The graduation rate at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) is 11% behind that of traditional institutions, and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) lag 7% behind. These stats don't look good, but they're not the whole story. Researchers found that HBCUs and HSIs often deal with the significant challenge of limited institutional resources and having a student body that is less academically prepared than traditional schools and tend to receive less financial aid, according to a study in Research in Higher Education, which examined data from minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in Texas, Futurity reports:
These and other differences in student population skew the statistics and unfairly put MSIs in a bad light...
...At the same time, MSIs often function with limited ...
The Food Trust recently released the new report Healthier Corner Stores, which outlines the positive impacts of their Healthy Corner Store Initiative from 2010 to 2012. Started as a pilot program in 2004, the Healthy Corner Store Initiative began with a simple premise, that everyone deserves access to healthy, affordable food, and that the ubiquitous corner store -- often thought of as a source of unhealthy foods -- can actually be a key partner in this effort. Read about their successes and think about how you can get healthier snack options into corner stores near ...
According to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit dedicated to conserving land for public, San Antonio ranks low when it comes to park access. A report released by the TPL found that out of the 60 largest cities in the nation, that San Antonio ranked 53rd, according to the methods it used to measure park acreage, access, service and investment. According to Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence, San Antonio's biggest problem is not park acreage, but rather access to parks. “For San Antonio, about 35 percent can walk within a half-mile to a park,” Harnik said in a San Antonio Express-News article. Alternatively, the city has 24,622 acres of parkland, many hike and bike trails throughout the city, and a Missions Reach ...
A Call to Update National Physical Activity Guidelines Regularly A new bill--The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act--seeks to improve physical activity standards for Americans. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) have introduced the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act," to the Senate. The legislation would mandate that new guidelines be created every 10 years and that best practices in physical activity be highlighted every five years. A recent report from the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotions found that physical activity levels among Americans remain low--however, reports like the one proposed ...
Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut introduced a national soda tax bill on July 30, 2014. The bill would amend the I.R.S. code and charge a penny per teaspoon of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or other caloric sweeteners — “to be paid by the manufacturer, producer or importer of such products.” The law would not include drinks like milk and 100 percent fruit juices. DeLauro believes the tax would help curb sugary drink consumption, a source of excess sugar and calories in many Americans' diets, leading to various chronic disease issues like obesity and diabetes. According to a Chicago Tribune article, DeLauro knows the chances of the bill passing are slim, but she wants to bring the debate to Washington, perhaps bolstering local efforts to curb sugary drink ...
A growing number of U.S. teens—especially Hispanic teens—are using synthetic human growth hormone (hGH) to boost their muscles and athletic ability, according to a new survey from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, HealthDay News reports. Overall, 11% of teens admitted using hGH in 2013, up from 5% in 2012. About 13% of Hispanic teens and 15% of black teens said they used hGH at least once, compared to just 9% of white teens. People hoping to boost their athletic abilities or enhance their appearance have abused synthetic hGH and other performance-enhancing substances in the past, which poses serious health risks, the study authors warned, according to the HealthDay report:
The body produces human growth hormone naturally, and experts have long known that the hormone is ...
In the city of Waco, TX, where almost half the population is Latino, healthy food access is a real problem. Elizabeth Ross is a member of the Heart of Texas Urban Gardening Coalition and she hopes that getting kids excited about agriculture and bringing more gardens into the city will help eliminate areas with low food access. She's responsible for Farm Camp, a new summer camp for kids just outside Waco that is teaching kids how to live sustainability. “The reason why it started was to address the issue of food deserts in the community,"
Ross said in a radio interview. "There are so many areas, especially with a couple of grocery stores that have closed, leaving places without healthy food access.” Besides the educational camp, she hopes that urban gardening can be ...
PolicyLink, The Food Trust, and The Reinvestment Fund launched the Healthy Food Access Portal in 2013 to be a resource to the movement to improve access to affordable, healthy foods in underserved communities. Based on user feedback, they've recently redesigned the website to better serve the needs of food advocates, researchers, and other stakeholders. On the newly redesigned website you can: Use a new searchable map to find policy efforts and resources in your state
Find available funding opportunities in our updated database
Learn from your peers via new profiles, webinars, and stories
Check out new videos of healthy food leaders from around the countryCheck out the Healthy Food Access ...
Kids from neighborhoods all across the city of Chicago can look forward to staying active and having safe places to play this summer, thanks to the Playstreets 2014 initiative, launched by the city on June 20th of 2014. The idea for PlayStreets, an open streets event that temporarily closes streets to traffic and turns them into a playground, was first discussed in 2011, as part of the city's Healthy Chicago plan, a plan that seeks to improve the health of the community and reverse the obesity epidemic. In 2013, 50 Playstreets events took place. This year, at least 140 different Playstreet events in over 26 neighborhoods are planned from June through October of 2014. The growth and success of these events would not have been possible without the collaboration and commitment ...
