In 2010, the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, convened and prepared an action plan that was presented to President Barack Obama. The report explains the childhood obesity epidemic and describes policy actions that can be undertaken to improve the health of children in communities throughout the U.S. the report is divided into five sections including: Early childhood health
Empowering parents and caregivers
Health food in schools
Access to healthy affordable food
Increasing Physical activity Access the full report ...
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut has reintroduced a bill she first brought to Congress last year. The SWEET Act would place a tax on sugary drinks of one cent per teaspoon of caloric sweetener, such as sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Nutritionally important beverage products such as milk, 100 percent fruit juice and infant formula would be exempted. Rep. DeLauro cites health and nutrition as the critical factor behind the bill in a press release: “People want to be healthy and they want their kids to be healthy. But we are in the midst of dual epidemics, with Type 2 diabetes and obesity afflicting our nation and the related, astronomical health care costs. There is a clear relationship between sugar-sweetened beverages and a host of health conditions, including ...
You've probably heard stories of how a Latino youth achieved success and overcame poverty, unsafe neighborhoods, discrimination, and other barriers. But how can more youth find such success? A new report by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) examines the personal, environmental, and cultural factors that help resilient youth to learn from adversity and excel. The report mines several success stories and suggests these five steps: Tap into the natural resiliency of Latino youth. These qualities include optimism, perseverance, social skills, empathy, a strong willingness to give back to their communities and family and cultural traits such as responsibility and family solidarity. Help their families escape poverty through living wages and affordable housing. One-third of ...
How can we work to prevent obesity & chronic disease among Latinos before it happens? We need a culture of health and fitness and with that comes the need to find policies and community oriented solutions that serve to provide Latinos with more opportunities and fewer barriers to physical activity. One plan to get more Americans moving, which was recently proposed by Congress is the "PHIT ACT." According to Phitamerica.org, the bill's aim is to provide an incentive for being fit and healthy and to reduce health care costs. According to the bill, a $1 investment in physical activity would reduce medical expenses by $3.20 and because the most expensive illnesses are often related to weight related issues, investing in health before one gets sick may be a viable solution for ...
Latino kids get fewer of the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity AND are more likely to engage in sedentary behaviors, like watching TV, research shows. What can be done to help more Latino kids be active? One of the greatest ways to address inactivity in children is to reach kids is where they spend most of their time—at school. Research has shown that programs that offer physical activity, both during school and after school hours, not only help kids remain active and prevent obesity, but also help students perform better academically. On March 31, 2015, let's use #SaludTues to tweet about ideas, tips, stories and strategies to work toward a healthier school fitness environment: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How to Bring Fitness Back to Schools & Why ...
More than 20,000 U.S. Latinos are on kidney transplant lists, struggling to survive as they wait for a potential life-saving organ donation. Just like 7-year-old Anthony Rivera. The family of Anthony, who live in Illinois, took him to the doctor after he was too fatigued to play outside and had swollen eyes. They found out he was experiencing renal failure due to kidney disease. He has to get peritoneal dialysis three times a week and his teacher now home-schools him—often in the hospital. “I wake him up at five in the morning and we are back home by 10 a.m.," said Josefina Rivera, his mother. "He lays down to rest and after sleeping a bit, he gets back up to greet his teacher.” As the Latino population continues to grow, so does the waiting list and the critical ...
According to a new infographic produced by Active Living Research (ALR), children who are active do better in school. In ALR's Active Education Brief, researchers found that students who were more physically active performed better on standardized tests and in subjects like math and reading. Use this infographic to make the case for physical activity in schools. To learn more, access the ALR brief & infographic ...
A new mobile food market is rolling into neighborhoods in St. Louis without easy access to fresh, affordable food. Washington University graduates Colin Dowling and Tej Azad and Saint Louis University medical student Jeremy Goss teamed up to create the St. Louis MetroMarket, a mobile farmers' market. The mobile farmers’ market is designed to combat the health problems associated with food deserts by bringing fresh produce, fish, meat and other staples to low-income areas that don’t have grocery stores. The food will be sold on a sliding pay scale. St. Louis MetroMarket recently received a $75,000 grant from the Incarnate Word Foundation to launch the grocery-store-on-wheels, and the local metro transit company has donated the bus. Part of St. Louis MetroMarket’s plan ...
The number of communities throughout the U.S. adopting Complete Streets policies continues to grow. According to Smart Growth America, in 2014 at least 70 jurisdictions adopted new policies such as resolutions and ordinances, aimed at making roads safer and more livable for all road users. Rather than designing roads that cater to automobiles, Complete Streets policies serve to ensure that communities design streets to be more equitable. By placing greater emphasis on the need for sidewalks, bike lanes, and aesthetics, Complete Streets policies enhance safety and also encourage active transportation. Latino communities throughout the U.S. can greatly benefit from having Complete Streets. In many low-income, minority communities, biking, public transportation and walking are ...
