Sugary drinks are a large component of added calories in the American diet. Latino kids have increased their consumption of sugary drinks—such as soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and flavored milk—between 1991 and 2008, research shows. In Contra Costa, Calif., where 24% of the population is Latino, one of every three kids from low-income families are overweight or obese. A county organization worked with an advertising agency to develop a bilingual social marketing campaign, called Sugar Bites, to urge parents to choose water for their kids instead of sugary drinks.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: First 5 California is a state organization funded by Proposition 10, a statewide ballot initiative passed in 1998, to conduct health and education programs to benefit children ages ...
Kids at Westwood Elementary School in Houston lacked programs to keep them active after classes ended each day. Samuel Karns, a health fitness instructor/coach at Westwood, decided to step up to the challenge and find a way to bring more exercise and sport related activities to keep his students moving. His work resulted in a series of afterschool fitness clubs, an afterschool intermural sports program, a student-led school health advisory council (K-SHAC) for elementary-school students, an action based learning lab and a one-of-a-kind district-wide initiative to bring physical activity to sixth-graders.
Emergence
Awareness: In fall 2009, Samuel Karns was only a few months into his job as a health fitness instructor/coach at Westwood Elementary School in the Spring Branch ...
America Bracho, executive director of Latino Health Access shares an inspirational testimony on "what happens when patients become leaders on the health team?" In this TEDMED talk, Bracho speaks about her background as a physician from Venezuela and of Irma, a community health worker who succeeded in bringing the first park and community center to a predominantly Latino area of Santa Ana. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jxCG6d4LiGQ In this Q&A, Havey Fineberg, President of the Institute of Medicine asks Bracho to provide some practical insight into what qualities make a good community health ...
Hispanics suffer a heavier burden of health conditions like diabetes, uncontrolled blood pressure, and work-related deaths, according to a new federal report. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Supplement, released on Nov. 21 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlights differences in mortality and disease risk for multiple conditions related to behaviors, access to health care, and social determinants of health—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, age, and work. The report highlights several Hispanic-oriented issues or conditions: Preventable hospitalization rates were highest for Hispanics and blacks.
Diabetes rates were highest among Hispanics and blacks.
Rates of uncontrolled blood pressure were highest among Mexican ...
On Nov. 3, Pilsen community members gathered in an office at St. Pius Church to discuss the redevelopment project for the Roots and Rays Community Garden located at the intersection of Cullerton and Laflin. They plan to meet weekly to discuss the progress as well as brainstorm ways to have the garden better serve the community. The Pilsen garden’s soil will go under a remediation process beginning in January due to detected levels of lead and chromium that increase safety risk for the local gardeners and their children. The remediation of the soil is made possible through the approval from Alderman Danny Solis (26th Ward) and a partnership with Neighbor Space, a nonprofit and community land trust dedicated to the protection and development of community gardens across the ...
Obesity and diabetes are serious health concerns in underserved Latino communities. In this video from HBO's The Weight of the Nation Series, America Bracho executive director of Latino Health Access (LHA) explains why interventions are needed both before and after chronic diseases develop. "Any strategy wanting to defeat obesity needs to be community centered," Bracho said. Bracho has worked with the Latino community in Santa Ana, CA to find both short term and long term solutions to dealing with obesity. One way LHA is doing this is by bringing mobile playgrounds to children. The group is also working to have a park built in an area of the city where not one park exists. "We need to do something today...We need to create parks," Bracho remarks in this ...
Ever wondered where to find a playground in your neighborhood? Check out Ka-BOOM's Map of Play to find a playspace near you! You can also help others locate a playspace in their area by adding to the Map of Play by using your smartphone. According to Ka-BOOM only 1 in 5 children live within walking distance of a playspace. Find out how your neighborhood rates! To learn more visit Ka-BOOM's Map of Play website or locate a playspace by typing in a city, state, or zip code in the search bar ...
Looking for ways to get the community excited about biking around your town? Why not host a bike rack design competition, like Brownsville did? View the Planning Brownsville Facebook page and check out the details of the city-wide bike-rack design competition, held in the Fall of ...
About 5 million U.S. Latinos smoke, and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Latino men and second-leading cause among Latina women, according to federal data. To address this important public health issue, the National Cancer Institute developed http://espanol.smokefree.gov/, a website created specifically for Spanish speakers who want to quit smoking or know someone who does. Resources include interactive checklists and quizzes, advice on how to help a loved one quit, and real-time support and ...
