Obesity is one of the most complex public health crises of the 21st century and disproportionately affects certain populations, such as Latinos living in the United States. While the issue remains under-researched, evidence suggests that genetics, food environments, and socioeconomic conditions all play a role.
To understand this phenomenon in depth, researchers from the Arizona State University (ASU) and the Institute for Obesity Research (IOR) of Tec de Monterrey built an open-access repository of peer-reviewed evidence on obesity in Latinos in the U.S.
“We conducted a very rigorous peer review,” says Victoria Palafox, a postdoctoral researcher at the IOR who participated in the project. “It’s not like we just Googled the keywords and these articles came up.”
The result is the Global Nutrition Research Repository for Hispanic/Latinx Populations, a free, open-access platform available to anyone—at no cost—that allows users to explore hundreds of studies on the factors that influence the development of obesity in Latino populations residing in the U.S.
The platform features various filters that allow users to refine their search by formulating new research questions. This helps make scientific evidence accessible but also prevent duplicated work and accelerates the generation of evidence.
In a context where thousands of studies are published each year, having curated, comparable evidence is essential to moving forward.
“It’s not just about having information, but about knowing that it was thoroughly reviewed and meets quality standards,” says Natalia Soto, a doctoral student in Biomedical Sciences at Tec de Monterrey and coordinator of the IOR team that is behind this project.
Open Science and a New Repository to Study Obesity in U.S. Latinos
The platform was developed from a systematic review of the scientific literature. In the first stage, researchers and students from both institutions identified approximately 8,000 potentially relevant articles.
After applying strict criteria—such as studies focusing on the Latino population, including nutritional factors, and original studies involving human participants—the number was reduced to approximately 800 high-quality studies.
Each article was evaluated through a double-review process by teams from both institutions. This involved not only verifying whether it met the criteria but also discussing discrepancies and reaching a consensus on whether to include it or not. “There were disagreements; perhaps the Tec team would say ‘this article is included,’ but the ASU team would say no,” Palafox recalls.
This level of scrutiny ensures that the information in the repository is reliable, comparable, and useful for decision-making. Furthermore, by gathering evidence under consistent criteria, it allows for clearer identification of patterns, knowledge gaps, and risk factors.
“I can see that there is a problem that is repeated with some frequency and that there are no public policies or interventions to solve it, for example,” Soto points out.
Obesity in Hispanic/Latino Populations: A Research Gap
One of the project’s greatest contributions is that it focuses on a population that has historically been underrepresented in research: Latin Americans who emigrate to the U.S.
“I think we should identify specific risk factors for that population that is being greatly affected by rising levels of obesity,” Palafox points out.
Nearly 46% of Latino adults in the U.S. live with obesity. Among children, the figure is around 26%. In comparison, the prevalence among the white population is approximately 14%.
Latinos across the country face drastic changes in their environment, such as increased access to ultra-processed foods, lack of access to healthy and affordable food, different working and economic conditions, and a lack of safe places for physical activity.
The repository allows for the analysis of how these factors interact with genetic predispositions and habits. One example is that the obesogenic environment characteristic of the U.S. can trigger latent risks in these populations.
“It is described in the literature that, being from Latin America, we have genetic variants associated with this and other metabolic diseases,” Soto points out.
From Data to Action: Public Policy and Obesity Prevention
The database is intended as a starting point, and currently, the teams are already working on derived scientific articles, such as a review focused on obesity in children and adolescents—a critical stage in which health habits are formed—of this population.
They also plan to continue updating the repository periodically to keep the database active and up-to-date.
The researchers point out that the data base could also serve as a model for developing similar databases on other public health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and multiple types of cancer.
“The next step is to translate this information into action,” says Soto. With a solid evidence base, the repository could facilitate more effective interventions and better-targeted public policies. The project opens a new avenue for understanding and combating obesity in Latino communities, a critical population for U.S. public health.
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