Communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of risks for heart disease and stroke in the U.S. For this reason, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association created EmPowered To Serve, an online mega-community of diverse individuals and organizations united in building sustainable cultures of health in communities across the country. “When people join EmPowered To Serve, they have the opportunity to assess their personal health, assess the health of their community or environment and work on an action plan to improve problem areas. The aim of the platform is for communities to achieve at least a 10 percent improvement in health, which is measured through a post action plan assessment,” says Clyde Yancy, M.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine ...
Colorado is known for it's large mountains, hiking trails, and outdoor beauty, but how well do the kids in Colorado know the benefits of living in this naturally beautiful state? Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and the Greenway Foundation are growing healthy change for the future of their kids by providing more outdoor experiences through their Inspire Initiative. This 5 year $25 million grant program aspires to help 15 Colorado communities connect to the wild outdoors through close-to-home trails, parks, rivers, and woods. "That's an intoxicating vision of what Colorado could be. We could have a trail system that is second to none anywhere in the world," said Gov. John Hickenlooper, stating in the article about, his vision that in 20 years — within one generation — every ...
Why walk to school? Is it safe? Local Safe Routes to School Programs are only successful when they are used by the public. The Ohio Safe Routes Academy is helping their community understand the reasons why to use these programs and offering free workshops on ways to implement the programs in their own schools. They will be providing workshops on, Walking School Bus Training, Crossing Guard Training, Non-Infrastructure Implementation, How to Conduct a Walk Audit, Girls in Gear, and many other similar topics. The workshops will be free and benefit not only students, but also families and all residents in Ohio. To learn more about Ohio's next webinars and workshops, click here. To find out what can work in your community to help make the ways to school safer, check out ...
Grass is greener on the other side, or maybe just a 10-minute walk away. Green 2015 and the national Trust for Public Land are working under the program Parks for People- Philadelphia to bring in new parks and green spaces to Philadelphia's underserved communities. A study from Green 2015 showed that one in eight Philadelphia residents don't have access to public parks or green space within a short distance from home. Eighty percent of Americans are living in urban or metropolitan areas, where these green spaces offer the closest way for many Latino kids to get the exercise they need on a daily basis. Philadelphia's new initiative is to create suitable green spaces within a 10-minute walk of every home in the city. This goal is under a program called Parks for People- ...
If hit while walking by a driver going 20 mph, the risk of death is 5%. If hit while walking by a driver going 40 mph, the risk of death is 85%. Pedestrian advocates in Atlanta (10.2% Latino) are trying to slow drivers down and make walking safe and accessible for all pedestrians. Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety (PEDS) teaches drivers and pedestrians about their rights and responsibilities and encourages transportation professionals to design streets for pedestrians rather than only for cars. One effort is to post SLOW DOWN signs. Community members are posting SLOW DOWN signs on their streets to remind drivers not to treat their neighborhood street like a highway. PEDS made these signs free and available at participating stores and events across Atlanta. So ...
How can city leaders promote healthy living among constituents? Why not host a 2-mile community walk, the way San Antonio Councilman Mike Gallagher has organized for June 2015? Events such as these are a great for engaging constituents in important discussions about local policies and they demonstrate just how important it is to make active living the norm for Latino communities. The event is set to take place on: Date: Saturday, June 27th, 2015
Place: Comanche Lookout Park, 15551 Nacogdoches Rd. For more information and to RSVP call: ...
How do you get an entire city of people to get up and moving? Build them new trails and places to walk! That’s what happened when Angela Mora and other El Paso city officials teamed with community groups to gather a small budget and launch Move! El Paso Fitness Trails. The initiative created 13 new walking trails for the community, expanding the opportunities for people to walk, get moving, and reduce obesity!
The Struggle to Stay Active in El Paso Angela Mora, deputy director of the El Paso Public Health Department, was well aware of the city’s growing obesity problem. A lack of physical activity opportunities was a big reason for these obesity rates. A few years ago, about 29% of adults in El Paso County were physically inactive, compared to state and national averages ...
Improved technology, like smart phones and tablets, is often blamed for increasing unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles in children, especially Latino children. But what if this technology could be used to actually promote healthy living? Learn how a non-profit in Austin, Texas created a free mobile App that connects folks ready to get healthier with countless opportunities right in their backyard. EMERGENCE Awareness: Chances are most Texans know someone, even kids, with diet-related health conditions. In fact, 42.8% of 4th graders in Texas are overweight or obese. Making healthier lifestyle changes can make a big difference, especially for Latino kids, who make up a significant percentage of kids in Texas and are more likely to be overweight. Fortunately, IT’S TIME TEXAS (ITT) ...
How can we work to prevent obesity & chronic disease among Latinos before it happens? We need a culture of health and fitness and with that comes the need to find policies and community oriented solutions that serve to provide Latinos with more opportunities and fewer barriers to physical activity. One plan to get more Americans moving, which was recently proposed by Congress is the "PHIT ACT." According to Phitamerica.org, the bill's aim is to provide an incentive for being fit and healthy and to reduce health care costs. According to the bill, a $1 investment in physical activity would reduce medical expenses by $3.20 and because the most expensive illnesses are often related to weight related issues, investing in health before one gets sick may be a viable solution for ...
