Let’s pretend you know nothing about Latino childhood obesity, but you want to learn. What do you do first? Google, of course. So you head online and type “Latino childhood obesity” in the search box. The No. 1 search result is Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, followed by the Salud America! Latino childhood obesity video at No. 2. The 3rd Annual Salud America! Scientific Summit on Sept. 14-16, 2011, in San Antonio, showcased several reasons why Salud America! is No. 1—the network continues to raise awareness of Latino childhood obesity, stimulate collaboration to combat the epidemic, and feature 20 research grantees. The summit highlighted the work of the 20 grantees and innovative experts ...
Editor's Note: This story appears in the latest E-newsletter of Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids, directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Laura Kettel Khan rarely stepped foot outside Arizona as a child. She raised horses and enjoyed church-based activities there. Her family didn’t travel much. She even went to study at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her life changed when she joined the Peace Corps in the 1980s. Kettel Khan—despite not knowing Spanish at the time—was assigned to nutrition issues in Latin America. She found herself in a 300-person Honduran village, helping raise animals and building chicken coops at the village ...
How can... Latino families overcome barriers to healthy eating? (Page 1)
"Walking school buses" keep Latino kids fit? (Page 3)
Health coaching improve Latino child and family health? (Page 4) Find answers in the new Salud America! E-newsletter. Also find out the latest in Latino childhood obesity policy, news and updates on Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, which developed SaludToday. Visit Salud America! here. To sign up to receive Salud America! E-newsletters, go ...
Síclovía is a San Antonio, Texas, event to get people and families involved and active! From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, Síclovía will open up 2-plus miles along Broadway for biking, running, skating, and just playing in the street and adjacent parks, while redirecting cars elsewhere. A joint venture by the City of San Antonio and the YMCA, Síclovía is a Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative to prevent and reduce obesity in our community. Find out more here. To volunteer, send your contact info ...
Mexicans who migrate to the U.S. often begin eating a typical “American diet,” which may put their health at risk, a new study shows, Futurity reports. Study researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found immigrants improved their diets in some aspects—more fruits and vegetables, low-fat meat and fish, high-fiber bread, and low-fat milk than they had in Mexico—but mostly in the U.S. they ate more saturated fat, sugar, salty snacks, pizza, and french fries. This could spell higher rates of obesity, diabetes and related diseases for Mexican immigrants. More from Futurity:
Traditionally, overall mortality rates and death rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer are lower among Hispanic immigrants than non-Hispanic whites, but diet changes are ...
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and PreventObesity.net have teamed up for a webinar series on Latino obesity issues. Register here for the third webinar, “Physical Activity in Communities and Schools: The Impact on Latino Childhood Obesity,” at 2 p.m. EST Sept. 14, 2011. You can also watch recordings of the first webinar, “Nutrition in Communities and Schools: What is at Stake for Latino Children,” and second webinar, “Food Marketing and the Consequences for Latino Children and Youth.” Please also check out this toolkit, "How Advocates Can Fight Junk Food Marketing to Kids," in English and Spanish from the Berkeley Media Studies Group. The group also has accompanying videos in ...
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the work the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports in Latino communities across the country. SaludTodayGuest Blogger: John Govea Childhood obesity and child hunger both plague the U.S. Latino community. Today, nearly 40% of our nation’s Latino children are overweight or obese. Latino children also account for about 40% of the one million children in this country who are living with hunger. Through its video project, Comer bien: The Challenges of Nourishing Latino Children and Families, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) sheds light on these problems and the need for far-reaching solutions to help families and children eat well. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the project features ...
Skipping the perhaps familiar soap opera themes of betrayal and love spats, a telenovela from the Colorado Health Foundation spins plot twists and cliffhangers on Hispanics and obesity and diabetes. The foundation's first telenovela in 2009, "Encrucijada: Sin Salud No Hay Nada," or "Crossroads: Without Health, There Is Nothing," which focused on Latino healths issues and informed about health services provided by the state, was successful, drawing 35,000 households one night, Fox News Latino reports. Taping on a sequel, "Encrucijada 2," is expected to start filming this fall in Los Angeles. In the mean time, learn more about the first telenovela here or ...
Watch a new video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that explains the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic and showcases several community initiatives taking place to prevent and reduce obesity. Obesity is a national epidemic and a major contributor to some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. Latinos have some of the highest rates of overweight and obesity, and suffer a larger burden of diabetes. The CDC urges communitywide changes that strongly support healthy eating and active ...
