The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program provides temporary support to help people and families afford food. But SNAP benefits are often under fire. After Trump-era efforts to curb SNAP benefits and the recent expiration of COVID-era SNAP increases, some lawmakers are pushing to add more work requirements to qualify for eligibility. Under the House’s proposed expansion of work requirements to parents and caregivers, as many as four million children could go hungry. “Millions of low-income households, people of color, and their families rely on basic supports to access health care, feed themselves, afford childcare, and survive financial and health insecurity,” according to a UnidosUs blog. “Cuts to these programs, or additional ...
The USDA is proposing to make online food shopping an option for families in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Up to now, WIC participants had to use vouchers or electronic benefits cards (EBT) at the store. With the proposed changes, participants could shop online for groceries – a move that aims to improve the WIC shopping experience while increasing equity and access to nutritious foods for WIC participants, thus positively impacting nutrition security. May 2023 Update: 329 Salud America! members submitted a model comment and were among over 1,600 people overall to USDA’s proposed changes to enable WIC participants to shop online for food. The model comment was created by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio in ...
In November 2022, the USDA proposed science-backed changes to improve nutrition and promote and support breastfeeding in the food packages of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). USDA sought comments on its proposal through Feb. 21, 2023. As of today, 15,238 people submitted comments on the proposed WIC food package update, including over 135 comments in English and Spanish from a comment campaign by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio in partnership with UnidosUs! See all comments here.
Why are the Proposed WIC Changes Needed for Latinos?
Many Latinos face both food and nutrition insecurity. Of Latino low-income households, 69.4% were food secure, 18.8% were food insecure, and 11.8% were very low food security, according to ...
The CDC recently revised Body Mass Index (BMI) charts for children to help healthcare providers better track growth in children and identify “severe obesity.” Before the update, BMI charts for children did not go above 37. The revised charts extend to a BMI of 60 to account for the rise of severe obesity in children ages 2-20, according to the CDC. Now clinicians can more easily see whether a child’s BMI falls within the range of underweight, ideal weight, overweight, obese, or severely obese, based on a percentile measured against other children of the same age and gender, according to CNBC and healthline.com. A BMI higher than 95% of kids of the same age and gender is defined as obese. Severe obesity is a BMI 120% higher than the 95th percentile, ...
It’s no secret that maternal and infant health in the US needs massive improvement. As 2022 comes to a close, this year’s March of Dimes Report Card for maternal and infant health is yet another indication of what our nation’s New Year’s resolution should be: improving health outcomes for mothers and babies. On an A – F grading scale, with A being the best score, and F being the lowest, the report card revealed that 24 states are failing in maternal and infant health with a grade of a “D+” or lower. Let’s unpack the report card and what these findings mean for Latinas and all women and babies.
What’s Included in the Report Card?
The report card uses the latest key indicators to describe and improve maternal and infant health in each state. These key ...
The average US pre-term birth rate has risen to a 15-year high of 10.5%, according to a recent March of Dimes report. This finding further highlights the maternal health crisis in the US, where mothers, especially those of color, struggle to access maternal healthcare and are vulnerable to preventable pregnancy-related deaths, including those caused by COVID-19. How does the high pre-term birth rate impact Latinas and their babies? And what can we do to help? What is Pre-term Birth?
Pre-term birth occurs when a baby is born before 37 weeks of gestation. Babies need about 40 weeks in the womb to develop before birth, according to March of Dimes. About one out of every 10 births in the US is premature, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Black and American Indian/Alaskan ...
You can comment now on the USDA’s new proposed revisions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages that aim to improve nutrition and promote and support breastfeeding. Proposed changes, based on scientific recommendations from a 2017 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, include: Enhanced buying power for fruits, vegetables.
Increased foods consumed less in adequacy, amount.
More options for cultural eating patterns.
Ability to get the quantity of formula to support any level of breastfeeding.
Requiring all breakfast cereals to meet the whole grain-rich standards that already apply to school nutrition programs and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. USDA is seeking ...
Maternity care deserts make up 36% of all US counties, according a 2022 March of Dimes report. These maternity care deserts contribute to the US having the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, as they make it significantly harder for women to get the care they need. Let’s explore how maternity care deserts affect women’s health, especially for Latinas, who already face inequities that limit healthcare access.
Defining Access to Maternity Care
The March of Dimes report defines a maternity care desert as any county without a hospital or birth center offering obstetric (OB) care and without any OB providers, such as obstetrician/gynecologists and certified nurse midwives/certified midwives.
Report’s Key Findings on Maternity Care Deserts
As mentioned ...
The US has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, and 84% of those pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These shocking statistics can be difficult to digest, especially since the US spends more on healthcare per capita than other industrialized nations. What is causing these preventable deaths? And how are Latinas impacted? Let’s unpack the report’s findings and implications.
What is a Preventable Pregnancy-Related Death?
A pregnancy-related death is a fatality that occurs during pregnancy, delivery, and up to a year postpartum due to a pregnancy complication, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an unrelated condition caused by the ...
