Findings from a new report shed light on the state of Latino children and the education gap many face as they enter kindergarten. According to a study entitled “Making Math Count More for Young Latino Children” by Child Trends, Latino students are three months behind in math literacy compared to their white peers. Citing poverty in Latino households as one of the main causes, the study cautions that the education gap would only grow if not addressed immediately in the classroom. As the Latino population in the U.S. continues to grow – they are already the largest ethnic and racial minority in the country – this problem is going to be critical going forward. One in four U.S. kindergarteners today is Latino and in California and New Mexico, Latino children are already in the ...
As more and more cities are looking towards soda taxes to help reduce chronic health risks associated with sugary drink consumption, Massachusetts hospitals are now in talks with lawmakers about a soda tax to help fund improving children's health in the state. “I think it’s a good idea. If it promotes good health for people, especially young children, then why not? I think a lot of parents will buy sugary drinks because it’s easy and kids ask for it, but there’s other choices,” Lisa Byrne of Belchertown told local news channel, WWLP 22News.
Sugary drinks cause harm to children's health, and taxing drinks has been effective in deterring purchases of sugary drinks in Mexico and now a study even reveals the same to be true in Berkely, California.
About 22% of Latino ...
A newly released study of the Berkeley soda tax, a joint effort of the Public Health Institute and the University of North Carolina covering over 15 million supermarket transactions, shows that the Berkeley soda tax is working. Soda sales have been down by 10%, and water and milk sales have gone up! Residents are buying fewer sugary-sweetened beverages water sales are up 16%, plus, according to the study. Also, in opposition to what was suggested by the American Beverage Association, grocery bills have not gone up. Not only has all this helped deter consumption of unhealthy beverages for health but also $1.5 million has been raised for nutrition & health programs! Nancy Brown, CEO, from the American Heart Association, told PLOS Medicine: “This study adds to the ...
Overall Latinos are disproportionately affected by poverty, food insecurity, and unemployment compared to their white peers. According to Feeding America, Latinos are also more likely to receive emergency food assistance than their White, non-Hispanic peers and less likely to receive SNAP benefits and are Latinos are more than twice as likely to be food insecure as White, non-Hispanics. Food insecurity can often lead to adverse health outcomes and can cause extreme stress. Both outcomes can negatively impact the long-term health of Latinos. In Texas (38.42% Latino population), members of the legislature have proposed laws with the aim of alleviating some of the problems for food insecure kids in the state. According to The Dallas Morning-News, lawmakers are trying to make it ...
Dr. Nimali Fernando, aka "Doctor Yum" is a board-certified pediatrician practicing in Fredericksburg, Virginia, after seeing kids whose body mass index fell into higher percentiles, she realized many families needed nutrition education. Working with many families in her practice she found out kids eating practices within her practice were unhealthy and she began to see another connection between unhealthy diets and other symptoms in her patients. "So many problems like anxiety, constipation, bedwetting, attention issues, and abdominal pain may have direct connections to diet," Dr. Yum explained to Real Food for Kids. Dr. Yum started a parenting website to help parents find healthy recipes and wanted to educate the greater community, creating, The Doctor Yum Project, a nonprofit ...
What is considered a "healthy beverage zone"? A sugary drinks-free zone! The Healthy Beverage Zone (HBZ) is a first of its kind, borough-wide effort to eliminate sugary-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at work sites, health centers, hospitals, houses of worship and schools, affecting all who work, live, and visit the Bronx. The initiative that has already received national attention from the Aetna Foundation is now asking for partners to pledge to be #HealthBeverageZones or "#HBZ's". Just like the Union Community Health Center (UCHC) decided to make its clinics SSB Free Zones in 2016, the initiative is now asking all workplaces to promote healthy beverages and reduce healthcare costs associated with chronic disease linked to consumption of sugary drinks. "One-third of Bronx ...
Are you interested in changing people's health outcomes through programs, policy changes, and infrastructure improvements? Check out the inaugural Active Living Summit hosted by Movement Makers in Richmond, VA, May 17-19, 2017. We will be there to learn and present! Hear stories about policies changed, advocacy wins, innovative school initiatives, and more. Discover how to build play in urban environments on a playability walk. Learn more about setting expectations with the funding community and creating better tools online to support physical activity in your city. Key note speakers include: Gabe Klein, Co-founder of CityFi and former Commissioner of Chicago and Washington D.C. Departments of Transportation.
Dominique Dawes, Olympic Gold Medalist, and former Co-chair ...
Many know Emmitt Smith was as an NFL Hall-of-Famer, but did you know he is also a real estate and construction businessman and community philanthropist? He is now writing on support for Texas to establish a food retail incentive fund that would help businesses expand healthy retail into low-income neighborhoods and booster development. "When I talk about people in low opportunity neighborhoods, I am talking about my parents as we were growing up. My friends and family. My teachers and role models. I am talking about me as a child," he told the Texas Tribune. Emmit wrote a recent column in the Tribune to encourage State Legislature to help families have grocery stores and access to healthy foods. I am a businessman, not a politician. But if running Texas were my business, I ...
Water Wellness Alert!!! Did you know that between 50-75% of your body is made of water? Drinking enough water to keep your body hydrated is an important part of staying healthy for kids and adults. One of the simplest ways that we can make sure that kids are drinking adequate water (and skipping the sugar-sweetened beverages!) is to include access to drinking water in school wellness policies. Including water in your policy helps to keep it top of mind for school staff and ensures that water won’t become less of a priority if the administration changes. Now is a great time for schools to update their wellness policies. All schools participating in federal nutrition programs must update their policies to comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s final rule by June 30, ...
