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Rosalie Aguilar-Santos

Rosalie Aguilar Santos, MS, is Salud America!'s national project coordinator. She is passionate about nutrition, physical activity, and opportunities to engage communities in advocacy actions to promote Latino childhood health.

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Articles by Rosalie Aguilar-Santos

SHAC Members in Central Texas Want Candy Out of Schools



Members of the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) at Hutto Independent School District (HISD), a 40.5% Latino district in central Texas, recently approached school board members to discuss recommended changes to the district's Wellness and Nutrition policy. The policy is aimed at reducing junk food consumption by keeping schools from selling candy to students until 30 minutes after the end of the school day. According to The Hutto News, members of the SHAC and the district's director of health and safety services Denise Kablaitis, presented two recommendations at the meeting: (1) that sales of candy be prohibited from midnight until 30 minutes after the end of the school day; (2) that automobiles no longer be allowed to idle around campuses. At the meeting, board members ...

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“Sugar Smarts” Bilingual Campaign in Boston against Sugary Drinks for Kids



The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) was ready to step up the fight to improve health in the face of rising obesity problems among racial/ethnic populations. Latino and black high-school students were especially overweight/obese (34.2% and 35.9%, respectively), possibly due to the fact that 24% of students consume at least one soda daily, according to a study. The BPHC developed a bilingual public health campaign against sugary drinks to help racial/ethnic residents make healthier choices. EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: Obesity is typically a bigger problem among racial/ethnic populations. Boston, which is increasingly diverse, with an 18% Latino and 24% black population, exemplifies this disparity. In 2010, Latino and black high-school students were very overweight (34.2% ...

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San Antonio Elementary Students Join 40 Day Go!Kids (Fitness) Challenge



Over 150,000 elementary school students from 250 schools throughout the city of San Antonio will have the opportunity to participate in the 12th annual Go!Kids Challenge, thanks to a partnership with between San Antonio Sports, the City of San Antonio, and the University Health System. The GO!Kids Challenge prompts kids to commit 40 days of healthy lifestyle practices such as exercise, eating healthy meals, and drinking plenty of water. This year's challenge kicked off at Rayburn elementary with special guest celebrity, former NFL player Tyreo Harrison. “Getting a chance to tell kids they can be their best with their diet, exercise and academics will create good habit for the future,” said the former Philadelphia Eagle and Green Bay Packer in a news article printed by the ...

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Grocery Chain H-E-B Brings Health Education & Fitness to Contestants in Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley



One of Texas' largest grocery store chains is providing the communities it serves with more opportunities to get excited about health and fitness. As part of this year's H-E-B's Slim Down Showdown 30 contestants, including 6 individuals from Texas' predominantly Latino Lower Rio Grande Valley, will participate in the 14-week challenge. Contestants will share their experiences via social media by using videologs and blogs. They'll also have the opportunity to check in regularly with a registered dietitian. According to the article, contestants in Brownsville and McAllen have already had the opportunity to walk through the grocery store and learn about what foods they should eat. “We met with our dietitian so she could go over the different products that we have,” said Lettie ...

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Digital and Video Nutrition Education for Kids in Class and Out



School lunches and snacks are becoming more nutritious thanks to improved federal nutrition regulations—but this is only part of the school food solution. Nutrition education for kids is a critical component. One seasoned children’s TV producer, who witnessed the childhood obesity epidemic as she raised her own kids, had an idea to use new technology to engage kids in learning about healthy living. Because of her, thousands of kids in Massachusetts, New York, and Florida have begun learning through KickinNutrition.TV, a digital platform for teachers to use to instruct students on healthy eating habits and exercise through videos, online gaming, and a social-media-like engagement designed for elementary- and middle-schoolers. EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: Natasha Lance Rogoff worked ...

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New Program Brings Bike Education to Latinos in Fort Collins, CO



A new program in north Fort Collins is working to address health disparities by providing Latinos with more opportunities for bike safety education. The Vida Sana program---an initiative the Coalition for Activity and Nutrition to Defeat Obesity (CanDo) which and funded by the state and led by The University of Colorado Health---looks for ways to remove barriers to leading a healthy lifestyle for Latinos. According to a news article in the Coloradoan, without proper knowledge of biking in Fort Collins, individuals may feel stressed when traveling by bike. In order to overcome this barrier, Vida Sana is offering culturally appropriate bicycle education which will empower individuals to use their bikes regardless of age, ability or background. To make this opportunity ...

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Tools: Salud Hero Stories & Map of Physical Education Policies



From brain breaks to school wellness policies, schools all over are finding new ways to incorporate physical activity into the classroom. Salud hero and principal at DJ Red Simon Middle School Matt Pope is one example of a school leader who made it a point to make health a priority for his students. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) also made great strides with implementing an improved wellness policy which allows students the opportunity to engage in more physical activity. While schools like these are certainly setting the bar higher for others, many students still lack adequate PE and physical activity policies. To bring attention to the need for improved wellness policies, Community Commons has developed mapping tools as well as community health reports. Read more about ...

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Idaho Head Start Center Hosts Childhood Obesity Program For Migrant Farmworkers



Spinach pancakes with homemade berry syrup? This is one of Febe Hernandez and her family's new favorite recipes thanks to the healthy lifestyle classes she's been attending at the Casa de Colores Headstart Center in Caldwell, Idaho. Children of migrant farmworkers living in Southern Idaho are now able to benefit from a new pilot program aimed at preventing childhood obesity among Latinos. The program, an initiative of the nonprofit Community Council of Idaho, was developed to teach parents important nutrition concepts, healthier ways of preparing food, and how to keep physically active. According to an Idaho Statesmen news article, the Community Council of Idaho recognized the need for such a program after realizing that over one-third of children in local head start centers ...

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San Antonio Adds More Bike Stations to Bike Share Program



San Antonio is adding two bike stations to their bike share (B-Share) program, bringing the city's total number of locations to 55 bike stations. The new stations will be located at Confluence Park, (310 W. Mitchell St.), and at  The Blue Star Arts Complex (1414 S. Alamo St.), According to an article from the San Antonio Express News, bike checkouts from an existing bike station at the Blue Star Arts Complex  had over 22,000 bike checkouts since being installed in 2011. To learn more about the San Antonio B-Cycle program, access the website here. Read more on this here. Update 1/20/15: A bike share station with 22 new bikes has been installed at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) Main Campus.  The bikes are part of a 5 month pilot program which will determine ...

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