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Approximately 17 percent of all U.S. children are obese. While the problem cuts across lines of race, ethnicity and gender, the obesity rate among Hispanic children in the United States is the highest of any group. In recent years, public health experts and policy-makers have dedicated a great deal of energy to examining the problem of obesity among the nation’s Latino children and to developing strategies to address the crisis. Yet, a recent report by the Center for Poverty Research at the University of California at Davis suggests that water quality in Latino communities may be a significant factor in contributing to Latino obesity rates. Looking at water supplies in two low-income immigrant communities in California’s central valley, researchers found that many residents in these areas avoided drinking water, in favor of sugary beverages, because of long-held fears about contaminants in the water supply. Laura Bliss, a fellow for the Atlantic Magazine's Citylab blog, wrote recently about the UC Davis report. She spoke to La Vuelta about the report’s findings and what they suggest about the connection between environment and obesity in California’s Latino communities.