{"id":172922,"date":"2026-04-02T15:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=172922"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:40:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:40:51","slug":"repository-obesity-latinos-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/health\/repository-obesity-latinos-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Create an Open-Access Database to Study Obesity in U.S. Latino Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Obesity<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand this phenomenon in depth, researchers from the Arizona State University<\/a> (ASU) and the Institute for Obesity Research<\/a> (IOR) of Tec de Monterrey built an open-access repository of peer-reviewed evidence on obesity in Latinos in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe conducted a very rigorous peer review,\u201d says Victoria Palafox<\/a>, a postdoctoral researcher at the IOR who participated in the project. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we just Googled the keywords and these articles came up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is the Global Nutrition Research Repository for Hispanic\/Latinx Populations, a free, open-access platform<\/a> available to anyone\u2014at no cost\u2014that allows users to explore hundreds of studies on the factors that influence the development of obesity in Latino populations residing in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a context where thousands of studies are published each year, having curated, comparable evidence is essential to moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about having information, but about knowing that it was thoroughly reviewed and meets quality standards,\u201d says Natalia Soto<\/a>, a doctoral student in Biomedical Sciences at Tec de Monterrey and coordinator of the IOR team that is behind this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open Science and a New Repository to Study Obesity in U.S. Latinos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After applying strict criteria\u2014such as studies focusing on the Latino population, including nutritional factors, and original studies involving human participants\u2014the number was reduced to approximately 800 high-quality studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cThere were disagreements; perhaps the Tec team would say ‘this article is included,’ but the ASU team would say no,\u201d Palafox recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Soto points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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