The obesity problem in Mexico is getting worse due to poor eating and exercise habits, a senior official of the National Social Security Agency (IMSS) said on Wednesday.

About 78 Mexicans die from obesity-linked diseases per day, registering the second highest obesity mortality in the world. 62.5 percent of Mexicans aged 20 to 65 are overweight or obese, said Santiago Echevarria Zuno, head of the IMSS' Medical Services Department.

Echevarria said that while only 10 percent of children under five suffer from overweight, obesity rate reaches 20 percent in the five to nine age group and 30 percent for children aged between 10 and 19.

He said that the increasing obesity has led to high onset of Type 2 diabetes which account for 80 percent of Mexico's diabetics.

The new figures were released just days after a report said many Mexicans were at risk of malnutrition and that about 19.5 million Mexicans, or 18 percent of the total population, can not afford basic foods.

(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2009)