In Santa Ana, California, green space is hard to come by. Enough space for a whole garden filled with fresh fruits and vegetables seems like just a dream. But one Santa Ana resident is teaming up with an environmental non-profit to bring a unique type of garden the urban city. 17 year-old Isaac Michaca has recruited the non-profit Get Motivated! to help plant a space-saving aquaponic garden in in his community. In an aquaponic garden, fish and plants grow together in vertical, soil-less gardens---perfect for an a place like Santa Ana. Latino Health Access, KidWorks, along with community members, have joined together to create a plan of action on how to fund-raise, create and execute the project. The goal is to allow the growth and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables ...
Alexander Castillo was looking to make some healthy changes in his own life when he came to the realization that his school lacked tasty, nutritious lunch options. Why couldn’t his school have a salad bar? After joining the Mayor’s Fitness Council Student Ambassador program, developing a plan with his mentor, and reaching out to his district’s food services department, Alexander was able to secure a salad bar for his high school. The new salad bar led to an increase in salad purchases and a new outlook on eating fresh fruit and vegetables at his school.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Alexander Castillo, a student at Southwest Academy (a non-traditional alternative high school in the mostly Latino city of San Antonio, Texas) set a goal to pursue his passion for wrestling in 2014. He ...
Law makers in Connecticut have been tossing around the idea of a soda tax for a few years, but nothing concrete has ever made it to the state capital. 2015, however, might be a difference story. Connecticut state Representative Juan Candelaria has introduced a bill that would impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks and also candy. Revenue from the tax would be directed to obesity prevention efforts, a state scholarship program, and local municipalities. If the bill makes it through the state congress, it will be up for Connecticut voters to decide if they want to use junk food taxes as one solution to diet-related disease. According to the Suffield Patch, Candelaria told the New Haven Independent that he got the idea for the tax at the National Council of Hispanic State ...
In Tennessee lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require students in grades kindergarten through fifth (K-5) to participate in a physical education (P.E.) at least two times per week. If enacted, as of July 1, 2015, the new law would require all students to receive between 30-45 minutes of PE time twice weekly. Furthermore, schools would not be allowed to substitute activities such as remedial classroom work, additional academic instructional time, participation in school athletic teams or clubs for time spent in PE. Read more about this here. To learn more about barriers to physical activity for Latino Kids, access Salud America!'s Active Play resources ...
Are you ready to make health a priority in your community? Then look for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health's ¡Vive tu Vida! Get Up! Get Moving! event near you! On Saturday March 7, 2015, ¡Vive tu Vida! will kick-off its ninth annual community-wide event, which brings free health screenings and fitness programming to Latinos all across the U.S. Thanks to support from local community-based organization partner, Concilio Latino de Salud & multiple sponsors such as Newman’s Own Foundation, Univision, the Embassy of Mexico and the United States Tennis Association, the first of this 11-city event series will take place on Saturday at John R. Davis Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. At the event, in addition to free healthy screenings, there will ...
Farmers’ markets are a great place to find fresh fruits and vegetables when your local grocery store doesn’t sell them. But when your neighborhood doesn’t have a farmers’ market OR a local grocery store with fresh fruits and vegetables—are you just out of luck? Find out how a Latina school teacher-turned healthy food activist was inspired by her friend to start a farmers’ market in her neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, so neighbors could not only have better access to fresh fruits and vegetables, but learn how to cook tasty dishes that make healthy eating a delicious way of life.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: As a computer teacher at an elementary school in inner-city San Antonio, TX, Michelle Griego watches kids choose chips over carrots daily. San Antonio sits within ...
Hispanics, blacks, and American Indians were more likely to surpass a normal weight by age 18 than whites were, which increases their risk of adult obesity, according to a new study, HealthDay reports. The study, unveiled at an American Heart Association meeting March 5, examined 31,000 adults. The study found that, among those ages 18-30, those most likely to move from a normal-weight category to overweight or obese categories were American Indian males and females, Hispanic males and black females. The number of Hispanic males with normal weight decreased by 5.6% a year. The authors cited an "obesogenic" environment, low-income status, cultural factors, and genetics (to a lesser extent) as reasons for the disparities. They named eating as a family, limiting high-sugar and ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Alexandra Conde Toro
Santa Rosa Bay, Puerto Rico Alexandra Conde Toro has a heart for hearing and understanding people’s stories—characteristics she developed in her native Bayamón, Puerto Rico, a culture infused with the joy and encouragement of families, folk music, and stories. Conde Toro uses her passion for her community to address health problems they suffer. Conde Toto, who has a bachelor’s degree in human biology from The University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon Campus, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in research and evaluation of health systems at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus. She ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Angela Gutierrez
Baldwin Park, Calif. Angela Gutierrez learned from her father to turn every barrier into an opportunity, and to acquire knowledge to improve her native community in Baldwin Park, Calif. Inspired by his words—“If we do not have the knowledge, how can we change?”—Gutierrez earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and public health policy from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in public health from CSU Fullerton. She now is a research assistant for the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Center and teaches in the CSU Fullerton Department of Health Science. Gutierrez seeks to ...
