Sesame Street characters like Elmo and Rosita can now be used for free to market fresh produce in food stores by mid-2014 thanks to a new partnership aimed at encouraging children to eat more fruits and vegetables. The two-year partnership—between the Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative—allows PMA’s community of growers, suppliers and retailers to utilize the strength and influence of the Sesame Street brand without a licensing fee. That means characters like Big Bird, Elmo, Rosita and Abby Cadabby can adorn produce sections and products to showcase fresh fruits and vegetables to kids. “Just imagine what will happen when we take our ...
Residents of the largely Latino city of Brownsville, Texas, struggle to find affordable, healthy food in their neighborhoods, and overweight/obesity rates were higher than 80%, said City Commissioner Dr. Rose Gowen. The situation spurred health officials, researchers, and community members to unite and create a farmers’ market that would serve up fresh produce to residents.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: Downtown Brownsville, Texas, is home to many low-income Latino families. Many of these families struggle with chronic diseases, like diabetes. In fact, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than a quarter of children in Brownsville are overweight or obese. Brownsville City Commissioner and physician Dr. Rose Gowen saw this decline in community health. Eating ...
Research shows that children who consume too many sugary drinks risk developing diseases related to unhealthy weight. Latino children, because they tend to consume more sugary drinks than their peers, are at an even higher risk. Health leaders, school officials, and parents in one Latino community in California worked to create a policy to bump sugary drinks out of early-childcare centers and help kids fall in love with water at a young age.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: More than 44% of children overall in Madera County, Calif., are overweight or obese, and Latino children have even higher rates. Public health groups across California are recognizing these issues and working to reduce them. CA4Health, directed by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in California, is a statewide healthy-living ...
Dr. Ann Barnes talks to her patients daily about their health. When Barnes, an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Chief Medical Officer of Legacy Community Health, advises them to eat more fruits and vegetables, she hears common excuses. "'It’s too expensive, there’s nowhere near my house [to buy fresh produce].' That was weighing on me as a clinician," Barnes said. Barnes was worried some of her low-income patients would return to her office with illnesses or worse—pre-diabetes, heart problems, cancer—if they continued to not have access to fresh, healthy foods that would help them prevent disease. Then she had a revelation.
Big Idea: Farmer's Market at the Clinic
Houston, Texas, where nearly half the population is Latino, community ...
Beginning in mid-November of 2013, the University of Michigan Health Systems will only be offering healthy beverages on their campus and in their vending. This initiative is part of their commitment of health to their community and visitors of their Hospitals, Health Centers, administrative buildings, and Medical school. The new list of approved beverages for sale and distribution includes; water, flavored or infused waters, milk, tea, 100% fruit juice, diet beverages, coffee, and sugar-free sweetened coffee drinks (sugar packets will still be offered). Things no longer offered at these locations will be; non-diet soft drinks, sweetened fruit-flavored drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas, and sweetened coffees. The inclusion of healthier beverages will go beyond the ...
The nutritional quality of lunches is improving in schools in Fairfax, Va., which has a large Latino student population. But the news wasn’t all good. Parents saw that, despite healthier lunch improvements, sugary drinks remained stocked in vending machines. Sugary drinks consumption contributes to increased rates of obesity and diabetes, studies show. So several parents banded together and, with the support of a member of the local school board and students alike, made a change to remove sugary drinks and replace them with healthier options in vending machines at seven schools.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: The Fairfax School District serves around 184,000 students. In the district’s 25 high schools, Latinos make up 19% of the student body. JoAnne Hammermaster has two kids in the ...
An old, abandoned plot of land sat empty near the site of a triple homicide involving children in Brownsville, Texas (91% Latino). Could such a tragic location be transformed into beacon of hope—and health? The answer was yes, thanks to Dr. Belinda Reininger and others.
The Start of Healthy Changes in Brownsville
A weekly farmers’ market launched in 2008 in Brownsville, Texas. Dr. Belinda Reininger, assistant professor at the UT School of Public Health and head of the Brownsville Farmers’ Market, did the necessary paperwork to turn the market into a non-profit entity called The Brownsville Wellness Coalition. The new coalition had a mission to promote both physical activity and healthy food choices in light of rising obesity. The coalition son learned from local ...
Howard County Unsweetend, a group of concerned parents in Howard County, Maryland, have designed the Better Beverage Finder to helps kids and their parents search for healthy beverages and where to find them. You can filter your drink search by type of drink, type of sweetener, caffeine level, and more. Check out the Better Beverage ...
A new documentary by Mexican-American filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz delves into the lives of six Latino students to uncover the challenges and successes Latinos face in graduating and taking steps to improve their communities, NBC Latino reports. Ruiz' two-part documentary, The Graduates, takes a detailed look at the lives of three Latino male and three female students from different regions of origin, geographic areas, and socio-economic status. It also showcases nonprofit agencies and role models who are committed to providing resources to and helping Latino youth. The film also includes interviews with successful Latinos, such as actor Wilmer Valderrama and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who reflect on their own experiences as students. The documentary airs nationally on PBS ...
