Take a Stand to End Over-Policing in Walking and Biking Initiatives



The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (Safe Routes) is raising awareness to end over-policing as a safety solution in walking and biking initiatives. Racial profiling by police, for example, threatens drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists of color. These Latinos and other minorities, who already face less safe roads and fewer places to walk and bike, deal with a greater burden of traffic and pedestrian violations, too. Safe Routes wants you to stand up for minorities by sharing on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. “As walk and bike advocates, we need to come together to protect people in communities made vulnerable not only by missing and poorly maintained bike lanes and sidewalks and inequitable policies, but also by over-policing,” wrote Holly Nickel, coalitions and ...

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Don’t Experience the Fourth of July without This Drink


july fourth party water drink

Water is a key ingredient for every good Fourth of July party, whether you are poolside, at the beach, or at a family barbecue on this sweltering summer day. That's because drinking water can keep you hydrated as you sweat outside. Sweating during the sizzling heat of July can lower the body's water level. This can cause dehydration. It can affect normal bodily functions in the heart, brain, and lungs. So how much water do the experts order? "To avoid dehydration, active people should drink at least 16- 20 ounces of fluid one to two hours before an outdoor activity. After that, you should consume 6 to 12 ounces of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes that you are outside," according to the Cleveland Clinic website. "When you are finished with the activity, you should drink more. How ...

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Latina Filmmaker’s Web Series Helps Bodegas Push Healthier Food



Evelyn Brito went to buy some vegetables for her 2-year-old daughter, but was stunned to find no fresh produce in her local bodega, a small grocery store in her Spanish-speaking neighborhood in Lynn, Mass. (38% Latino). Instead, unhealthy chips, cookies, and processed foods lined the bodega shelves. Brito wanted to change all that. Brito, an independent filmmaker and marketer, turned the cameras on the local food environment and engaged bodegas in finding a solution. That led to “Bodega Makeover,” a unique docu-reality web series. The Junk Food Problem in Lynn Brito grew up around bodegas in Boston. Her father worked in one when she was a child. “I would go to a bodega to get freshly peeled oranges for less than a dollar and the owner would ask me how my ...

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Can a Block Party Push Health in a Disadvantaged Neighborhood?


Block party

Goodbye, boring health fairs. Hello, block parties for health. City leaders and health advocates in Wilmington, Del. (12.2% Latino), will host about 30 block parties this summer to promote family time, play, and neighborhood health in areas with high rates of obesity, diabetes, and cancer, delawareonline reports. The block parties, called "Play Street," will take place from June through August. They're part of the New Castle Healthy Neighborhoods program made possible by a federal grant. At each block party, officials block off a part of the streets so families can partake in activities like basketball and jump rope. Healthy snacks and drinks will be on tap. Health screenings will be available. But no more than two health info booths will be set up. "We want kids to ...

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How Can Young Adults Support Their Partners in Preconception Health?



Healthy mind. Healthy body. Health baby. Whether you are planning to get pregnant now, next month, or in the future, preconception health is extremely important for Latino and all parents. When you hear about preconception health, one often assumes this responsibility lies with the women, but a man's health can be just as important when it comes to having a healthy baby. At a population level, preconception health can drastically improve birth outcomes by reducing the number of babies born prematurely or at low birth weights, according to the CDC. What should both partners do before planning a pregnancy? For Latino and all families, preconception health should involve both partners wanting to take initiative to improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Regardless of ...

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Fast Food Linked to Infertility—What This Means for Latinas


holding hands sad pregancy fertility infertility

Women who eat a lot of fast food may take longer to become pregnant and be more likely to experience infertility than those who rarely eat fast food, Reuters reports. Women who ate fast food at least four times a week had a 16% risk of infertility and failed to conceive after 12 months of trying, according to a study by the Robinson Research Institute and the University of Adelaide in Australia of 5,598 first-time mothers in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The risk was only 8% in women who rarely or never ate fast food. This has big implications for Latinas' fertility and the food environment. Latinas and Fertility "In families of color, there’s an assumption that when you want to get pregnant, you get pregnant," one woman told the New York Times a few years ago. But ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 7/3: How to Celebrate A Fun & Healthy 4th of July!



Independence day is right around the corner which means families and friends will be gathering to celebrate the many things they have to be grateful for. Fireworks, picnics, BBQs, and time spent unwinding outdoors are just some of the wonderful activities that come to mind as we get ready to celebrate this July 4th. What will you be doing this 4th of July to have fun, be healthy, and stay safe? Join us this #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 3, 2018, to tweet about ways to celebrate a fun and healthy 4th of July holiday! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How to Celebrate a Fun & Healthy 4th of July! TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, July 3, 2018 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOST: @ChapCareOrg @eatright, ...

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Alcoholism: A Rising Health Crisis for Latinos


Young man sitting drinking alone at a table with two bottles of

When it comes to Latinos and alcohol, there is good news and bad news. Good news: More Latinos have never had even one drink of alcohol (31.8%) than their white peers (15.8%). Bad news: About 1 in 10 Latinos will have alcohol dependence at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. More than 33% of these Latinos will have recurrent or persistent problems compared, a higher rate than their white peers (22.8%). Either way, some Latinos do struggle with alcoholism. That makes it a problem that public health officials should address. Latinos and Alcohol: Stats Not all Hispanic groups are equal when it comes to drinking and alcohol-related problems, according to an expert who has been studying the alcohol pattern in Latinos for ...

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How To Get Latinos Ready For College


classroom

The road from high school to college isn’t easy for Latinos. They may speak mainly Spanish. They often lack resources and legal documentation. Some aren’t prepared for complex financial aid and college applications. That’s why one college readiness program uses cultural competency to help Latinos. The Juntos program, a six-week Spanish-language workshop offered through Oregon State University, prepares Latino high-school students for higher education and includes ongoing advisement for students and families, according to The Daily Astorian. Juntos helps Latinos deal with high school graduation requirements, college admission, and getting financial aid─and the workshops include dinner and childcare. “[Juntos gives Latinos] the keys to be able to open the door to ...

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