In South Sacramento many families, including Latino families, don't have easy access to full-service grocery stores, leaving them with few healthy food options. The Sacramento County Health Department is partnering with a local developer and a Shell gas station in South Sacramento to build a convenience store inside the gas station that would sell fresh fruits, vegetables, and more. According to a local government news site, fifteen percent of the retail space in the convenience store will display fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and potentially, healthy meats such as fish. These foods will be displayed in the front of the store, near the check-out stand, where patrons will see ...
Members of the US Conference of Mayors, a non-partisan organization of mayors who reside over cities with a population of greater than 30,000, adopted a resolution in support of parks and outdoor recreation, during a June 2014 annual meeting. The resolution asks Congress to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) program, in order to protect green space in America's urban areas. Those who signed the resolution urged all mayors to "raise awareness of the of the need for greater public and private investment in parks and green space to create healthy, walkable and sustainable cities." The document also speaks in support of protecting parks as a way to tackle childhood obesity. According to the text, children who ...
If you live in a community that is transforming health across sectors, bringing stakeholders together to create opportunities for people to make healthy choices, and making real measurable impact, you're invited to apply for the 2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize. The annual RWJF Culture of Health Prize celebrates communities that have placed a priority on health and are creating powerful partnerships and deep commitments to make change. Winners get a $25,000 cash prize. To be eligible, communities must be designated as a town, city, county, tribe or tribal community or region (such as contiguous towns, cities, or counties) in the United States. Six criteria are central to the judging: Defining health in the broadest possible ...
Kids in the predominantly Latino community of East Harlem (El Barrio) were in great need of physical activity programing and safe places to play. Alex Sabater and Deborah Quinones wanted to change that so they teamed up to create Young Bucks Sports, a non-profit aimed at preventing childhood obesity through teaching the sport and tradition of stickball to youth. Now Young Bucks Sports offers multiple activities to youth in Harlem for free, including: a summer stickball institute, pop-up playgrounds, a march to prevent obesity, and an annual festival with activities aimed at preventing obesity in the community.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Alex Sabater loves stickball and loves to share the same with others in New York City (NYC). The game, which is especially popular among Latinos, is a ...
Residents living in West Denver recently agreed to move forward with plans to bring Denver's Re-imagine Play project to Paco Sanchez Park---a park that's located between council districts 1 and 3. This is exciting news for two reasons: (1) most park investments have occurred on the east side of the city; (2) this park would provide a modern, multi-generational green space for a community in need of updated parks. The Re-imagine Play project was originally envisioned for Denver's largest regional park, City Park. However, plans were stalled after neighborhood residents raised several concerns. According to a Denver Post news article, Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez (District 3) encouraged the Parks and Recreation department to consider bringing the park to West Denver. The ...
Latinos are 1.2 times as likely as whites to be obese, federal data shows. One big reason for this obesity disparity is Latino immigrants' cultural food patterns, but NYU College of Nursing researchers reviewed 13 studies on the issue and found they usually consider Latinos as a single ethnic group and don't account for cultural differences based on country of origin. Thus, because food words vary between countries, Latinos may be unable to rely on each other for proper translation when it comes to making informed, healthy decisions. "The immigrant experience pervades every aspect of an immigrant Latina’s life, and ultimately influences the dynamics that become barriers and facilitators to healthy food choices," said study author Lauren Gerchow. "Such barriers include changes ...
State parks are great places to get active and enjoy the outdoors, but junk food sold at state parks can send mixed messages. The Michigan Environmental Council recently partnered with the Healthy Kids, Healthy Michigan coalition to study how easy it is to get healthy foods in state parks and whether visitors want them. The study found that while many visitors would like to have healthier options, the current options in vending machines, concession stands, and at camp stores are far from healthy. In fact, 86% of the snacks at concession stands were in the lowest nutritional quality category and only 1% were of high nutritional value. The study also found that soft drinks were 63% of the the less-healthy options in the machines. Water represented 41% of the healthy ...
The city of El Paso is resurrecting its streetcar/trolley system, thanks to $97 million in state funds approved by the Texas Transportation Commission during a June 2014 meeting. After 30 years of shutting down its trolley system, local residents and tourists can soon look forward to having enhanced options for public transportation. According to an article from the El Paso Times, the process of developing plans for the streetcar system began in May 2012, when the city approved plans for an engineering and environmental assessment. This along with a design plan for the streetcars allowed the city to apply for state funds. Now two years later, the city will have the means to move forward with the trolley project. The El Paso Times reports that city council representatives ...
Latino kids drink more sugary drinks a day than their White peers, which increases their risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Many cities and states have considered placing a tax on drinks with excess sugar as one way to reduce consumption and raise money for kid-focused healthy living programs. The Alliance for a Healthier Vermont is gearing-up to push for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and has hired Anthony Iarrapino, formally with the Conservation Law Foundation, to shepherd the initiative through the Legislature next year.
Public health advocates in Vermont have tried to pass a tax on sugary drinks before, but they are hoping to be more successful in the 2015 legislative session. The Alliance for a Healthier Vermont is made up of more than 30 health care ...
