Healthy Lifestyle Tips and Tools in Spanish



We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition), a national movement to promote a healthy weight for kids, provides parents and communities with many Spanish-language materials, such as tools, tracking sheets, training, and other information to encourage a healthy and physically active lifestyle. Spanish-language resources include: Ayuda a tu familia a celebrar con comidas sabrosas y a mantener un peso saludable Bocadillos 100 Calorías o Menos Como las familias encuentran el equilibrio: Un manual para los padres de familia If you'd like more info about We Can!, call toll-free at ...

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Foreign-Born Latinos Healthier, Live Longer Than U.S.-Born, New Jersey Study Says



Foreign-born Latinos in New Jersey are healthier, have fewer vices and live longer than Hispanics born in the U.S., mirroring a national trend, according to a new report, Fox News Latino reports. According to the news report: The report, released by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, found that foreign-born residents of New Jersey are primarily healthier than native-born residents, and also have healthier lifestyles. About 20 percent of New Jersey residents are foreign immigrants, and, of those 20 percent, approximately 36 percent are Hispanic, the report says. The large proportion of foreign-born Latino residents were found to have lower mortality rates than U.S.-born Hispanics for most leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, ...

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Minorities Still Face Daunting Transportation Issues in U.S.



Many of us are familiar with the historic connection between civil rights and transportation, from Plessy vs. Ferguson in the 1890s to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the 1960s, writes Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, in a recent e-mail to PolicyLink followers. Today, transportation remains a 21st century civil rights issue for minorities and low-income people. For example, nearly 20% of African American households, 14% of Latino households, and 13% of Asian households lack access to automobiles, compared with nearly 5% of white households. Also, nearly 60 percent of public transportation riders are people of color. For decades, advocates all over have continued to push for much-needed reforms in America’s transportation policies that will help ...

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Cancer Survival and the Hispanic Paradox



A new study of cancer survival among Hispanics found important variations by Hispanic subgroup. The study, published in the journal Cancer Causes Control, indicates that, for cancers of moderate outcome, the adjusted risk of death was higher among all Hispanic populations in comparison with non-Hispanic Whites: 6% higher for Cubans, 11% for Puerto Ricans, and 13% for U.S.-born Mexicans. Foreign-born Mexicans, even with incomplete follow-up, had a 24% higher risk of death. No evidence of a Hispanic advantage was found in cancer survival. The researchers, who studied all 1.2 million cancer cases diagnosed during 1995-2003 in Florida and Texas, suggest improvements are needed in mortality follow-up procedures for Latinos, especially for those without a valid social security number. "By ...

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San Antonio School District Transforms Cafeterias into Healthy Cafés



Students at Northside Independent School District cafeterias in San Antonio are noticing changes as they choose their food. New options are fresh fruit bowls, veggies, salads, lean meats and whole-grain rolls. Gone are white-flour breads, high-fat cheese, fried food and sodas. Even the cafeteria name is gone—“café” has taken its place. The Northside Child Nutrition Department has spent $1.5 million over the last two years to provide more fresh fruits and salads, and new entrée options with less sodium and fat, in order to improve access to healthy foods. The district also has revamped the marketing of its healthy foods and has a mascot named NIC (Nutrition Instructional Chimp) to visit schools and tout healthy choices. “If you take this food away from the ...

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Free Bilingual Children’s Books Teach Healthy Lifestyles to Latino Kids



A Latino boy plays soccer and encourages kids to play and eat right. A Latina girl and her classmates learn about “veggie cousins.” These are two storylines from the new ¡Salud, familia! children’s book series, from Houston-based publisher Arte Público Press, in which young protagonists make choices about healthy eating and active lifestyles to reduce Latino childhood obesity and diabetes. The free books are distributed free through community partners to low-income Hispanic families with school-aged children in both urban and rural areas across the U.S. “Childhood obesity and diabetes among Latinos are already at pandemic levels; we hope to positively influence Latino attitudes towards healthy lifestyles and nutrition at the grass-roots and policy levels,” said ...

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See Who’s Stepping Up Vs. Latino Child Obesity



How can... Bilingual kids' books teach Latinos about healthy lifestyles? (Page 1) School cafeterias transform into healthy cafés? (Page 3) Researchers more easily investigate American childhood obesity? (Page 4) Find the answers and more in the latest Salud America! E-newsletter. Also find out the latest in Latino childhood obesity policy, news and updates on Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, which developed SaludToday. To sign up to receive Salud America! E-newsletters, go ...

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Arthritis Takes Varying, Heavy Toll on Hispanic Groups



Rates of arthritis vary among different Hispanic groups, but its overall effects appear to be substantial across groups, according to an analysis of national CDC survey data, MedPage Today reports. According to the report: Subgroups of Hispanic patients reported different rates of doctor-diagnosed arthritis, with 11.7% of Cubans and Cuban-Americans saying they had some form of arthritis, compared with 21.8% of Puerto Ricans -- similar to rates of 22.6% among non-Hispanic whites and 21.4% among non-Hispanic blacks, reported Louise Murphy, PhD, of the CDC, and colleagues. At the same time, more than 20% of all Hispanic subgroups with some form of arthritis also reported suffering one or more of its effects -- activity and work limitations and severe joint pain -- Murphy and her ...

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Hispanics, Other Minorities Less Likely to Get Treatment for Depression



The percentage of white adolescents who received any major depression treatment was higher (40%) than blacks (32%), Hispanics (31%), and Asians (19%), according to a new study. Black, Hispanic, and Asian adolescents were also significantly less likely than whites to receive treatment for major depression from mental health professionals or medical providers, and to have any mental health outpatient visits (all after adjusting for demographics and health status). The adjustment for socioeconomic status and health insurance status accounted for only a small portion of the estimated differences in major depression treatment measurements and outpatient utilization across racial/ethnic groups. Other factors, such as stigma and limited proficiency in English, possibly contributed to ...

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