Most Americans are still not aware of the many serious health consequences associated with being obese. Additionally, misconceptions about what healthy weight and obesity look like further complicates adults' and parents' ability to correctly identify weight status, thus they are unable to correctly identify their and their children's risk for life-long health complications. According to the Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) 2012 report, "obese people are far more likely to develop chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart disease and cancer. Obese children are more likely to have one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, to be prediabetic (i.e., at high risk for developing diabetes), and to suffer from bone ...
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Latina women, especially those who are BRCA1 positive, but according to researchers a drug commonly used to treat osteoporosis may prevent breast cancer, CNN reports According to results from a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, the drug, denosumab, “can stop certain breast tissue cells with the mutation from morphing into cancerous tumors.” "If this is an effective prevention strategy, then our hope is that it will be possible to prevent or delay breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 mutation and possibly other women at high genetic risk," said Jane Visvader a co-author of the study. "It would be great if this strategy could 'buy time' for women considering having ...
A recent article reports that Santiago, Chile is working to combat obesity by providing consumers with warning labels on unhealthy foods. Chile deals with high obesity and diabetes rates. In 2014 an article reported Chile to be the fattest nation in the world, with 37% of boys overweight or obese and girls at 32%. The legislation passed back in 2012, will now be implemented with restrictions on advertising unhealthy foods to kids and also will indicate caloric content with black octagons and warnings showing high fat, sugar, sodium or caloric content. Latino kids in the U.S. also deal with higher diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. Studies show that incorporating guidelines in schools that restrict access to unhealthy foods and beverages positively impact ...
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the U.S. Air Force has partnered to bring Kids LiveWell meals to kids and families as part of the Air Force FitFamilies initiative. The Air Force FitFamilies initiative is a web-based goal incentive program for families, encouraging families to have active goals, resources, and recipes to increase healthy choices. The Kids LiveWell is the NRA's program created in partnership with Healthy Dining in 2011, which limits sugar, fats, and sodium and increases more healthy options for kids including fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat diary. Healthy Dining website also offers families workout videos, nutrition tips, and quick and healthy recipes along with tips from nutritionists on how to choose healthier options when ...
Latinos represent nearly 25% of all public high school students. It has been projected that this is a trend that will continue increasing for years to come. Latinos have made progress in terms of college and career readiness, but more work still needs to be done. A new brief, authored by Excelencia in Education and ACT, Inc., offers recommendations that policymakers and schools can implement to increase Latino college and career readiness. The report, entitled College & Career Readiness 2015 – Hispanic Students provides a snapshot of the academic performance of Latino high school students that graduated in 2015 and took the ACT college readiness assessment. Key findings from the brief include determining that Latino students have high postsecondary aspirations. Parents are ...
A recent article reported research from a national survey, showing that more than 10 percent of Latinos reported difficulty in accessing affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. The report also indicated that Latino families that live further from larger grocery stores also may be at risk for poor health. Many small supermarkets or corner stores are starting to carry more fresh fruit options, however, the price of fruits and vegetables at smaller stores are many times still higher in cost than at a larger grocer. Studies show that Latinos may be more likely to buy healthier foods if small convenient stores offered healthier foods at affordable prices. For instance, one New York program added and promoted healthy food items at local bodegas and it led to more fruit (32% increase in ...
A growing body of research suggests that physical activity is associated with maintaining a strong and healthy mind, boosting memory and learning, and possibly delaying age-related cognitive decline. A new study supported by the National Institute for Health (NIH) and published in Cell Metabolism found a specific protein secreted by skeletal muscle cells during physical activity that enters the bloodstream and can cross the blood-brain barrier, which is noteworthy because not all proteins cross it. In mice, this protein is thought to be neuro-protective and associated with the production of new neurons in part of the brain associated with memory, thus physical activity induced secretion of this protein may prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease.. Adults who exercise more ...
Louisiana will be seeing more grocers and farmer's markets expanding fresh food in needy areas, as the Healthy Food Retail Act has been approved for one million in funding from the state. The Governor signed the budget bill to implement the law's budget, allowing families to have more access to fresh, healthy, affordable foods. Market Umbrella and their partner Together Louisiana also provided leadership in the bill's initiative. Vah Hook of the recently said in the American Heart Association News that these efforts in the South towards food access are welcomed as food is a part of everyone's life, and these initiatives are a win-win for vulnerable communities, agricultural interests, and economic development.
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Woodburn High School is an institution that faces unique challenges. Located in Woodburn, Ore. (56.05% Latino population), just south of Portland, the school’s administrators have gone to great lengths for a singular mission: every child must graduate. “Woodburn is pretty unique in the state of Oregon,” said Mario Garza, the college and career counselor at Woodburn High. “Our population is about 80% to 85% Hispanic—the vast majority being Mexican immigrants or second and third generation Mexican Americans.” The Woodburn School District has gone to great lengths to support these students. Beginning in kindergarten, these students receive a full bilingual education. They have broken the campus down into four smaller “schools” to ensure everyone is receiving the ...
