TIJUANA. - "The health of Tijuana's residents is the priority of the municipal government, but, the fact that Baja California is the state with the highest level of childhood obesity in the country means that we must create new strategies to combat this problem" said Mayor Jorge Astiazaran, during a work meeting with representatives of various medical institutions.

During the event, which took place at Municipal Hall, members of the University of California; the Mexico-U.S. Border Health Commission, the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (Catch) Association, and others participated in the meeting with the goal of presenting action plans where Tijuana and San Diego could work together to promote healthy lifestyles in children and attack childhood obesity.

During the meeting, Mayor Astiazaran discussed his administration's own efforts via the "United for a Healthy Tijuana" initiative, which provides physical education to children in municipal schools and imparts workshops and discussions with parents and teachers about nutrition.

Luis Alonso Villegas Cuervo, Municipal Director of Health, indicated that other actions to avoid mal-nutrition problems amongst children includes regulating food vendors in schools, as well as incorporating recreational activities in the classroom and during recess.

Catch representative, Andrew Springer, indicated that collaboration with Tijuana is very important, because San Diego is also tackling this issue and success can only be had if both sides work together and share action plans.

Editorial@sandiegored.com