Does your community have safe places for recreation? Several Latino communities don't have access to safe places for outdoor or indoor play. However, communities can work together find viable solutions to this problem. In this video submitted to the HEB Community Challenge, Mayor Don Keil of Seguin, TX speaks of the outdoor facilities that the city has worked to make available to the community. According to Mayor Keil, there's still more to come. He challenges his community to get out and use these facilities. Raising awareness of living a healthy and active lifestyle (the way this mayor has) is an important way to gain community support for initiatives aimed at growing healthy change. Is your mayor up for the challenge? Read more about about how your city's mayor can ...
In case you haven't heard Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx is challenging all mayors and local elected officials to work towards safer streets in their community. In order to take part in this challenge, elected officials must be interested in identifying barriers to street safety and addressing them within the next year by developing a plan of action. Road users of all ages and abilities deserve the right to safe streets and alternative transportation options, and local officials are in the position to make these opportunities available. Mayors and elected officials who take part in the challenge will also be invited to attend the Mayors' Summit for Safer People, Safer Streets in March, where they will learn how to take action. Some of the areas identified as ...
In February 2015, legislation was introduced in the Texas House and Senate that would create a Texas Grocery Access Investment program. This investment would bring grocery stores to communities where it is difficult to buy fresh and healthy food, help families be healthier and fight obesity, and ultimately drive down the costs associated with unhealthy living. Supporters say the legislation would support business and create jobs. The Texas Grocery Access Investment Fund is a grant and loan program to bring new grocery stores to underserved communities, as well as support renovation and expansion of existing stores to ensure access to fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, poultry and seafood products. The program would run out of the Texas Department of Agriculture and would ...
To get the most out of their school day, kids need healthy food options. One El Paso, Texas school district, Socorro Independent School District, is now striving to provide students with healthier foods at both breakfast and lunch time. According to an El Paso Times news article, the district held a workshop on January 6, 2015 to provide the community with more information on national guidelines for food items on the school's menu. At the workshop parents and board trustees expressed concerns about the nutritional value of some of the menu items served to students. The district's Nutrition services Director Shelley Chenausky also announced that the district would be removing items like pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread), Pop Tarts, and donuts from the breakfast menu. At lunch ...
Having time for recess is important to the physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual well-being of a child. In 2010, the Minnesota Legislature looked at the benefits of recess, resulting in the “Healthy Kids Bill.” The bill authorized the Minnesota Department of Education to develop guidelines for recess and to develop the Recess Moves toolkit, which provides examples for encouraging students to increase their levels of activity. Access the toolkit ...
Hispanics are more likely to get alcoholic liver disease, and get it at younger ages, according to a new study, Inquisitr reports. The study, by the UC Davis Health System, conducted a retrospective chart review of more than 1,500 patients with alcoholic liver disease—a spectrum of diseases including alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis that often result from long duration of high amounts of alcohol. Not everyone is affected by alcohol the same way. Even if the same amount of alcohol is consumed, the liver damage from alcohol in some people can be more severe than in others, suggesting that other factors, such as genes and environment, can influence the development of liver damage. In the study, more Hispanic people get alcoholic liver disease, ...
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. Mia Ramirez
Colorado Springs, Colo. With a father who was a Chicano civil rights activist, it’s natural that Colorado native Ramirez and her family grew up with a strong sense of equal rights, equity, and justice. From a young age, Ramirez was taught the values of servitude, leadership and completing tasks. She went on to develop a passion for improving her community’s health, reducing health disparities, and addressing the social determinants of health. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Regis University and a master’s degree in international health and development from Boston University, Ramirez has ...
President Barack Obama has just announced the launch of a new initiative designed to get kids in parks! The Every Kid in a Park initiative will provide 4th graders and their families with free access to national parks for a whole year. Along with providing students with this important opportunity to experience the outdoors, the president also announced the designation of three new National Monuments across the U.S. The Every Kid in a Park initiative will expand opportunities for children by Making it easy for schools and families to plan trips by providing information about nearby parks, waters, & student programming;
Providing transportation support to schools with the greatest need, through the Ticket to Ride program; and
Providing educational materials via ...
What keeps Latino kids from being active? A lack of recreational facilities, broken sidewalks, inadequate time for recess, and higher rates of car crashes and crime hinders activity in underserved communities, according to a new Spanish-language infographic from Active Living Research (ALR) and Salud America!, a program of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at he UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The good news is that all of the issues identified in the infographic can be addressed with better policies, infrastructure improvements, and planning that can make neighborhoods safer, cleaner, and better designed for walking, biking, and playing. Use this infographic, also available in English, to help make the case for improving barriers to physical activity in your ...
