Many residents in McLennan County, Texas struggle with diet-related diseases, like diabetes. In this county, where Latinos make up a quarter of the population, community partners are stepping up to identify solutions to these diet-related issues. Students from Baylor University in Waco, TX are canvassing the county during their spring 2014 semester, surveying 111 food stores in seven ZIP codes to assess the cost, availability, and quality of produce. A similar assessment was done in 2012 to assess if small convenience store owners had the capacity to offer fresh fruits and vegetables in their stores. That assessment found that concerns about spoilage and revenue loss kept many store owners from stocking fruits and vegetables. The results of the current study will be a part ...
Many Latino communities across the country lack access to fresh, healthy produce, which can contribute to unhealthy eating in kids. As part of the solution, city and community leaders are promoting healthy neighborhoods by encouraging small food shops to provide nutritious, affordable options for residents living in food deserts as a means to address the lack of access to healthy and affordable foods and contribute to improved nutrition. Many city-led or city-supported programs nationwide focus on enabling corner stores and smaller markets located in food deserts to provide healthy foods. The National League of Cities provides a guide that highlights the Healthy Corner Store Initiatives of four cities: Tupelo, Mississippi; St. Louis, Missouri; Philadelphia, ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Alelí Ayala-Marín
San Juan, Puerto Rico Alelí M. Ayala-Marín, a licensed dietitian/nutritionist, is proud of her Puerto Rican roots. Ayala-Marín said her culture and heritage have made her attentive to the studying cancer health disparities in her home country, where she has earned an undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics and a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico (Medical Science Campus). She is currently coordinating a pilot study, “Cultivando La Salud,” an evidence-based educational intervention designed to increase screening ...
To learn more about the Health and Lifestyles of distinct Latino subgroups living in the US the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, began collecting data on Latinos living in the Bronx, Chicago, San Diego, and Miami. Baseline data on cardiovascular prevalence, family, physical activity, diet, sleep, and acculturation for the study was collected between 2008-2011from 16,415 US Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Central Americans, Cubans, Dominicans, South Americans. The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, otherwise known as "SOL" found that obesity rates were most prevalent among Puerto Rican, Domincan and Mexican subgroups respectively. The study also looked at dietary factors like fruit and vegetable intake and found that ...
Law-makers in Maryland are hoping to make it easier for small business owners in USDA-designated food deserts to purchase and sell more fresh fruits and vegetables. Legislation encouraging vendors to make local fruits and vegetables more available in underserved areas moved through the State House and on to the Senate on Friday February 28, 2014. The measure would offer $1 million yearly to small businesses that want to sell Maryland-grown produce in areas lacking grocery stores. Other states, like New York, have passed similar food laws, hoping to increase access to healthy food in areas that lack large grocery ...
Salud America! has released six Spanish-language research briefs, infographics and animated videos that shed light on the causes of and solutions to Latino childhood obesity. The Spanish materials, which were released in English in late 2013, explore new research into how six critical topics—marketing, school snacks, sugary drinks, neighborhood food, and access to active play and spaces—impact Latino child health. The materials also feature evidence-based recommendations on how to address the issues among Latino children. Download the materials at: Healthier Marketing: English or Spanish
Sugary Drinks: English or Spanish
Active Play: English or Spanish
Active Spaces: English or Spanish
Healthier School Snacks: English or Spanish
Better Food in the Neighborhood: ...
Latinos comprise 41% of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and 15% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. Changes in these types of food assistance programs that allow healthier food purchases have been proven to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk by children. In Missouri, some law-makers are hoping these types of healthy changes will be put into legislation. A State House panel heard testimony in late February 2014 on legislation that would give bonus dollars to food assistance participants who buy fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. Supporters say the measure would cut down on obesity in low-income households and reduce costs for obesity-related illnesses. Under the bill, the state would set up a ...
About 9 million low-income women and young children receive federal food assistance under the U.S. government's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, and Latino mothers and their kids make-up over 40% of participants. Soon these families will have greater access to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains under changes to the program unveiled on February 28, 2014. In its final form, the overhaul will boost by 30%, or $2 per month, the allowance for each child's fruit and vegetable purchases, and permit fresh produce in lieu of jarred infant food for babies, if their parents prefer. The update also expands whole grain options available to recipients and allows yogurt as a partial milk substitute, adding to the soy-based ...
Bridging the Gap, a Robert Wood Johnson funded national research program focused on understanding how policy and environmental factors affect the health of today’s youth, has created the new interactive website about school snack foods and beverages State Laws for School Snack Foods and Beverages. The website covers laws in all fifty states over the course of seven school years and displays the information in colorful, easy to understand visuals. A map of a school is found on the website, which is interactive and allows users to click on each area where foods and beverages may be served at school. By clicking on an area the user gets an up to date summary on the current national status of laws for that topic, and is given links to more specific related issues. Bridging the Gap ...
