Alemania, aparece en la revista de divulgación Diabetes Care.



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United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo - D-Thornton - recently paid a visit to Salud Family Health Centers' mobile clinic.

Each year, Salud serves up to two thousand migrant farmworkers who travel from other states and countries to plant and harvest leafy greens, corn, wheat, sugar beets, and other crops in North Central and Northeastern Colorado.

Director Deborah Salazar said her team always gets a very warm welcome.

"And it's usually the same guys that come to the same farms or greenhouses," said Salazar. "And so it's like seeing old friends. They know who we are, they know what we can do for them, and they trust us. There is trust because we have been doing this for a very long time."

In addition to its 12 brick and mortar health centers, and ten school sites, the mobile unit provides primary health services three to four evenings per week - primarily in rural areas.

They screen workers for diabetes, hypertension, cervical cancer, and anemia. Workers can also get lab tests, and flu and tetanus vaccines.

Salud is a federally qualified community health center that provides medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health care services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.

The first clinic on wheels was acquired in 1980, and Salazar said a brand new unit was rolled out in 2022.

She said her team works to build relationships with farm owners and supervisors to find the best time to plan a visit.

"If they need us to come out and start our visit on the mobile unit at 7 p.m, we can do that," said Salazar. "We are super flexible, because we don't want to interrupt their work day."

Salazar said the medical staff on the mobile unit might be the only people migrant workers see when they are not out planting and harvesting crops.

"These are the folks that put food on our table," said Salazar. "To give them quality, integrated health care - and go to them, so that they are taken care of - this is the least we can do."




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After more than 50 years of use, some Michigan lawmakers say naloxone may not be the best choice in an overdose situation.

Naloxone is sometimes called the "Lazarus drug" because of its powerful ability to seemingly resurrect people after a drug overdose.

Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, and some of his colleagues have introduced a bill which would open the door for what they say are more costly, but more powerful, antidotes.

"Given the prevalence of fentanyl in our communities, and how much stronger some of these drugs that we're now seeing are, we believe -- and in talking with others -- that there should be other tools to respond to an overdose," Hertel explained. "To make sure we're doing everything we can to save somebody's life."

Not everyone is on board with the proposed legislation, Senate Bill 542. Opponents argued the more expensive naloxone alternatives are not necessary, and using them would only increase profits for the pharmaceutical industry.

Jonathan Stoltman, director of the Opioid Policy Institute in Grand Rapids, said while the naloxone alternatives do help in overdose situations, they can also cause nasty side effects.

"The newer approaches, they put people into more severe withdrawal," Stoltman pointed out. "That's a pretty profound negative side effect. The one approach is very inexpensive and works great; the other approach is far more expensive and has this strong negative side effect."

Sponsors of the bill say they're hoping to give Michigan residents a chance to chime in on the issue in a public hearing sometime in June. Michigan saw more than 3,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2021.


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New Mexico saw record enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act this year and is now setting its sights on lowering out-of-pocket costs - those not reimbursed by insurance. More than 56,000 New Mexicans are enrolled in a medical health insurance plan on the state exchange - an increase of 12,000 people overall.

Colin Baillio, deputy superintendent with the state's Office of Insurance, said the state has boosted its outreach and made efforts to improve the overall consumer experience.

"We saw a 40% year-over-year increase, and New Mexico saw the biggest percentage increase during the open-enrollment period among all of the state-based marketplaces," he explained

Part of the enrollment increase is due to what's called the "unwinding" - a federal directive that required all states to redetermine Medicaid eligibility following a three-year pause on checks during the COVID pandemic. He said by using expanded tools made available by the federal and state government, 8% of New Mexico's population is now uninsured - down from 23% in 2010.

Following approval by lawmakers in the 2024 legislative session, the New Mexico governor signed seven health care-related bills into law - one of which requires annual reporting of prescription drug pricing. Baililo said the Affordable Care Act built the foundation that has allowed the state to pursue additional affordability initiatives.

"I'm really glad to see that there's so much interest in the next step of health reform, really leaning into these out-of-pocket cost issues and making it easier for people to afford to stay covered and see their doctors," he continued.

Two years ago, the state also passed a one-of-a-kind law that did away with behavioral health co-pays for people in certain insurance plans.