The following is a Nov. 20 guest blog by Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio (the team behind SaludToday), for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I recently had the privilege of attending and presenting my Susan G. Komen-funded research on boosting Latina breast cancer survivorship through Patient Navigation at the 5th International Cancer Control Congress (ICCC) on Nov. 3-6, 2013, in Lima, Peru. As a member of Komen’s Scientific Advisory Board, I was excited to be among the more than 400 health researchers and community leaders from throughout the world came together for this important meeting. Dr. Simon Sutcliffe of Vancouver, Canada, president of the ICCC and chair of the international steering ...
Changelab Solutions and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership have released the Safe Routes to School District Policy Workbook to help parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders in the creation of their own district policies to support walk and bike to school programs. By using this interactive tool anyone can create a district-wide policy to support better health and obesity prevention in schools and tailor it to meet their needs. Learn more about how school districts can support Safe Routes to School and create a policy that everyone can buy ...
A surprisingly large percentage of very young children in California, including 70% of Latino children, eat fast food regularly, according to a new research brief, News-Medical.Net reports. The study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research examined survey data to examine kids' dietary behaviors and the impact of parents on food choices. The study found that: 60% of all kids between the ages of 2 and 5 had eaten fast food at least once in the previous week.
29% of all kids had eaten fast food two or more times in the previous week.
Only 57% of parents reporting that their child ate at least five fruit and vegetable servings the previous day.
Latino and Asian parents say they have less influence over what their child eats than other groups. "A weekly happy meal is ...
Woodburn, Oregon, is a small, mostly Latino town south of Portland that’s miles away from a full-service supermarket. The Come N Go corner store, on the outskirts of town, provides hot pre-packaged foods and snacks for on-the-go families and farm workers who stop by on their way to the surrounding fields and farms. Find out how the owner of Come N Go, a Latina mother with two jobs, made it her mission to give customers healthier options.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Elizabeth Montano had always toyed with the idea of opening her own shop, and when the security of her full-time job became uncertain, it looked like the time was right. In April 2012, Montano opened Come N Go, a convenience store that sells pre-packed snacks and drinks, as well as some hot items like soup and burritos that ...
In this video, John Wetmore the producer of Perils for Pedestrians Television, interviews Deb Hubsmith, director of the Safe Routes National Partnership, who provides a comprehensive overview of how the National Safe Routes to School program got started and how partnerships across the country are working to prevent childhood obesity through the creation of sidewalks and improved infrastructure as well as walking and biking programs. Hubsmith also speaks of the amazing demand that there is for SRTS and about how states are working through their departments of transportation with schools and non-profits, to reduce health disparities among various groups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmMZTA7F7qo&feature=share&list=SPpdpl8imBL0ONf7zvdt19EnjOQxNEkDAo Other notable speakers in this ...
Toddlers from low-income Hispanic, American Indian (AI), and Alaskan Native (AN) homes are at increased risk for obesity, according to a new study, Medscape reports. The federal study, published in the journal Pediatrics, collected weight data for 1.2 million children at ages 0 to 23 months in 2008 and followed up with them within 24 to 35 months in 2010-11. In 2008, 13.3% of children were obese. In 2010-11, 36.5% of those children remained obese and 11% who were not obese at baseline became obese at follow-up. The Medscape article also highlighted some striking disparities in children's weight by race/ethnicity:
At baseline, obesity rates were higher among Hispanic and AI/AN toddlers, with 18.0% of AI/AN children obese at baseline compared with 15.3% of Hispanic children, 12.8% of ...
In El Paso, a largely Latino city located at the southwestern tip of Texas near the Mexico border, the Latino cultural influence can be found in architecture, décor, events—and especially food. But city residents struggle with high rates of obesity and related diseases, including diabetes. A new restaurant initiative is encouraging local businesses to help children in the community make healthier choices when dining out. One local restaurant owner in particular, who was unhappy with what his own kids were stuck ordering on kids’ menus around town, set out to prove that creating a healthy, tasty kids’ menu can be easy to do and good for business.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: During a Sunday dinner out with his kids, Jesus Roybal was shocked at what he saw on the kids’ menu. “It was ...
Obesity rates have nearly doubled over the past 15 years in Nebraska. The youth obesity rate in Douglas County, which includes the state’s largest city, Omaha, is even higher (28%) than the state’s overall rate. A group of Latino youth advocates recognized obesity’s pervasiveness in their high-school ranks in Omaha and decided to help their peers improve their nutritional knowledge and make healthier food choices at school. This effort yielded a novel “Green is Go” marketing campaign that simultaneously highlights healthy food options in school cafeterias and stigmatizes less healthy options. Not only did the students conceptualize this campaign, they worked with school and other officials to get it implemented in their cafeteria.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Omaha, Neb., has a ...
Eating healthy during the holidays is not impossible, according to MomsRising, which galvanizes women around different issues, including health. MomsRising united several food bloggers last year for a blog carnival focused on holiday eating. Several of the carnival's posts have relevance this year, too, for Latino families: Savory Latino Meals without the Meat (in Spanish here), by Elisa Bastista
In Food We Trust, by Antonio Diaz
Quinoa Salad, by Vianney Rodriguez
A Simple Chile de Arbol Salsa, by Nicole Presley
Mango, Jicama, and Cucumber Salad, by Veronica Gonzalez-Smith Check out all recent blog carnival posts from MomsRising ...
