Schools in Fresno, CA (52.8% Latino) opened their green and blue spaces to the public. Green spaces are parks, playgrounds, sports fields and other outdoor play spaces. Blue spaces are swimming pools, lakes and rivers. Latino kids lack safe green and blue spaces, thus face higher rates of chronic disease, drowning, and drowning related injuries compared to white kids. In June 2016, the Fresno Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department (PARCS) started a new Weekend Recreation and Fitness Program (WRFP) to get help kids and families stay more active. With a $1.2 million dollar budget from the City of Fresno, Fresno Unified School District, and Central Unified School District, they opened school facilities, like playgrounds, sports fields and green space, ...
Latino children may have education disadvantages when starting kindergarten. Head Start, which is free for low-income families, may help to improve school readiness with curriculum to enhance children's language, pre-literacy, and social-emotional skills. In 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services Head Start passed new performance standards increasing the minimum program hours. This is great for kids and families, but a challenge for providers due to limited space. In Alexandrian, Minnesota, half-day classes could share the same facility, one in the morning and a second in the afternoon, but didn't have the space to offer full day programming for both classes. They needed more space. Jim Haugen, Head Start Supervisor approached Alexandria Technical and Community ...
Americans spend more on bicycling gear and trips ($81 billion) than they do on airplane tickets and fees ($51 billion), and nearly as much on snow sports ($53 billion) as on internet access ($54 billion), according to a 2012 report by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA). OIA predicts that Americans spend $646 billion each year on outdoor recreation, which supports 6.1 million direct jobs and $80 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue. Outdoor recreation includes gear, such as apparel, footwear, tents, and bikes; vehicles, such as boats, RVs, and motorcycles; and trips and travel. In many communities, it's outdoor recreation that provides steady employment. "Advancements in technical apparel, footwear and equipment are driving innovation and entrepreneurism, while ...
Walking is critical for accessibility. One-third of all American are not able to drive, either because they are too old, too young, too poor, or have some form of disability. People with disabilities are the only minority group you don't have to be born into. Meaning, at any time, any one of us could become part of this group due to injury or illness. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) was founded in 1999 as a resource center on health promotion for people with disability. They launched a campaign in 2015 to rebrand the word walking. Walking is particularly important for the elderly, people with disability, and lower-income people who have fewer opportunities to participate in sports of formal exercise programs. The How I Walk ...
Twelve middle schools in the San Antonio Independent School District are opening the doors to their gym four days a week as a pilot program to help keep students active over the summer. Creating opportunities for kid's to remain active over the summer is critical to build a culture of health and reduce their risk for obesity and chronic disease. Particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods which lack safe places for kids to play. The Athletic Conditioning & Enrichement (ACE) pilot program was developed by the district's assistant athletic director, Courtney Davis. For two hours a day, coaches teach middle school students about muscle strength, injury prevention, and nutrition. In collaboration with district's summer meals program, students receive two meals a day, before ...
How many steps do you get each day? Does your step number relate to you risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease? In the only six states where people take 8,500+ steps a day, people also have lower heart disease and diabetes risk than the U.S. average, according to Fitbit data. On the flip side, in the only six states where people take fewer than 7,800 steps a day, people also had higher heart disease and diabetes risk than the U.S. average. These correlations might not be shocking. “Obviously, the more exercise you do, the better it is for your heart health,” said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at NYU Langone Medical Center, told The Washington Post. But it's not clear exactly how many steps are needed, and whether Latinos ...
Since 2010, Detroit Swims has taught more than 5800 kids how to swim and aims to teach all kids in the Metro Detroit. Swimming is excellent for mental and physical health, as well as academic achievement, but of f the 120,000 children in the city, it’s estimated 100,000 of them can’t swim, according to one source. Detroit Swims is a nonprofit started by lifeguards in 2010 at the Boll Family YMCA to reduce disparities in swim ability. The lifeguards contributed $2000 out of their paycheck to teach the first 35 kids how to swim. Latino kids across the country often lack access to pools and swimming lessons, thus face higher rates of drowning and obesity related chronic disease compared to white kids. Detroit Swims has expanded to over six locations, and works with local ...
Summertime means fun time for kids. Well...it's supposed to. For Latino kids, it can also lessen already minimal opportunities to get healthy food or access safe places to play, according to Salud America! research. That's why we are spotlighting three heroes who are saving summer for Latino families!
Melissa & Mary
Rescuing Fruit for San Antonio Families Many families in San Antonio (63% Latino) live in food deserts. Ironically, there are lots of fruit trees in people's yards—but fruit often falls and rots. UTSA grad students Melissa Federspill and Mary Minor saw this waste. They wanted to harvest fruit trees to share with families. So they mapped local fruit trees online. They met with neighbors. They recruited volunteers to pick trees. And they contacted ...
By Emilie Bahr
America Walks The car was once seen in this country as the ultimate vehicle of freedom. It was a symbol of unfettered access and mobility that could take an occupant wherever he or she wanted to go in a manner that was glamorous, convenient and fast. Yet roughly 100 years after our automotive experiment began, the thing that was once an expression of status and a tool in attaining the American Dream is losing some of its luster—while walkable communities are experiencing a comeback. This subtle yet meaningful paradigm shift is taking shape in a context in which the unintended effects of our car dependency have become undeniable. These include soaring rates of obesity and chronic disease; communities isolated from access to such essential needs as jobs, ...
