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 ...
The number of communities throughout the U.S. adopting Complete Streets policies continues to grow. According to Smart Growth America, in 2014 at least 70 jurisdictions adopted new policies such as resolutions and ordinances, aimed at making roads safer and more livable for all road users. Rather than designing roads that cater to automobiles, Complete Streets policies serve to ensure that communities design streets to be more equitable. By placing greater emphasis on the need for sidewalks, bike lanes, and aesthetics, Complete Streets policies enhance safety and also encourage active transportation. Latino communities throughout the U.S. can greatly benefit from having Complete Streets. In many low-income, minority communities, biking, public transportation and walking are ...
Leaders in Manhattan broke ground last Friday on what will soon be a place for residents and visitors to gather for Farmers' markets and community events.
The Plaza de Las Americas will not only bring water and electricity to local vendors for the first time, but according to a StreetsblogNYC post, it will also serve to beautify the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights with trees, lighting, benches, tables, chairs, and a fountain.
Another added benefit to this project is that it may help improve traffic safety conditions. StreetsblogNYC reports that at least six pedestrians and bicyclists have been injured on Broadway road where the new plaza is set to be built.
Click here to learn more. Learn more about Latino kids and the lack of safe places for ...
Children and residents living in the South Bronx, are hoping to see some long needed improvements brought to St. Mary's Park.
Thanks to a $1.5 million commitment backed by city council member Melissa Mark-Viverito, the park's playground will hopefully soon see improvements.
“If you are a child growing up in a community where everything around you is in disarray, with trash and broken things, it sends a message that you don’t count,” said Deborah Marton, executive director of the New York Restoration Project, in a New York Times article. “If you walk through a well-maintained open space, even in a low-income community, you feel like your city is investing in you.”
According to the New York Times, although mayor Bill de Blasio recently launched a city-wide Community Parks ...
Are you ready to make health a priority in your community? Then look for the National Alliance for Hispanic Health's ¡Vive tu Vida! Get Up! Get Moving! event near you! On Saturday March 7, 2015, ¡Vive tu Vida! will kick-off its ninth annual community-wide event, which brings free health screenings and fitness programming to Latinos all across the U.S. Thanks to support from local community-based organization partner, Concilio Latino de Salud & multiple sponsors such as Newman’s Own Foundation, Univision, the Embassy of Mexico and the United States Tennis Association, the first of this 11-city event series will take place on Saturday at John R. Davis Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. At the event, in addition to free healthy screenings, there will ...
President Barack Obama has just announced the launch of a new initiative designed to get kids in parks! The Every Kid in a Park initiative will provide 4th graders and their families with free access to national parks for a whole year. Along with providing students with this important opportunity to experience the outdoors, the president also announced the designation of three new National Monuments across the U.S. The Every Kid in a Park initiative will expand opportunities for children by Making it easy for schools and families to plan trips by providing information about nearby parks, waters, & student programming;
Providing transportation support to schools with the greatest need, through the Ticket to Ride program; and
Providing educational materials via ...
Senators and representatives in Idaho, a state with a quickly growing Latino community, are tracking their steps, water intake, and servings of fruits and vegetables as part of a month long, friendly competition aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles and fighting childhood obesity. According to a Fox9 report 50 state legislators are taking part in a competition organized by health insurance provider Blue Cross of Idaho. At the end of the competition the three legislators who track the most physical activity and record eating more fruits and vegetables will win $5,000 from the Blue Cross of Idaho to go toward providing healthier options to elementary school children in their district. Funds will provide for outdoor exercise equipment, healthier meal options, and any other ...
What can communities do to encourage physical activity and protect the environment? According to Dr. Marty Nathan of Springfield, Massachusetts the answer is simple---remove barriers to walking by fixing and maintaining sidewalks. Dr. Nathan, who works as a physician in the North End of Springfield, a predominantly Latino side of town, believes that walking can prevent three things that cause us harm: obesity, air pollution and climate change. "I try as much as I can to avoid using cars to get where I need to go," Nathan said in a MassLive editorial. In the editorial Dr. Nathan speaks of how many of the low-income patients she sees depend on having safe places to walk, to get to jobs, stores and services. "Their health suffers when that cheapest of exercise forms – ...
Our friends over at Active Living Research (ALR) have done a wonderful job of creating a new Spanish infographic titled: "Hay Lugares Seguros Para Que Todos Los Ninos Puedan Realizar Actividades Físicas?" This translated version of ALR's popular "Do All Kids Have Safe Places to Be Active?" infographic was a collaborative effort between ALR and Salud America! The infographic paints a clear picture of the multiple barriers that keep children from low-income, Latino, and African American communities from being active. Despite the lack of recreational facilities, broken sidewalks, inadequate time for recess, and higher rates of automobile crashes and crime that exist in these underserved communities, there's hope! By working for improved policies and improvements to ...
