According to the U.S. Military Processing Exam, 62,000 new recruits to the military were turned away in joining the military due to their weight. Juan Cardenas, a member of the Marine Corps junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Northridge High School, offered fellow students a presentation on healthier foods, nutrition, calories, and label reading. Sixteen year old Cardenas said in a local article, that he wasn't always the strongest and fastest kid, but was always the bigger kid, but now he is the kid that can "hold his own" and compete. Cardenas knows that eating healthy and exercising has helped him and hopes to show that to his peers. Latino kids are at higher risks for diet-related dieseases like obesity and diabetes, and according to the the local article, ...
The Springfield City Council has voted to authorize seven million dollars to help support a growing meals program for the state's second largest public school system. The money will help purchase and renovate a warehouse dedicated to help save taxpayers money and provide healthier school meals for the city's 30,000 impoverished kids, by housing all food-related operations for the district into one place. The school's department of finance chief Patrick Roach explained that the warehouse will help save the program over half a million dollars a year, and help create a culinary and nutrition center that will allow for more scratch cooking and less processed foods. The warehouse will also allow high school students learning opportunities and provide 40 additional full-time jobs to ...
Wanting to help change the scene for healthy school lunches, mom of three and now new entreprenuer, Gaby Wilday started her own way of changing school lunches. With a startup company called, No Fuss Lunch, Wilday works with schools to offer up fresh and healthier options like organic salads and whole wheat made bread. After Wilday's daughter came home from school with expired raisins, which were considered a "fruit" she was inspired to create healthier lunches that included fresh organic fruits and vegetables for her daughter and her 7 friends kids. The lunches cost more, as they are made with no white ingredients and organic fruits and vegetables, but are convenient for families who don't have time to make lunches in the morning, and allows parents and kids to go online and ...
The child poverty rate in Colorado declined in 2014, marking the first consecutive decline in over a decade as was determined by the annual KIDS COUNT in Colorado! report. However, disparities still exist and improvements are not reaching all children. Colorado’s overall child poverty rate is 15%, which is still five points higher than it was in 2000. Poverty is defined as an annual income of less than $23,850 for a family of four. Disparities also remain significant for many children of ethnic and racial minorities. “We’re encouraged by the improvements in well-being for Colorado kids,” said Chris Watney, President and CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “These trends are buoyed by economic progress, as well as key policy changes supported by research. Breakthroughs ...
A new campaign from the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles is working to help the communities of Santa Monica, CA (14.1 % Latino) increase consumption of water and learn why it's important to drink water instead of sugary beverages. The campaign, called "Water: The Healthiest Choice" is hoping to help parents' increase their knowledge of the health benefits of drinking water instead of sugary beverages, especially for their children's health. Research has shown that sugary beverages, when consumed daily, increase the risk of diet-related disease in kids and adults. Latino kids often consume many sugary beverages, and with each sugary drink consumed the risk of becoming an obese adult jumps to sixty percent. The campaign suggests some ways to help parents to help kids drink more ...
Drinking water is a vital component to staying healthy, and now a new study from JAMA Pediatrics shows how students in New York who had more restrictive beverage option at school and access to clean and cold water, also came to have healthier weights. But recent news stories have shown that not all schools water is safe. Schools need to make sure water is safe through lead tests and having safe water accessible for all students, and visitors, especially since water may help students weight, finds the new study. The study looked at more than 1 million students across New York schools after a new rule banned sodas and high sugar and calorie drinks, but replaced vending machines with new water jets. The students were given cups to use in conjunction with the water jets, and ...
Having a healthy lunch is vital to students who consume most of the day's calories at school. Schools in Oyster River Cooperative School District are learning how to work with flavor, spices, culture and more to help increase student's consumption of healthier school lunches in their schools. Themes like "taco Tuesday" are popular among students, offering them a variety of different dressed up fruits and vegetables along with a lean meat for protein in the crunchy taco offered. The district also just won the New Hampshire School Breakfast Challenge with a 69 percent increase in student's participation for consuming high school lunches. The school's director of school nutrition, Doris Demers, has been working with creative and dedicated managers and school board members that have ...
A study performed by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute determined the least healthy counties in Texas. The study took into account numerous data sources regarding the health factors of populations, the ratio of dental and mental health care providers to people in the counties, socio-economic data, and unemployment data. Also taken into consideration were the typical length of life and quality of life. Based on the information, Brooks County (91% Latino population), located in the Rio Grande Valley, was deemed the least healthy county in the state. The report determined that 40% of all adults in Brooks County were of “poor health” and the obesity rate among adults was nearly 30%. The county also has an uninsured rate of 25% and 46% of the children in the ...
Having fresh foods is vital for many schools across the country, especially for Latino kids who are more likely to be at risk for diet-related diseases like diabetes. Three school districts, Binghamton, Cortland, and Marathon are receiving a federal grant of $100,000 dollars to help students get more local fresh foods on their plates. Since 2012, the districts have been working to connect local schools with local farmers and build relationships to keep local produce in local schools. Working to continue the efforts and expand farm-to-school programs, the funds will help BOCES staff reach out to farmers and get more schools on board with buying local produce. Funds had been awarded in the past to BOCES and helped them train school staff in various activities like buying ...
