A number of factors can help make school wellness policies a success. To provide parents and educators with examples of what's worked in schools so far, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gathered a series of 11 stories from schools throughout the U.S. In their study of what works best the CDC found 7 commonalities among schools with successful school wellness policies including: A "wellness champion” (parent, teacher, administrator, or community member) who served as the driving force for developing and implementing
the wellness policy;
A wellness council to lead implementation efforts;
Students who were involved in the design process through activities (i.e. students participated in taste tests);
Parents were invited to help set wellness goals ...
David Rivas’ grandfather was not only like a father to him while growing up. He was also a mentor who guided him and taught him the valuable skills of adaptability, entrepreneurship and showed him the importance of being “educado” (educated). Rivas puts those life lessons into use and is now studying epidemiology and biostatistics as a master’s student in public health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He is passionate about understanding how health conditions turn cancerous. Rivas, a native of California who was raised in Ontario, Calif., is completing a one-year internship with the State of Nevada’s Adult Viral Hepatitis and STD Prevention and Control program as a health research analyst. He also serves as a laboratory assistant and sampling ...
More Latinos get their news via smartphones, but the number of Hispanic newspaper journalists has dropped by half since 2005. That's why Arizona State University has created a digital platform where students get real-world experience reporting critical health, education, economic, and other news in Spanish for local Latinos. The platform is called Cronkite Noticias/Mixed Voces. It is led by ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and funded by Raza Development Fund, which fosters economic growth and opportunities for Latino families across the country, ASU Now reports. The platform is guided by bilingual multimedia journalist Valeria Fernández who works "with a team of six bilingual Cronkite students to produce a variety of in-depth, Spanish-language ...
Certain foods can lessen your risk for cancer, research shows. Yadira Montoya takes food to another level by sharing healthy cultural favorites and using her “molcajete” to spark important conversations. Her commitment to help improving the health profile of her community and her bicultural background has positioned her to take on several roles in health education, outreach and research in health literacy and nutritional interventions. As the coordinator of community engagement at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, she works on initiatives to boost access to Alzheimer’s education, family support services, and research opportunities among older Latino adults, particularly individuals and families with limited English proficiency. To expand her training and prepare for ...
Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2016 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now. Pride for Puerto Rico runs deep in Marisabel Roman Afanador’s blood, from the traditional Bomba traditional musical style to the rich cultural heritage. Still, the country historical has struggled with health issues and domestic violence. That’s why Afanador, a San Juan native who learned from her grandmother’s resilience in the face of domestic violence, is dedicated to make a difference in the lives and health of women—specifically las mujeres de la isla (women of the island). Afanador works as a licensed social worker and is passionate for public health promotion and education because of all the possibilities it provides. She wants ...
Recess can help kids get their 60 minutes of recommended daily physical activity to reduce their risk of developing lifelong chronic diseases, like heart disease, and diabetes, and to improve their academic performance and mental health. Unfortunately, Latino kids have fewer opportunities before, after, and during school for physical activity than white kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and SHAPE America have developed a guide that provide schools with 19 evidence-based strategies for recess, as well as a planning guide and template to help develop a written recess plan that integrates these strategies. Download these free resources to start a healthy change in your school and then spread the word! Recess is a critical part of the school ...
Both her mother and uncle knew Rosario Silva was destined for something greater than growing up to be a factory worker, like many Latinos in her Missouri community. Silva was meant for helping Latinos get health care they need. Indeed, Silva grew up and become her family’s first college graduate when she earned a bachelor’s degree at Brown University in Rhode Island. She went on to study behavioral science and earned a master’s degree in public health from Saint Louis University. Now she wants to study Latino healthcare disparities and implement sustainable interventions that will alleviate many of chronic conditions that affect Latinos. To increase her training, she applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which recruits 25 ...
Many Latino preschool kids deal with heavy advertisements of unhealthy food marketing and consume more sugary beverages and junk foods than their peers. Now a new study highlights the importance of healthier food marketing to kids of preschool age. The study reported on in Pediatrics found that food advertisement exposure may actually encourage more eating among the young, and depending on which foods are offered, could be adding to a risk for unhealthy weights. Sixty children ages two to five were given a healthy snack then asked to watch a 14-minute TV ad, half watching an ad about food, the other half watching an ad featuring a department store. They were then given an option after seeing the ads to consume more snack foods, where the kids who saw the food ad ate 30 more ...
Jose Ramos never gives up. He learned how to persevere from his mother, who survived breast cancer, and his parents, who worked hard to provide for their family. He managed to stay out of the same trouble—crime and dropping out of school—that afflicted his siblings. And he is keeping his goal in sight: becoming an MD/PhD. Ramos, who was the first in his family to graduate high school and college, is currently studying global disease as a master’s student in public health at Columbia University. He’s not just limiting his efforts to the classroom, either. In 2016, Ramos earned a fellowship with the Ministry of Health in Cape Town, South Africa. He also will intern with the Brazilian Health Association in Rio de Janeiro, where he will conduct community-based ...
