A new study from Yale University indicates that a school breakfast may help ensure a healthier weight range for kids. Latino kids who are more at risk for unhealthy weight ranges and at risk for higher chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease may benefit from this research as the study suggests that students who consumed breakfasts were more likely to have a healthy weight trajectory. Researchers reviewed over 580 middle school students from fifth grade to seventh grade, from 12 school districts in urban schools where free breakfast and lunches are served daily. Evaluating breakfast location patterns, and the link between breakfast patterns and weight of students over time, researchers looked at six patterns of eating, and the odds of being overweight or obese for ...
A study from Preventing Chronic Disease showed that after districtwide policies were implemented across Boston schools, students had less access to sugar-sweetened beverages. The data showed that after a ban of sugar-sweetened beverages in 2004, 89.6% of all schools studied met beverage nutrition standards, with elementary schools showing the most compliance at 93.6 percent. Through the study, researchers also found that when these nutrition standards were met at 85.5 percent of schools studied, only four percent of students had little to no access to competitive beverages or sugary beverages at school. Rebecca S. Mozaffarian, MS, MPH of the department of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explained in a recent article that these ...
What does your school fundraiser look like? This question is a great way to ignite questions about healthier food fundraising for schools, as many schools across the nation are still allowing soda, and high-sugar foods to be used in school fundraising efforts, causing students to still be exposed to unhealthy foods. Healthy Eating Research (HER) and Bridging the Gap (BTG) have recently provided new data on food-related fundraising in schools. The new research brief reviews national research showing how using Smart Snacks Standards in food-related fundraising may help improve students weight outcomes and health. The research review also shows how more guidance is needed regarding fundraiser policies and practices nationwide. Suggested alternatives to unhealthy food-related ...
Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now. Angie Poggi-Burke
Hyattsville, Maryland Fueled by the efforts of her mother who worked hard to provide for her kids, Angie, this native Puerto Rican graduated high school early and struck out on her own, moving to Washington, D.C., after college and then working on federal health disparities projects. Her proactive nature has stoked her interest in non-communicable diseases, psychosocial issues, and even US Census medical expenditure data. Angie obtained a BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and an MPH in Biostatistics from the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus. "[Éxito!] is a great program! ...
The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture announced on March 7th, 2016, that they will continue to support the ongoing success of child nutrition programs like the School Breakfast Program. Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon said in a recent article, that the USDA will award $6.8 million in competitive Team Nutrition Training Grants to help provide support to schools and child care sites for successful implementation of healthy meals. According to the USDA, participation in school breakfast programs has increased by almost 27 percent; over 14 million students are now eating school breakfast each day. Nutritious meals are important to many Latino kids across the nation that eat more than half of their daily calories at school.
The Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS), a ...
In Houston, Texas, 53 percent of voters agreed that many Americans can not afford healthier foods and better food policy needs to ensure that everyone can have access to nutritious foods. According to research from Food Policy Findings in October 2015, 75 percent of voters favor incentives to promote sustainable farming and 45 say that healthy foods need to be more affordable for Texans. Recipe for Success Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on combating childhood obesity, is working to address voter priorities by asking for a "Veg-olution" to fight for a healthier food system. Working to get people involved they have asked companies, schools and communities to join VegOut! and get schools active with the Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education. If your company is interested in ...
The Board of Education in the Miss. Dept. of Education voted on Thursday, February 18, 2016, in support of the Smart Snacks Standard, making nutrition and healthy choices easier for students to access within the school. Part of the change allows the schools to ban junk food fundraisers, such as doughnuts, pizzas and candy bars. Along with this, small training grants will help boost school wellness councils that support healthy school changes. According to Preventobesity.net, the grants will give 100 schools a $3,000 grant to support healthy habits across schools. See how offering healthier options in schools for Latino kids may help their health, here! To read more about this change, click ...
"More than 40% of Latino children in the U.S. are growing up overweight, that's almost half of all Latino kids in the country, those kids are at risk of developing serious health problems like asthma, diabetes and heart disease," said Marissa Ortega-Welch of Latino USA on a recent radio show. In the mainly Latino populated school districts of Oakland, Cali. schools are taking healthier school foods a step further, banning junk food from school property. Most schools across the U.S. are working on implementing the standards of healthier school lunches but many kids and or parents still opt for lunches from home, allowing junk food to be a part of school's food environments. In Esperanza Elementary (98% Latino) most of the school kids are under the free and reduced lunches, so ...
Tazeen Chowdhury, Food Services Director at Mt. Lebanon School, is helping to show the nation what kids love about healthy meals at school. Invited to meet with politicians in Wash. D.C, during the Senates reconsideration of the National School Lunch Program, Chowdhury has paved the way for implementing healthier foods into the Mt Lebanon School District. She has been recognized as an example to lawmakers of how a nutritional food program can be implemented for success. Chowdhury said in a recent article that she was happy that legislators and policy makers want to hear from people in the field, the ones actually planning the menus and preparing school lunches. Chowdhury has seen for herself how kids love eating fresh foods at the salad bar like kiwi, avocado, and ...
