According to a San Antonio Express- News article, local residents can now enjoy several options for staying active through free programming offered by the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Because fitness programming and gym memberships are often expensive, cities like San Antonio, TX are often looking for alternative ways to keep residents active. After participating in classes for a brief time, some program participants, like Gabrielle Gullete, say they have already noticed improvements in their health. “I think more people need to know about what the city offers,” Gullette said. “I had no idea what my options were.” Gullete also added that since joining the free fitness classes, four months prior, she lost 25 pounds. According to the San Antonio ...
Emma, Martina and Luis are some of new additions to the most popular names that Latino parents chose in 2013, BabyCenter en Español reports. Sofía and Santiago remain the most popular name on the girls' and boys' lists for the seventh consecutive years, according to the new report, based on the names of more than 50,000 names of babies born in 2013 to parents from the United States and Latin America who registered on BabyCenter en Español. On the girls' Top-10 list, Emma and Martina jumped into the Top-10, knocking Mariana and María José off the list. On the boys' Top-10 list, Mateo knocked Matías out of second place. Luis was a new debut, while knocking out Alejandro, which had been on the list for six straight years. What influences these name choices? According to ...
Putting food on the table can be tough for many families. Trying to put healthy food on the table can be even tougher. When families need a little extra support, they can turn to local food pantries or soup kitchens. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), resources like food pantries will be able to serve more fruits and veggies to families in need. In early 2013, the USDA announced its intent to purchase up to $126.4 million worth of fruit and vegetable products for distributed to needy families under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). This purchase will expand efforts to provide high-quality, wholesome, domestically-produced foods to support low-income families in need of emergency food assistance. "Food distribution programs are a vital part of our ...
Mexico holds the title of the world's fattest country, but the Mexico's leaders have decided to do something about the out-of-control obesity epidemic. Beginning in January 2013, a new law will place an 8 percent tax on most junk food and a peso-per-liter tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. Health advocates in the United States are excited to see if the new tax puts a dent in soda consumption and the obesity rate. In the past, soda tax proposals have not been successfully passed in the U.S., but many believe Mexico's new laws may encourage folks in the U.S. to reconsider taxing sugary drinks. Read more ...
Minority women, particularly Hispanic women, tend to be less aware of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease they face by being overweight or obese, according to a new study, Healio reports. The study, published in Journal of Women's Health, compared Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women based on their knowledge of heart disease risk factors and their perceptions of their own weight. Among the key findings, as reported by Healio: Hispanics (27%) were less likely than non-Hispanic whites (88%) to correctly identify the leading cause of death among women.
Hispanic women were less likely to know the symptoms of a myocardial infarction or stroke (59% vs. 81%).
Hispanics (69%) were less likely than non-Hispanic whites (83%) to correctly estimate weight. Specifically, in ...
Thanks to a partnership between Children and Neighbors Defeat Obesity (CAN DO) Houston, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD), and the Houston Independent School District (HISD), students at Briscoe Elementary School in Houston now have new opportunities for the active play they need to ensure health and prevent childhood obesity. Before the collaboration, parents identified a lack of physical activity as a primary health concern; now thanks to an after school busing program, students can attend after-school activities at a nearby park for free.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: In 2005, the 44% Latino city of Houston was named America’s fattest city by Men’s Fitness magazine, prompting the formation of the Mayor’s Wellness Council (MWC) and later the Houston Wellness Association ...
Doctors who are black, Hispanic and Asian provide the most care to minority patients, according to a study that suggests changes under Obamacare may increase the burden for these physicians, Bloomberg reports. According to the report:
More than half of minority patients and about 70 percent of non-English-speaking patients, groups more likely to have Medicaid or be uninsured, are cared for by a nonwhite doctor, according to a research letter today in JAMA Internal Medicine.
President Barack Obama’s 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the biggest overhaul of the U.S. health-care system since the 1960s, is expected to insure millions of Americans who previously couldn’t afford health coverage. Though blacks and Hispanics represent 25 percent of the U.S. population, ...
In New York City the children's museum has dreamed-up a creative way to tackle rising rates of childhood obesity. The Children’s Museum of Manhattan in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health is hoping to teach children to love fruits and vegetables through hands-on learning. The permanent exhibit features a food-based curriculum called “Eat Play Grow,” which comes with ready-made lessons in both Spanish and English on things like portion control, healthy drinks, exercising and sleeping. While similar efforts have been aimed at older school-age children, this program is devised specifically to reach kids under-5 through interactive displays, classes infused with art and music, and workshops for their parents. And the learning doesn't stop when ...
Latinos make up almost 50% of the folks living in the Boston area, many of which struggle with diet-related disease like diabetes. One medical center is hoping to make a difference in the lives of lower-income patients. Boston-area patients are receiving prescriptions for nutritious food, thanks to the Preventative Food Pantry located at the Boston Medical Center. Patients who need a little extra help buying nutritious food for themselves and their families can bring their doctor-written "prescriptions" to the pantry and swap it for fruits, veggies, and more. There is also a food demonstration kitchen where folks can learn how to cook healthy food so that it tastes great. Many other health care providers across the country are following this trend of on-site ...
