Members of the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) at Hutto Independent School District (HISD), a 40.5% Latino district in central Texas, recently approached school board members to discuss recommended changes to the district's Wellness and Nutrition policy. The policy is aimed at reducing junk food consumption by keeping schools from selling candy to students until 30 minutes after the end of the school day. According to The Hutto News, members of the SHAC and the district's director of health and safety services Denise Kablaitis, presented two recommendations at the meeting: (1) that sales of candy be prohibited from midnight until 30 minutes after the end of the school day; (2) that automobiles no longer be allowed to idle around campuses. At the meeting, board members ...
Latino children are more obese/overweight than their white and black peers, and they face many barriers to healthy lifestyles, studies show. Who is stepping up for Latino kids? Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children this week received a one-year, $1.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop new evidence and educational content that empowers people to drive healthy policy changes for Latino children. The new funding allows Salud America! to expand its membership, which has recruited more than 10,000 parents, leaders, academics, and advocates. The network also will conduct research reviews and policy recommendations to guide anti-obesity efforts. It also will enhance its award-winning Salud America! ...
The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) was ready to step up the fight to improve health in the face of rising obesity problems among racial/ethnic populations. Latino and black high-school students were especially overweight/obese (34.2% and 35.9%, respectively), possibly due to the fact that 24% of students consume at least one soda daily, according to a study. The BPHC developed a bilingual public health campaign against sugary drinks to help racial/ethnic residents make healthier choices. EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: Obesity is typically a bigger problem among racial/ethnic populations. Boston, which is increasingly diverse, with an 18% Latino and 24% black population, exemplifies this disparity. In 2010, Latino and black high-school students were very overweight (34.2% ...
We've seen city buses turned into veggie-mobiles, but what about bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to functioning transit stops? After a rider survey found that commuters were interested in better access to fresh and locally grown organic produce, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) begun brainstorming ways to bring fruit and vegetable vendors to Atlanta’s West End station by early spring. According to MARTA, many folks who use the transit system don't have easy access to healthy food where they live and no personal transportation to take them to big grocery stores. But the produce won't be just for passengers. Anyone, ticket or not, will be able to purchase goods from the new market. "We will be focused on ensuring that the vendors and farmers that we ...
Who won the #SaludHeroes video voting contest of January 2015? Jeff Anderson and other parents joined with school and community leaders to push for new school district transportation policies that made it easier and safer for kids to "bike train" or walk to school in Fairfax, Va., which has a growing Latino population. Read their story! Or watch their video! It received the most votes in our contest, which ran Jan. 13-27, 2015. And stay tuned for new voting contests from Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, which aims to activate and inform the public, groups and policymakers targeting Latino childhood obesity. The network is a project of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San ...
Over 150,000 elementary school students from 250 schools throughout the city of San Antonio will have the opportunity to participate in the 12th annual Go!Kids Challenge, thanks to a partnership with between San Antonio Sports, the City of San Antonio, and the University Health System. The GO!Kids Challenge prompts kids to commit 40 days of healthy lifestyle practices such as exercise, eating healthy meals, and drinking plenty of water. This year's challenge kicked off at Rayburn elementary with special guest celebrity, former NFL player Tyreo Harrison. “Getting a chance to tell kids they can be their best with their diet, exercise and academics will create good habit for the future,” said the former Philadelphia Eagle and Green Bay Packer in a news article printed by the ...
Eating dinner as a family is linked to all sorts of benefits for both kids and adults: higher grades, better self-esteem, less depression and more. But between after-school activities and other time commitments, it can be hard to get everyone to sit down for a family meal---not to mention a healthy family meal. With food and family playing such an important role in Latino culture, why aren't more Latino families sitting down for dinner together? It only takes a few tweaks to make family dinners happen regularly that are both healthy AND delicious. Join us and our co-host celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffman as we tweet about weeknight family dinner and how to make it healthier at the next #SaludTues Tweetchat. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Family Dinner: Why it Matters & ...
One of Texas' largest grocery store chains is providing the communities it serves with more opportunities to get excited about health and fitness. As part of this year's H-E-B's Slim Down Showdown 30 contestants, including 6 individuals from Texas' predominantly Latino Lower Rio Grande Valley, will participate in the 14-week challenge. Contestants will share their experiences via social media by using videologs and blogs. They'll also have the opportunity to check in regularly with a registered dietitian. According to the article, contestants in Brownsville and McAllen have already had the opportunity to walk through the grocery store and learn about what foods they should eat. “We met with our dietitian so she could go over the different products that we have,” said Lettie ...
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. Griselda Rubio
Laredo, Texas Griselda Rubio is the definition of healthy: A vegetarian who is physically fit and taught yoga and kickboxing. Rubio, born and raised in Laredo, Texas, has applied this passion for a healthy lifestyle and a love of learning to a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in health administration—and works to manage data, coordinate patients and community relations, and help with clinical research. She also believes that “you have to be able and willing to do a little bit of everything even if it means learning a new skill.” That’s why she ...
