There is a movement in central Florida starting to blossom that promotes healthy food and activities through intergenerational connections. OASIS Catch Healthy Habits program encourages senior citizens to teach young kids how to stay healthy and active by volunteering and teaching them wisdom about what it takes to live a healthy long life. The program is sponsored by a grant from the Winter Park Health Foundation. The Rollins Center for Lifelong Learning established the Volunteers organized in Community Engagement program (VOICE), to recruit the senior citizen volunteers. The senior citizens volunteer with BrookShire Elementary every week to teach K-5 kids with a three-pronged strategy that includes a nutritious snack packed with energy, a nutrition lesson, and a fun game or ...
In 2013, Florida (24.1% Latino) had the highest drowning rate of 1- to 4-year-olds and the second highest for 1- to 14-year-olds. Near-drowning accidents left three out of four victims suffering brain damage. Today, 70 percent of African-American and 60 percent of Latino children cannot swim, compared to 40 percent of white children. Low-income and Latino kids face additional barriers to access physical activity opportunities, such as swimming facilities; therefore they have a disproportionately higher risk of drowning and high risk of obesity and obesity-related disease. SWIM Central aims to reduce the drowning and near-drowning rate and teach young school children water-safety education. Beginning with $82,000 as part of the Broward County (27.5% Latino) Parks and ...
Sugary drinks, which can represent up to 40% of a child's total caloric intake, are a leading cause of obesity among children, reported an article from Los Angeles, where new water campaigns are popping up throughout the city. Leading the country with the highest obesity rate for children between the ages two and four, California (38.6% Latino) is trying to help parents and kids put the sugary drinks and sodas down the drain with their new water campaign. The campaign, "Water: The Healthiest Choice", is geared at helping bring information to parents, caregivers, and kids to choose water over sugary drinks. Dr. Simon, the director of Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health advises parents in a recent article, "We ...
More than 55 million people of Latino ethnicity live in the United States, comprising 17 percent of the country’s total population. Latinos make up the nation’s largest ethnic group and it is expected that by 2060, one in three individuals will identify themselves as Latino. According to a report released by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), Latinos still lag behind the majority White community in many economic indicators. These factors include employment, income, and wealth accumulation. The gaps are largest among non-native Latinos. Some of the data from the report shows that the median Latino worker earns 72% of what non-Latino Whites earn and the median Latino household income is $42,500, nearly $18,000 less than non-Latino Whites. The disparity runs across genders, as ...
Latino kids saw substantially more ads for unhealthy snack foods in the past five years, according to the new Snack FACTS study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. On Spanish-language TV, 89% of snack food ads pushed unhealthy food in 2014, up from 39% in 2010. Spending to advertise healthier yogurts declined by 93%, while cookies, fruit snacks, and snack bars increased 30% and chips and crackers 551%. Latino kids also were more likely to visit the most popular snack food company websites. “Food companies must stop marketing practices that disproportionately target unhealthy snack foods to young people of color,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America!, a Latino childhood obesity prevention network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ...
In 2010, the predominantly Latino city of Corpus Christi, Texas, was labeled the “fattest city in the nation” by Men’s Health magazine. A group of local middle school students were not happy about this designation and wanted to do something about it. After speaking to friends and teachers, the students reached out to influential community members to develop interest and support for a health program for elementary students called “Mission FitPossible.” Three years later, the students were high school students and they would wake up an hour early to bring Mission FitPossible to nearby elementary students.
Next Generation to Inherit Fattest City in Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas (59.7% Latino), was labeled the “fattest city in the nation” in 2010. Sarita Damaraju and Doug ...
Serving up healthy options like local turkey hot dogs, and farm fresh beet hummus, food trucks are now becoming the trend for healthy foods on school campuses across the states. Boulder Valley School District in Colo. was one of the first districts in the U.S. to serve school lunches through a food truck with a $75,000 grant from Whole Food Market. Students are taking advantage of the fun and fresh options to eat on campus in a new way. The director of food services at the district, Bertrand Weber stated in an article that the demand for the food trucks is so high, that the districts are challenged to keep up with it. Minneapolis School district is now planning to do the same this spring to help keep high school students on campus for lunch, and offer up healthy fresh options in ...
Known as the Tomato Garden Tax Break, the Urban Agricultural Incentive Zone Program (UAIZ), will help LA locals by allowing vacant and privately owned land in the county to be transformed into urban farms. Approved on September 22nd by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, this policy will not only add more green spaces, and but also help create healthy local foods and possibly help decrease food deserts. The potential access and security to healthier foods could benefit the largely urban and Latino population (48.4% Latino) in need of healthy food options. Since July 2014, the UAIZ program took sprout in San Francisco, one of the first jurisdictions to take advantage of the "tax break." The support has come from all angles of the community, and may help move entrepreneurs into ...
According to a report by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), the average U.S. Latino worker earns less than white counterparts. Latinos are behind the majority white population on several important economic factors, such as employment and income. Latinos represent 17% of the total U.S. population and are the largest ethnic group in the nation. The report noted that the median income for Latino households is $42,500, nearly $18,000 less than non-Latino whites. Foreign-born Latinos have an even lower median household income with $34,600. “It’s important to know where we are as a Latino community and what we need to do to continue in the right direction,” said CHC Chairwoman Linda Sanchez. “We are making progress in some areas … but in ...
