Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Jose Arrezola
Fresno, Calif. When they moved from Mexico, to Fresno, Calif., in 1997, Jose Arrezola’s parents couldn’t read or write, but they strongly encouraged him to become educated. Arrazola joined a college assistant migrant program. There he worked with a mentor who provided additional support, encouragement, and opportunity, and eventually he became his family’s first-ever college grad, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health from California State University, Fresno. To seek new ways to expand his desire to prevent disease among Mexican Americans, Arrezola applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer ...
Latinos have some of the highest rates of visual impairment and blindness, studies show. For those with low vision, the leading cause of vision loss in adults, it's difficult to see even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery. Simple activities like reading the mail, shopping, cooking, and writing can prove challenging. The key is to maximize one's remaining sight. That starts with seeking help from a low-vision specialist—an ophthalmologist or optometrist who works with people who have low vision to develop a vision rehabilitation plan that identifies strategies and helpful devices appropriate for the person's particular needs. "A vision rehabilitation plan helps people reach their true visual potential when nothing more can be done from a medical or ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Vanessa Estrada
San Antonio, Texas Growing up in Texas with a family that whipped up delicious foods like chili using the stone molcajete, Vanessa Estrada knows the value of food in the Latino culture. And she knows that food needs to be tasty and nutritious. She wanted to bring that knowledge to others, so she became a registered dietician and earned a bachelor’s degree in community health education from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of the Incarnate Word. She now teaches nutrition education seminars San Antonio as an adjunct faculty at UTSA and across ...
On March 2, 2015 Congressman Charles Rangel, New York's District 13 Representative, signed a resolution to encourage healthy lifestyle practices and raise awareness of food inequality in the US. The resolution challenges the community to do 3 things for at least 30 days: 1. Replace all sugary beverages with water;
2. Eat breakfast everyday; and
3. Eat one additional serving of fruits or vegetables per day. Read more about this here. Click here to sign the resolution. Visit the Rangel Resolution Facebook page here and use the hashtag #RangelRes to share your progress. Are you or your local leaders working to make a healthy difference in your community? Have you heard of any healthier marketing campaigns lately? Share your story with Salud ...
In an effort to expand production and consumption of locally-grown foods in schools, lawmakers recently introduced new legislation that would enhance USDA's Farm to School program. The USDA awards up to $5 million annually in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm-to-school programs. The bills, introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy and Thad Cochran and Reps. Jeff Fortenberry and Marcia Fudge, would increase funding for USDA's Farm to School program to $15 million per year. Supporters hope to include the language in the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which is set to expire on Sept. 30. The bills would clarify that all school food programs ...
How can we work to make Latino communities more walkable?
Why not try pointing people in the direction of the nearest parks, cafes, shops, and other community assets?
Thanks to the Walk Your City initiative, local residents in communities all across the country are encouraging people to walk and bike to nearby areas by using a strategy called "wayfinding" that uses signs to direct people to nearby landmarks and amenities.
The idea was born when urban designer Matt Tomasulo realized that people weren't walking much because they often thought places were farther than they actually were. After realizing this, Tomasulo created signs that used minutes instead of miles, to show people that places weren't really that far.
Since its launch, over 100 communities (including the 48.7% Latino ...
Look out junk food! Fresh fruits and vegetables are in the spotlight thanks to a new healthy marketing campaign called FNV. Each year the food industry spends billions on marketing food to the public. Unfortunately only a small fraction of that is aimed at selling healthy food items like fresh fruits and vegetables to the public. In order to reignite some excitement around eating more fruits and veggies, the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) has teamed up with celebrities like Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Nick Jonas, WWE wrestler John Cena, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, to promote healthy eating. The new campaign will include print and out-of-home advertising as well as sponsorships of youth sports ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Alicia Nunez
San Diego, Calif. Born in Chula Vista, Calif., and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Alicia Nunez experienced a unique bicultural, mestizo heritage. Nunez wants to use this cultural experience to help improve Latino health. With an attitude of “Si, se puede” ("Yes, you can"), Nunez earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in public health from San Diego State University. She’s gone on to conduct field work and research to examine sociocultural factors relating to Latino health. Her goals are to work with disadvantaged populations to promote healthy lifestyles and well-being. To expand her ...
Schools across the country are revamping their lunch menus to better reflect the updated federal nutrition standards. Some schools are going above and beyond the standards and making huge strides to serve healthy, delicious food to students. In Blount County, Tennessee, schools are experimenting with growing their own fresh produce for school lunch. Agriculture teacher Mike Whitehead’s classes piloted the program last year at William Blount High School and William Blount Ninth Grade Academy. Since the program started, the cafeteria has gradually increased its produce orders to meet student demand, said manager Yvonne Buchanan in a news article. Currently, students grow fresh produce for six cafeterias: Mary Blount Elementary School, Friendsville Elementary School, Union Grove ...
