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Spinach pancakes with homemade berry syrup? This is one of Febe Hernandez and her family’s new favorite recipes thanks to the healthy lifestyle classes she’s been attending at the Casa de Colores Headstart Center in Caldwell, Idaho.
Children of migrant farmworkers living in Southern Idaho are now able to benefit from a new pilot program aimed at preventing childhood obesity among Latinos. The program, an initiative of the nonprofit Community Council of Idaho, was developed to teach parents important nutrition concepts, healthier ways of preparing food, and how to keep physically active.
According to an Idaho Statesmen news article, the Community Council of Idaho recognized the need for such a program after realizing that over one-third of children in local head start centers were overweight or obese—a rate three times the statewide average for low-income preschool-aged children. The council also recognized that many of the children’s parents had less that a high school education, and that lower levels of education combined with low wages could be part the reason that many children of migrant farm workers suffered from being overweight.
In addition to being disproportionately affected by obesity and diabetes, in Idaho, Latino households are 65% more likely to be food insecure, the Idaho Statesmen.
Armed with this knowledge, the council applied for and was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Cambia Health Foundation to create an obesity prevention program tailored for Latino migrant farm workers.
“When we looked at how serious this health issue is within our state’s Hispanic community and considered how thorough the Community Council was in its planning to improve the situation, we knew this was a winning proposition,” said Scott Kreiling, a Cambia Health board member, in the Idaho Statesmen.
To understand more about the program’s effectiveness the council has partnered with the University of Idaho to gather baseline data from participants. After the first year, based on its outcomes, the council hopes to disseminate the program to locations across the Southern Idaho region.
Read more here by clicking here.
By The Numbers
33
percent
of Latinos live within walking distance (<1 mile) of a park
