How can busy families stay healthy? Dr. Amelie Ramirez, a San Antonio health expert and leader of SaludToday, said it's going to take individual and systemic change. For systems, that means more local farmer's markets. Healthier cafeteria food. More physical activity programs during school, and opening playgrounds to families after school. For people, that means staying away from the middle aisles at the grocery store, where junk food is prevalent. Parents making healthy meals with kids. Make a game of reading food labels. Limiting screen time. More outdoor play time. Ramirez was featured this week on the Making Awesome Changes TV series, which partners San Antonio's KSAT-TV and Salud America! to feature people pushing for healthy changes. Salud America!, a Latino ...
Across the nation, 17% of college students were diagnosed with or treated for anxiety problems during the 2015-2016 calendar year, The Wall Street Journal reports. Of this group, nearly 14% were diagnosed or treated for depression. This number is up significantly from a 2011 survey by the American College Health Association and counselors on campus are reporting seeing more “serious illnesses.” There is also a rise in the number of students who are enrolling with pre-existing psychiatric histories. The reason for this unprecedented surge is unclear. Therapists and college counselors have speculated that factors ranging from the economy and rising tuition rates to the impact of social media have led to the current rise in mental health issues. “Students are overwhelmed with ...
Combo meals at fast food joints are usually not a healthy option, often including a sugary beverage, one or two fried sides, and a high-calorie, low nutrient main entree, but recent studies now suggest that excluding sodas from kids meal may make the healthier the choice the easier choice for kids and parents on the go. According to research published recently in the American Journal of Public Health online, kids meals that include a sugary beverage as part of the meal, add up to 82 more calories on average for each kids meal. Also, parents who buy kids meals where the price includes a beverage usually opt to choose a high-calorie, sugar-sweetened beverage rather than a sugar-free drink or no beverage. Researchers suggest from the findings that restaurants should ungroup sodas ...
Dentists in Fairbanks, Alaska (7.0% Latino) have partnered with the state Division of Public Health, to help reduce sugary drink consumption in their patients and work to decrease childhood obesity, according to Newsminer.com. The Latino population in Fairbanks has grown rapidly reported the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development that detailed the trend, highlighting a 52% growth rate for Hispanic or Latino residents in Alaska from 2000 to 2010. Many Latino kids and teens drink more sugary drinks on a daily basis than their white peers, sometimes even up to three drinks a day studies show, and with each sugary drink the risk of becoming an obese adult jumps to 60%. Since September of 2016, the public health state workers have started providing training to dental ...
Diversity is becoming more and more of a conscious thought in the minds of everyone in higher education, especially when it comes to the nation's rapidly growing Latino population. Latinos have made great strides in attaining college degrees in recent years, however, they still lag behind most ethnic and racial groups in obtaining higher education degrees. At the University of Michigan, a new plan looks to take steps to help Latinos and other minorities better navigate the college experience and earn degrees, the Associated Press reports. The university, located in Ann Arbor, Mich. (4.6% Latino population), has committed $85 million over the next five seasons to implementing programs that will help incoming minority freshmen adjust to the college life and develop skills that will ...
Today kicks off the National School Lunch Week, helping to provide awareness and support for National Farm-to-School Month throughout October and to share and support schools who are implementing healthy school food efforts all year round. Considering that students eat more than half of their daily calories at school, nutritious school food plays a vital role in the development of healthy students and healthy eating habits. This is even more true for Latino kids who often are in schools that don't always implement healthy foods and snacks in schools, studies show. To learn more about how school meal programs have encouraged healthy eating decisions among students insights were gathered from a panel of school nutrition leaders commissioned by the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods ...
In March 2016, President Barack Obama launched the Opportunity Project calling for technologists, local governments, and community groups to harness technology and innovation to expand access to opportunity for all Americans (17.6% Latino). The result? Non-profits, companies, and students built 29 new digital tools-during an 8-week software development sprint-using federal and local data to help communities access and navigate information to empower communities to solve problems in their everyday lives, such as affordable housing, quality schools, and jobs. Latinos often face social, environmental, and political barriers when accessing everyday opportunities, like healthy schools and safe places to walk and play. Equitable opportunity and easy-to-navigate information are ...
The food you eat influences your cancer risk. The new Rx Cookbook: Cancer-Fighting Recipes, Restaurants & Markets aims to help people reduce their cancer risk with recipes based on an anti-inflammatory diet, developed by a chef and researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Inflammation is the process your body uses to protect itself in response to infection or injury, adding nourishment or immune activity. When inflammation is chronic or unresolved, it can increase cancer risk. The Rx for Better Breast Health study, led by Drs. Amelie G. Ramirez, Michael Wargovich, and Rong Li, gave local breast cancer survivors cooking classes, counseling, and biomarker assessments to test the effects of an anti-inflammatory diet on preventing cancer ...
San Antonio’s Eastside Promise Neighborhood (EPN) is a community of about 18,000 residents (67.5% Latino) who face many health disparities driven by socioeconomic inequities in income, education and access to health care. Noemi Villarreal and others at EPN sought ways to improve health care and health equity in the area. To do that, they looked for ways to promote the idea of the “medical home,” in which the patient/family is the center of partnerships with primary care providers, specialists, educational resources, and the entire community. They formed a group of dedicated "Community Connectors" to travel the neighborhood and do whatever was necessary to promote development of a medical home for every home.
Addressing issues in San Antonio
Noemi Villarreal, health ...
