Obesity in Numbers

The cover of this past Saturday's edition of the island's most widely read newspaper, El Nuevo Día, read "Cada día más gordos" (translation: "Everyday more Fat People"). The title of the main article was "Una isla de obesos" (translation: "An Island of the Obese"). The rhetoric sounds dramatic and unsophisticated for a major news publication, but it paints an accurate picture of the situation we face on the island. Here are some alarming statistics published in the article:

• 80% of Puerto Rico's population will be obese in 2040
• 42% of Puerto Rico's population currently obese or in danger of being obese
• 32% of children in Puerto Rico who are 4 to 22 months old who are obese

Exact details of how and when this study was conducted were not provided. However, the source of these statistics is said to be from a local health organization, Alianza para Niños y Jóvenes Saludables, Activos y Bien Nutridos. I've written about this issue before in an earlier blog post, in which I came across a different set of statistics. Regardless of the discrepancies in these figures, obesity is now considered to be an epidemic problem on the island.

Eating healthy is difficult and costly in Puerto Rico, as I've also mentioned in a previous post. Purchasing fruit and vegetables can be quite expensive, as the island imports most of its foodstuffs. Fast food chains are cheap and pervasive. Furthermore, if the island had more green, open areas for people to walk, run or bike, I believe it would motivate people to lead more active lifestyles. Unfortunately, the local government has not done enough to raise awareness of the obesity problem. With a sinking health care system, the island cannot afford to have an ailing population.

(Image above obtained from El Nuevo Día)

My Passion for Travel

Just came back from the Big Apple with my special someone, and in just a few weeks, I'll be heading across the Atlantic for a 10-day adventure with my aunt. Although I can be quite a homebody, I love to travel! I've been to Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, China), Europe (the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy), the United Kingdom, Central (Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala) and South America (Peru), Canada, the Caribbean (St. Maarten and St. Thomas). This world is full of beautiful places and I've been very fortunate to have had some incredible experiences.

For the past few months, I've been religiously following my cousin's travel blog. She, along with her husband and their two small boys, have been traveling throughout Europe and Asia for the past few months. Anyone who thinks having kids means having to give up your freedom to travel, think again! In fact, I think it's a wonderful idea for kids to travel abroad. When my brother and I were merely adolescents, my parents took us to Hong Kong and China to visit their homeland. Although my memories are quite patchy, I did come away with the knowledge of cultural differences and I do still remember the ubiquitous red taxi cabs and the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. As a college student, during my study abroad semester in London, I was able to travel throughout Europe. As a result of my adventures, and interacting with others from different cultures, I grew to appreciate the beauty of languages. Traveling also reaffirms my belief in our common fate as a global community.

Just as I'm a lifelong student, I hope to be a lifelong traveler. It's mind-boggling how only 27% of Americans possessed a passport in 2007, according to the State Department. Traveling is a true love of mine. I can think of nobody else but Pico Iyer who sums it up beautifully in the following quote:

“I take very seriously the sense of our living these days in a global neighborhood. And the first sensible thing to do in such circumstances, as well as one of the most rewarding things, is to go and meet the neighbors, find out who they are, and what they think and feel. So travel for me is an act of discovery and of responsibility as well a grand adventure and a constant liberation.”

(Photos from top to bottom were taken at marketplaces from the Netherlands, Guatemala, and Japan).

Census 2010

For the past few weeks, I've been both hearing and seeing ads with the following slogan: "Con el censo avanzamos todos." (Translation: "With the Census we all Advance.") Unbelievably, the time has arrived for another Census, which is required by the U.S Constitution to take place every 10 years. This applies to households in the mainland U.S and Puerto Rico. According to a letter we received from the Census Bureau, we should be receiving our questionnaire sometime this month. The primary objective of the Census is to measure the demographics of the country. These numbers would then help the government allocate resources to each of the states, as well as Puerto Rico, based on the number of inhabitants in each area. In addition, the Census also helps determine the number of representatives each of the 50 states would be allowed to send to the House of Representatives.

For obvious political and economic reasons, the Census is a tremendously important event. Although Puerto Rico, due to its territorial status, is not represented in the lower house of the U.S Congress, the island does heavily depends on federal funding. Unsurprisingly, there has been an agressive advertising campaign here on the island to urge people to participate in the Census. Here are some of the results from the Census 2000 of Puerto Rico:

Population: 3.8 million inhabitants (Male: 48.1%, Female: 51.9%)
Race: White-80.5%, Black-8%, Asian-0.2%, Other- 11%)
Hispanic- 98.8% (Puerto Rican-95.1%, Cuban-0.5%, Other Hispanic or Latino-2.8%)
As the Dominican population in Puerto Rico is quite large, I would be surprised if Census 2010 fails to mention this important group again. On the other hand, as many Dominicans on the island are illegal immigrants, an accurate count of this group may be hard to obtain.

(Image above obtained from the U.S Census Bureau).

The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico

"Only 7.2% of Puerto Rico's land area is protected by law for conservation purposes," states the Website of the Conversation Trust of Puerto Rico (El Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico), a private non-profit organization, whose main objective is to protect and preserve the island's natural resources. The percentage of preserved land area in Puerto Rico is quite dismal in comparison to countries such as Costa Rica and Panama, where 32% and 41% of the land is being protected, respectively. Perhaps for this reason, Puerto Rico is not known to be an eco-tourism destination. Having recently just celebrated its 40th anniversary, the Conservation Trust plays a very crucial role in preserving some of the island's most beautiful and ecologically important areas.

Some of the sites, of which there are 24, under the management of the Conservation Trust, includes Las Cabezas de San Juan and Hacienda Buena Vista. I've visited both and I found them to be absolutely wonderful places to visit. Established during the administration of Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson, the Conservation Trust regularly hosts community workshops and events. Whether you're a resident or visitor to the island, I highly recommend participating in one of the Conservation Trust's activities. Not only will you be supporting a great cause in helping this wonderful organization protect more of this beautiful island, but you will also get the sense of just how important it is for us to protect our environment as a whole.

Please note: I am in no way affiliated to the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, but I do support them in their cause!

(Top photo was taken at Las Cabezas de San Juan and the bottom photo is from Hacienda Buena Vista.)