What's one solution to poor access to healthy and affordable foods? Many communities are turning to mobile farmers' markets. In urban Michigan neighborhoods throughout Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Ottawa County, a Veggie Van run by the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids is bringing fresh produce to families---and at affordable prices. Because the Veggie Van is a non-profit organization, it is able to sell fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices, giving the community a cheaper option for fresh produce. The Veggie Van travels to retirement homes, human services offices and neighborhoods. Learn more about the Veggie Van here. Read about the Veggie Van in the ...
In 2011, two years after Latino parents in Chicago began working to raise awareness of the need for recess in schools, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) finally announced they would be working to reincorporate recess back into the school day. According to a blog post from the Healthy Schools Campaign a group of parents from the Parents United For Healthy Schools organization gathered over 4,000 signatures as part of a petition in support of recess. This helped ultimately get the attention of the district's Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW), who's mission is to oversee the well being of students and the implementation of health promoting policies for the district. Research shows that schools with mostly Latino students are less likely to offer students at least 20 minutes ...
Did you know Latina moms are twice as likely as white moms to start prenatal care late or not all all? This increases the risk of having a baby with serious health problems. The good news is that using life planning tools, managing health conditions and avoiding certain exposures can improve differences in Latinas' prenatal and child health, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Someday Starts Now campaign in English and Spanish. Here are six tips: 1. Health Before Pregnancy. A healthy life depends on a combination of eating right and exercising—in addition to managing chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes and stress, as well as quitting unhealthy behaviors like smoking. 2. Get Tested for STIs. Get checked regularly for Sexually Transmitted ...
Kenton County Plan4Health has received a $135,000 grant from the American Planning Association to map the area's full-line grocery stores, locate neighborhoods with limited access to healthy foods and increase the supply of fresh produce for residents in need. According to a news article on Cincinnati.com, Kenton County suffers from an overall "food insecurity" rate of 13.9 percent, with 18.4 percent for children. Kenton County Plan4Health was officially created in December, with OKI Regional Council of Governments, the Planning and Development Services of Kenton County, Northern Kentucky Health Department and Center for Great Neighborhoods partnering Emi Randall, OKI senior planner, said in the news article that a mapping study will help identify neighborhoods in the county that ...
In the 22% Latino Fairfax County Public School District in Fairfax, Va., a parent group called Real Food for Kids had rid school cafeterias of highly processed junk foods and improved the nutrition of school snacks and menus. But the change was not very visible to students. So the group, led by parent JoAnne Hammermaster, helped bring a fresh food stations showcase the healthier selections—and add new ones—for students at district schools. EMERGENCE Awareness: Childhood obesity is a priority for the parent group Real Food for Kids (RFFK), which pushes for healthy changes in the Fairfax County Public School District (FCPSD), a 22% Latino district in Fairfax, Va. In 2012, for example, RFFK drove FCPSD leaders to remove foods with artificial dyes, additives, and other highly ...
The New York City Board of Health has adopted new rules for licensed day care facilities aimed at preventing obesity among young children. Under the rules, 100 percent fruit juice will only be served to children who are at least two years old, with a limit of four ounces of juice per day. The rules also reduce children's “sedentary” time to less than 30 minutes per day, down from the current 60 minutes standard, to encourage more physical activity. The changes cover approximately 2,300 day care centers serving nearly 135,000 children. Check out the new, healthy rules ...
The number of Latinos with health care coverage has risen dramatically thanks to the Affordable Care Act, but certain groups have lower coverage rates or know little about the health insurance marketplace, according to a new poll. The poll, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico and implemented by Latino Decisions, examined Latinos’ attitudes on immigration policy, the Affordable Care Act, discrimination, and personal connections to immigrants. Only 17% percent of Latinos now lack health insurance, down from 28% in 2013. But a significant gap in health coverage exists when it comes to nativity, with 87 percent of U.S.-born Latinos saying they are covered but only 78 percent of foreign-born Latinos have ...
According to a recent editorial by the Alameda County Public Health Department's Nutrition Services Director, Diane Woloshin, MS, RD, while overall soda consumption has gone down among the general population, one key demographic---minority teens (i.e. Latino and African American youth) continue to be a prime target for the beverage industry. If trends continue, Woloshin believes that half of Latino and African American children will develop diabetes at some point in their lifetime. "For Big Soda, the bottom line is profit," Woloshin writes. "For the youth they are targeting, it's a matter of life and death." The Alameda County Public Health Department is part of the Open Truth Campaign, a public health marketing campaign led by youth, which seeks to inform the same communities ...
Students and parents at Sam Houston Elementary got a taste of what P.E. should look like on a day-to day basis for Latino kids during the annual Student/Parent Wellness Day. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to join their children in fun activities such as aerobics and weight bearing exercises. They also got to see some of the fitness tests their children do as part of annual Fitnessgram testing and learn some basic tips for eating a balanced meal and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Watch the video to learn what parents had to say about the importance of exercise and the quality of physical education offered to their children during the school day. Learn more about how McAllen ISD became the first Let's Move District in the nation. Visit Salud America!‘s ...
