Does your town have a farmers market? Farmers markets are a path to healthy food access. They are especially important amid the push for nutrition security. Fortunately, the Farmers Market Coalition is stepping up to support farmers markets. They’re supporting markets and sharing how markets increase access to healthy, fresh produce and social connections, and engage farmers in the local economy. "As hubs for connection and community resilience, farmers markets have particularly risen to the occasion this year by providing a necessary sense of unity and stability during a time of great uncertainty," according to the coalition. "Farmers markets don’t just happen. The hard work of farmers market operators should be recognized." For National Farmers Market Week ...
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that ensures children and adults have access to nutritious meals and snacks by providing reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. Additionally, the CACFP provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in afterschool care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, and adults older than 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in day care facilities. The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) provides support and resources for the community and others that administer, organize, and participate in nutrition programs. The CACFP provides Spanish-language resources through the NCA ...
Over the last several years, cities across the US have taxed sugary drinks to reduce the consumption of these beverages and prioritize the health of their communities. In 2018, Seattle joined this wave of cities in placing a tax on sugary drinks. At 1.75 cents per ounce, the tax was created to disincentivize the consumption and purchase of sugary drinks and improve community health. But did it work? A recent study published on the JAMA Network sought to answer this very question by comparing the health of children within the taxable area to those in neighboring areas. This is what they found.
Sugary Drink Tax Studies
Studying the relationship between the sugary drink tax and health is nothing new. In fact, previous studies on taxes have pointed to a ...
With heat reaching record-breaking numbers every summer in some states, evidence points to our climate changing. For instance, Florida saw its hottest year on record since 1895 when the surface temperatures reached 177 degrees in places. Heat indices rose to triple digits multiple days in a row in Texas, making 2023 the second-hottest summer on record. In the wake of extreme heat, weather experts have advised people to limit their time outside when the sun is out, especially for the population’s most vulnerable people like seniors and children. But what about those who can’t escape the heat? Despite the weather, outdoor workers are braving the elements to provide a valuable service to support their families. Many of these workers are Latino. While ...
On May 31, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey on World No Tobacco Day! This annual event from the World Health Organization to "draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes." Need help quitting smoking? Enroll in Quitxt, a free English or Spanish text-message service that turns your phone into a personal “quit smoking” coach from UT Health San Antonio. To join Quitxt, text “iquit” (for English) or “lodejo” (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. “On World No Tobacco Day, we’re excited to share Quitxt to provide real-time help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and much more, all on your phone,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! ...
We know little about which transportation investments or initiatives are reducing transportation barriers and meeting people’s transportation needs. For example, are Complete Streets policies meeting the needs of community members? As Smart Growth America releases its best practices to evaluate the success of Complete Streets efforts, we at Salud America! want to draw attention to how transportation needs and barriers have been conceptualized. Across the fields of urban planning, public health, and health care are claims about how transportation impacts health and quality of life. However, regarding these impacts, transportation is often conceptualized only in terms of physical activity, pollution, safety, and/or access to medical care. Although transportation is often ...
Where you live can have a big impact on your health. Non-medical factors like where we are born, live, work, and age — known as the non-medical drives of health (NMDoH) — can influence health for better or worse. However, the U.S. has struggled to identify and help people with NMDoH issues. That's where NMDoH screening comes in. NMDoH screening is a questionnaire given to patients in a healthcare setting to help providers identify non-medical challenges to health. These include issues like financial hardship, transportation, housing, food, employment, and safety. Patients can then be referred to helpful community resources. Here are seven reasons to implement NMDoH screening in your healthcare system, hospital, or clinic.
1. NMDoH Screening Helps Patients Speak ...
School meals are getting healthier! The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published its final rule to improve school food nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The changes – supported by 438 Salud America! members and 74,000 people overall via public comments – include limiting added sugars (for the first time), reducing sodium, and emphasizing locally sourced fruits and vegetables. The updated rules will take effect starting July 1, 2024, but most changes will occur incrementally between fall 2025 and fall 2027. “The new standards build on the great progress that school meals have made already and address remaining challenges – including reducing sugar in school breakfasts. These updates also make it easier for schools to access ...
After careful consideration, the Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) at UT Health San Antonio and UTSA College for Health, Community, and Policy (HCaP) have announced the recipients of new Community Engagement Small Project Grants.
Five grantees were chosen to lead projects covering HIV/AIDS, faith’s impact on criminal rehabilitation, artistic influence on young brain development, and more, according to a recent university news release.
The grants, for one year and up to $5,000, aim to promote, develop, and expand community and scholarly research partnerships that benefit science and clinicians. Each project will meet local needs through community-engaged research or assessment, education, and distributing research results or policy implications.
This ...
