Public transportation matters for healthy food access. When grocery stores aren't close to home, which is the case in many Latino neighborhoods, people lack access to healthy food-and various other destinations. Public transportation can play a huge role in connecting families in disadvantaged areas to healthy resources to build a culture of health for everyone. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership developed a 2-page fact sheet which identifies inequities in access and provides examples of strategies for transit agencies to connect neighborhoods and grocery stores. Safe Routes also developed a fact sheet outlining the role of transit agencies in improving food access. Check out these solutions to help transit agencies create and strengthen the connection between ...
In the township of Shelby, Michigan, a local intern helped to create a way to encourage health among employees through healthier vending. In the summer of 2016, township's Wellness Committee worked with Shelby Township Supervisor's office intern Kayla Gahlau, to create healthier vending and help increase funds for the employee wellness program. “We initially created this project because we believed that the healthy vending project would be another way to improve the overall quality of life in Shelby Township,” Gahlau told The Source. After proposing the idea of the healthier food options for the employee vending to Deputy Supervisor Brad Bates, they agreed that the project could not only help employees overall wellness but also help Gahlau develop in her health ...
People living in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, stroke, and unintentional injuries than their urban counterparts. The top five causes of death accounted for more than 1.5 million deaths in the United States in 2014. This figure accounts for 62% of all the deaths in the country at that time. Among those living in rural areas, over 70,000 of these deaths were preventable, The Washington Post reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that of the preventable deaths, 25,000 individuals died from heart disease and 19,000 died from cancer. Latinos face even higher risks of cardiovascular diseases because of the disparities in high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes compared to whites. Cancer is the ...
Do the vending machines in your workplace, school, or city have calorie labels posted on food items? If not, they should, as the law passed by congress in March 2010 has now been in effect for over 5 million vending machines across the nation since December 1, 2016. Vending machines that are owned or operated by vendors with 20 or more machines should now officially offer consumers information to make the healthier choice the easier choice with calories labeled for each food and beverage item. A fact sheet on vending labeling developed by The Center for Science in the Public Interest and Voices for Healthy Kids, a joint initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association has detailed information about the requirements of the law. The fact ...
Clean, accessible water is vital to the health of children, especially when it comes to reducing consumption of sugary beverages and keeping kids healthy throughout the school day. The National Drinking Water Alliance (NDWA) is a national coalition of nonprofits, academic institutions, individuals and advocates who are working to ensure all children have access to safe and clean drinking water. NDWA is working to ensure water safety issues, like what happened in Flint, are eradicated at the national, state and community levels, by developing legislation for tap water testing in schools and childcare sites. NDWA has not only urged the United States Department of Agriculture to add a water symbol to the My Plate graphic but also provides a hub of various water resources, including ...
Despite being the country’s largest racial/ethnic group, Latinos suffer from “vast differences” in health conditions compared to whites. These health disparities prevent many Latinos from attaining quality health and well-being, educational achievement, and financial success. A new report from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity addresses the roles that communities can play in helping people achieve health equity. By linking health equity with opportunity, the research for the report has shown that problems ranging from poverty, unemployment, low educational attainment, inadequate housing, and a lack of public transportation among many other factors. In order to reduce health disparities, ...
Physical inactivity is one of the 10 leading risk factors for death worldwide and causes economic harm at both the social and individual level. Good news is that physical inactivity is modifiable and regardless of weight status, you can reduce your risk of disease and death by being physically active for 150 minutes per week, or 22 minutes per day. However, lack of access to safe places to walk, bike, and play is a major barrier for Latinos to be active and healthy. The America Council on Exercise (ACE) released a new policy position statement on The Inactivity Epidemic. ACE seeks public policies that will reverse the epidemic of inactivity by making physical activity more accessible for all populations. ACE believes a public-policy change is required to reverse decades-long ...
In 2009 address to Congress, President Barack Obama predicted that by 2020, the U.S. would “once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” In March of 2009, 41% of all adults in the country aged 25-34 had achieved a college degree. By March of 2016, 48% had achieved degrees, according to Pew Research. To achieve the original goal, 60% of all adults in the U.S. age 25-34 would need to have completed an associate’s degree by 2020. As of 2015, the United States ranked 10th among the 35 countries ranked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); this ranking was up from 15th in 2009. The U.S. still trailed nations such as Japan and Canada by as much as 10 percentage points. In order to reduce health disparities, it is ...
The deadline to sign up for health coverage for 2017 as part of Open Enrollment is today! Those who sign up for coverage through Marketplace have until midnight tonight to sign up. Coverage purchased this year will be good for all of 2017. In shopping for plans, most people have been able to obtain coverage for less than $75 a month due to financial assistance that’s available. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), over 910,000 Latino adults – between the ages of 19 and 26 – who would have previously been without coverage were now eligible to remain on their parents’ ...
