The countries with the highest levels of obesity are the Bahamas, Mexico and Chile, with rates of 69 percent, 64 percent and 63 percent, respectively
According to a national survey conducted in 2012, one out of every three children in Mexico are overweight or obese; 70% of all adults fall into this category.
Mexico's Ministry of Health and federal government have taken action against the disease as Mexico becomes one of the fattest countries in the world.
The taxes were designed to wean consumers off sugar-sweetened beverages, to curb a worldwide surge in obesity and diabetes, an epidemic fueled by soda, public health experts say
In Mexico, a tax rise in 2014 led to a 10 percent price hike and a 6 percent drop in purchases by year-end, the report said.
The study was conducted by researchers from Mexico's National Institute of Public Health and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
According to the study, among Mexican-American participants, 40 percent had abdominal obesity and 11 percent of those with excess fat around the waist had elevated albumin levels.
Hispanics are particularly vulnerable to heart pumping problems because they are more likely than other people to have risk factors for heart failure such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
An analysis by EL UNIVERSAL based on data from the WHO and INEGI