Miami, a highly Latino populated city (65.6% Latino) is also struggling with obesity for the many immigrant families that live in low-income areas. In fact according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 67.4% of the adult population of the county is overweight or obese. For 23 years, a pediatric mobile health clinic supported by Children's Health fund and Miami Miller School of Medicine has been providing comprehensive medical care to low-income children. The University of Miami Pediatric Mobile clinic is now acknowledging the obesity issues in the low-income migrant population. The mobile clinic will now be providing and testing a new telehealth obesity prevention program. Using technology such as text messaging, health education apps, electronic fitness ...
Consumption of sugary beverages can affect cholesterol levels in children, according to a new study, Time Magazine reports. Among Latino children the consumption of soda and other sugary beverages is above average. The study led by Maria Van Rompay from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, “decided to focus on children 8-15-specifically the effect soda had on their cholesterol.” The team of researchers analyzed data from a large study involving 700 children who answered questions about what they ate; and collected blood sample at the beginning and a year after. The team found children “consuming more sugared drinks had higher levels of triglycerides, which are linked to a higher risk of heart disease.” But children, reducing ...
A new infographic shows what a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola does to your body within the first hour of drinking it, the Huffington Post reports. The infographic comes from the website the Renegade Pharmacist, led by Niraj Naik. He writes on the site: "Coke is not just high in high fructose corn syrup, but it is also packed with refined salts and caffeine. Regular consumption of these ingredients in the high quantities you find in Coke and other processed foods and drinks, can lead to higher blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity." However a small amount now and then wont do any major harm. The key is moderation!" See the full infographic ...
More education and counseling is needed to teach overweight women in the U.S. with hopes to become pregnant about the dangers of being overweight during pregnancy, Reuters reports. In the country, 32.6 percent of Latina women over the age of 18 are obese compared to 24.8 percent of non-Hispanic white women. A new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics revealed that 31 percent of overweight women hoping to get pregnant “mistakenly thought their weight was “about right” and 47 percent thought their diet was healthy and saw no reason to adjust what they were eating.” “Overweight women trying to conceive largely misperceive their weight, which is concerning because they may not try to adopt healthier behaviors,” study author Mahbubur ...
Almost half of Latinos in the United States are not aware they suffer from high cholesterol, according a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, Univision News reports. According to the study only one-third of Latinos with high cholesterol receives treatment. Cholesterol and cardiovascular disease primarily affect Hispanics living in the U.S who have a higher propensity to suffer from diabetes, obesity and hypertension. “Being informed is the first step towards prevention, “said Dr. Carlos J. Rodriguez, lead researcher of the study. Researchers also found that high cholesterol is more common among Latino men (44%) than Latino women (40.5%), but only 28.1% of Latino men receive treatment. Doctors recommend knowing your cholesterol levels and to ...
Urban environments can increase risk for development of obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by limiting physical activity. This study examined, in a cohort of urban Hispanic youth, the relationship between daily physical activity (PA) measured by GPS, insulin resistance and cardiovascular fitness. The researchers found that moderate and vigorous physical activity was extremely low in the youth they surveyed, possibly contributing to insulin resistance and obesity. The data from this study suggest that children in urban settings confront physical, cultural, and attitudinal barriers that severely limit physical activity. The urban built environment near the school in this study (i.e. high crime area abutting a major highway) could markedly impede ...
The Oliver Foundation is a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to preventing childhood obesity. They provide a variety of resources for students, educators, parents, and health professionals, with a strong emphasis on eating/preparing nutritious foods and maintaining healthy weight. The Oliver Foundation also offers grants for schools and summer programs aimed at improving eating or physical ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger
OpenIdeo We know the scary statistics: 1 out of every 5 Hispanic Americans adults suffers from Diabetes, over 75% are affected by obesity, strokes are the fourth leading cause of death, and it goes on. And we know it’s time to take action and approach tackling these preventable diseases in a new way. NBCUniversal, NBCUniverso, and Telemundo have partnered with an organization called OpenIDEO to do just that. Instead of driving action through fear, they’ve turned the urgency into something approachable, collaborative, and fun. OpenIDEO is an innovation platform, based on IDEO's design methodology, which enables people everywhere to help address pressing global issues. Together with NBCU, NBCUniverso, and Telemundo they’ve created the ...
In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, scientists compared data on contemporary children with those of the 1980's. They discovered that the rise in obesity among very young children is predominantly in families where the parents are obese. Toddlers as a whole have not changed. By contrast, obesity among adolescents has not been restricted to those with obese parents, but has occurred across the entire age group. The data suggests that parenting is the primary determinant of obesity in early years, whereas peer influence plays a larger role later on. Full Article ...
