According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48% of obese boys and 36% of obese girls think their weight is “about right.” Among kids and teens who were merely overweight, 81% of boys and 71% of girls also judged their weight to be “about right.” This information comes from the CDC's recently released, "Perception of Weight Status in U.S. Children and Adolescents Aged 8–15 Years, 2005–2012," which survey'd youth about how they perceive their own weight. Some of their key finding include: About one-third of Mexican-American (34.0%) and non-Hispanic black (34.4%) children and adolescents misperceive their weight status compared with non-Hispanic white children and adolescents (27.7%).
Approximately 81% of overweight boys and 71% of overweight girls ...
Kids in South Florida can now enjoy fun and fitness while learning to cook healthy meals, thanks to the non-profit Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth program (FLIPANY). The organization was founded in 2005 but continues to make strides in expanding physical activity and nutrition opportunities for children. FLIPANY uses the evidence based CATCH PE curriculum as part of the group fitness classes it offers to kids and teens, as well as dance classes, yoga, personal training and a mommy and me fitness program for children ages 3-5 year. The non-profit also hosts a mountain biking camp and an 8-week earn-a-bike program for kids.
In addition to its physical activity offerings, kids can learn about cooking and nutrition in after school programs. FLIPANY offers a ...
Houston, Texas is a thriving urban city, yet many families struggle with a frustrating problem: access to fresh, healthy foods. The City has been working towards finding solutions for this lack of access, and one local organization hopes urban farms can be part of the mix. PLANTED: HOUSTON, a project of Edible Earth Resources, exists to bring food closer to its consumer through restaurants, retail subscription sales, and donations. They hope to put fresh food back into neighborhoods by growing, selling and donating in areas that are classified as food deserts. The organization is in the process of developing a network of urban farms on city-owned underdeveloped lots in food deserts throughout Houston. They intend to initially develop 3 acres of urban farmland, with 10% of the ...
In the eastern Coachella Valley, a place many Latino families call home, clean, safe drinking water
can be hard to find. The California Endowment, a statewide health foundation that runs community initiatives throughout California, is hoping to bring better access to water in the region. In step with the Drink Up initiative championed by the Partnership for a Healthier America and First Lady Michelle Obama and in collaboration with Pueblo Unido CDC and the Rural Community Assistance Corp, the California Endowment announced plans to install dozens of water stations for filling reusable water bottles in the valley. The project, called Agua4All, will start with 60 tap systems in 10 schools and other community centers in the unincorporated communities of Thermal, Oasis and ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has received the first-ever “Making a Different World” award from Latinas Contra Cancer for her dedication to improving health outcomes around Latino cancer. Ramirez, an internationally recognized expert in health disparities research, has spent 30 years developing unique health communication models and interventions that have helped reduce cancer rates and increase cancer screening among Latinos. She also directs the National Cancer Institute-funded Redes En Acción program, a national research network that has made big strides in research, training, and education to reduce Latino cancer. Redes is a partner of Latinas Contra Cancer, ...
The GenYouth Foundation and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, two organizations committed to reversing childhood obesity, will expand their school health and wellness programs thanks to a $1.25 million grant they received from the PepsiCo Foundation. The announcement was made at the July 2014 GenYouth Foundation Learning Connection Summit & Expo. According to a Market Watch news article, due to the disproportionate prevalence of childhood obesity among Latinos, the GenYouth Foundation will use the $550,000 they received to address the needs of Latino students and their families. GenYouth will use the funds to create Spanish language healthy lifestyle educational materials and resources (Fuel Up to Play 60 en Español) and to provide schools with mini-grants for sports ...
The Health Trust's Campaign for Healthy Food in San Jose saw a need: fresh fruits and vegetables weren't available in certain underserved areas of the city. So they decided to get a plan in motion---literally. The idea for mobile food carts was inspired by the carts already up and rolling in NYC. Under current city ordinances, mobile vendors are required to get permits from the planning division for each private property they are selling from, in addition to permits that they would need to get from the police department. This is what the Health Trust hopes to change. They want to make it easier for these vendors to go out into the community to sell the fresh produce. UPDATE: The Health Trust kicked off its Fresh Carts mobile produce vendor program on Tuesday, July 22nd at a ...
The communities of San Jose and the Silicon Valley have banded together to reach a goal of loosing one million pounds. Thanks to the leadership of City Councilman Pete Constant and a group of non-profit and private sponsors, residents have a website and mobile app where they can learn about ways to lead a healthier lifestyle and where they locate places like local Farmers' Markets, trails, and recreational areas. According to San Jose Mercury News story, Constant got the idea for the challenge from a similar challenge which took place during 2011, in Oklahoma City. According the Lose a Million Pounds website, over 50% of San Jose residents are overweight or obese. Learn more about this initiative and access the Lose a Million Pounds website ...
School board members from Metro Nashville Public Schools hope to learn more about recess in Tennessee schools by conducting an audit. According to the Tennessean and News Channel 5 reports, recess may help kids do better; yet many schools do not provide more than 15 minutes of recess per day. In light of this, school board member Amy Frogge asked the district to evaluate recess. Tennessee law states that, schools are required to provide students with at least 90 minutes of physical activity per week. This includes time spent at recess, in PE and time for in-class physical activity breaks. If the audit finds that recess has positive effects on learning, this could lead to a district wide recess policy. This is good news for Latino kids, who often get fewer opportunities for ...
