Linda Joseph, a special needs teacher in Florida, with some of the highest drowning rates in the country, wanted to make sure her students could swim and weren’t afraid of the water. As someone who values whole-child health, Joseph knows that water safety boosts confidence and opens doors to many water-based physical activities and associated brain and body benefits. She went to a nearby pool for information and learned about and enrolled her students in free water safety education lessons through SWIM Central.
Fear of Drowning is High in Florida Linda Joseph, a special needs teacher at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (13.7% Latino), lost both of her parents to a drowning accident when she was 16. She became fearful of water and didn’t learn ...
In the past 15 years, the drowning rate of school-age children in Broward County, Fla., has plummeted thanks in part to SWIM Central, a program that provides free water safety education classes and transportation for public school children. However, drowning rates remain the No. 1 cause of death among children younger than 5. SWIM Central’s manager and primary funder, the Children’s Services Council, teamed up to develop a voucher program for parents to get their children under 5 into water safety education classes for free or very low cost.
Drowning is No.1 Killer in South Florida Cindy Arenberg Seltzer and Jay Sanford have long been advocates for water safety education for children in Broward County, Fla. (27.5% Latino). Seltzer is president and CEO of the ...
Nicolas Rivard and Allison Hu, urban designers in San Antonio and members of Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Association, learned about an upcoming street construction project that lacks walkable streetscape elements in their neighborhood. They saw this an an opportunity. The urban designers mobilized community members to get involved and request walkable streetscape elements, and the city responded by adding street trees, separated sidewalks, and landscaping. Today, through their recent project, Place Changing, the designers use “participatory design” processes to build planning literacy and equip residents with strategies to continue to get involved in city planning and development projects.
Walkability Low in East San Antonio Neighborhood
Nicolas Rivard and Allison Hu, urban ...
Improving health isn't limited to the doctor's office or to a lab. Quite the opposite, in fact. The zip code you grow up in is a better predictor of your health than your genetics. This is due to non-medical drivers of health that influence health behaviors. Take street trees, for example. A recent study, on neighborhood green space and health, found that street trees have numerous economic and health benefits. Exposure to green spaces can reduce sedentary time, promote physical activity, and reduce blood pressure, which is important for communities that are impacted by the non-medical drivers of health, because they often lack aesthetically pleasing active spaces, yet are burdened by increased rates of obesity, cancer, and chronic diseases like diabetes. "We find that ...
Exercise can increase the chances of survival after a heart attack, a new study by a team of researchers at John Hopkins and Henry Ford Health System suggests, Health reports. "Our data suggests that doctors working with patients with cardiovascular risk factors should be saying, 'Mr. Jones, you need to start an exercise program now to improve your fitness and chance of survival, should you experience a heart attack,'" says Dr. Clinton Brawner, Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Senior Bioscientific Clinical Staff Researcher at Henry Ford Health System. "These findings suggest that higher aerobic fitness before a heart attack is associated with better short-term survival after the first heart attack." The results of the study, which focused on 2,061 patients who ...
Some kids have fewer options for physical activity during the school day than their peers. When schools offer at least 60 minutes of physical activity, kids' physical activity increases by 150%, according to our new infographic on physical activity at school and kids. The infographic is part of Salud America!’s Healthier Schools and Kids research review, which tackles the latest issues on the school health environment and offers recommendations. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication ...
Schools are where kids consume half of their daily calories. But many kids are widely exposed to unhealthy foods at school, and are less likely to engage in physical activity in school, according to a new research review from Salud America!, a national network for childhood obesity prevention and communication funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Salud America!’s Healthier Schools and Kids research review shows that Latino-majority schools tend to: have weaker policies on school snacks and drinks than other schools; may be less likely to implement nutritional guidelines; and offer few programs or access to facilities for physical activity. Solutions are emerging to create healthier schools: School policies that reduce access to unhealthy snacks and drinks are likely ...
All kids, including Latinos, need a healthy school environment. How can we healthy schools become then norm? Some students are more exposed to unhealthy food in and out of school. Stronger nutrition standards for snack foods and drinks will help all students access to healthier snacks at school, which can positively influence body mass index (BMI) trends for all populations. In addition, some students also engage in less physical activity in school, and before and after school. Implementing relevant programs that reduce challenges can increase activity opportunities for Latino and all kids. See the Full Research Review with references (PDF)
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Contents
Introduction & Methods. This Salud America! ...
Schools often have physical activity facilities, but many are not open to the public. Shared use agreements—contracts between a school and a city, county, or sports league that outlines rules for sharing existing facilities—can help neighborhoods have more access to active spaces and help kids stay active and healthy, according to our new infographic on shared use agreements. The infographic is part of Salud America!’s Active Spaces and Kids research package, which tackles the latest issues on the physical activity environment and offers recommendations. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication ...
