MIAMI, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- As the number of Hispanics in the United States grows -- nearly double since 1990 -- so are Hispanics themselves growing at a rapid rate.
Hispanics have a rate of Type 2 diabetes, linked to obesity, nearly twice that of the general population, the Miami Herald reported Thursday.
''We are recognizing that Latinos are the fastest-growing minority, and it behooves us as a nation to address this disparity and educate this population about healthier lifestyles,'' says Roberto Salazar, administrator of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is targeting the problem with MiPirámide, a Spanish-language version of mypyramid.gov, an online guide to making healthful food choices,
There are additional disparities: 23 percent of U.S. Hispanics ages 6 to 19 are overweight compared with 15 percent of non-Hispanic youth, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Among adults, the overweight rate is 73 percent for Hispanics and 64 percent for non-Hispanics.
