This is part of our Healthier Schools & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Latino students access to unhealthy competitive foods at school
Two national studies suggest ethnic disparities regarding access to specific types of competitive food venues. The first study, using data collected in spring 2005 as part of the third School Nutrition and Dietary Assessment (SNDA III), included a nationally representative sample of 395 U.S. public schools and found that Latino high-school students had greater access to brand-name fast foods in schools than their black or White peers.20 This same study found no differences in access to healthy foods based on student ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The second study, an updated report of the National Secondary School Survey, a comprehensive ...
This is part of our Healthier Schools & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Introduction
Obesity is a nationwide problem in the United States, and Latino children and adolescents are especially at risk. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. Latino youths ages 2-19 are overweight or obese, compared to 28.5 percent of non-Latino white youths, according to a recent estimate.1Among children ages 2-5, 29.8 percent of Latino children are overweight or obese; this compares to about 21 percent of non-Latino white children of the same age. The prevalence of obesity among Latino children and adolescents is of great concern given the multiple adverse physical and mental health issues related to obesity, including cardiovascular disease, asthma, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, sleep apnea, and ...
Abstract
Latino kids need a healthy school environment, especially given that 1 in 3 public school children will be Latino in a few years. How can we healthy schools become then norm? Latino students are more exposed to unhealthy food in and out of school. Stronger nutrition standards for snack foods and drinks will help Latino and all students access to healthier snacks at school, which can positively influence body mass index (BMI) trends for all populations. Latino students also engage in less physical activity than their peers in school, and before and after school. Implementing culturally relevant programs that reduce barriers can increase activity opportunities for Latino kids. Read the Issue Brief in English (PDF)
Read the Issue Brief in Spanish ...
Recent data shows Latinos and communities under the U.S. poverty line are more aware of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and rates of the vaccine in these communities are higher than in more affluent ones, The Guardian reports. For the article The Guardian interviewed Dr. Daisy Morales-Campos, a research instructor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research, the team behind SaludToday. Dr. Campos directs Entre Familia, an HPV campaign aimed at Latinos in south Texas. According to Campos, there are still a lot of barriers to access. “People there often do not have the transportation needed to easily travel to a clinic, especially three times, and that many people rely on nurse clinics, which usually close before the school day ends. Sometimes, clinics do not have the ...
Schools often have physical activity facilities, but many are not open to the public. Shared use agreements—contracts between a school and a city, county, or sports league that outlines rules for sharing existing facilities can help Latino neighborhoods have more access to active spaces and help Latino kids stay active and healthy, according to our new infographic on shared use agreements which is part of the new Salud America! Active Spaces and Latino Kids research package on the latest science and policy recommendations on the Latino physical activity environment. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national Latino childhood obesity prevention network based at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team ...
Why are racial/ethnic minority populations less likely than whites to get genetic testing, which can help a woman learn if she has an abnormal gene that is linked to higher breast cancer risk? The answer may lie in their attitudes toward genetic testing. Latina, black, Asian, Native American, and Appalachian women all had a generally positive attitude toward genetic testing, but several key differences emerged among these minority groups, according to a new study led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez of Redes En Acción, a national cancer research network based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The study, which sought to better understand attitudes toward genetic testing to guide development of culturally sensitive ...
The east side neighborhood of San Antonio (63.2% Latino) struggles with socioeconomic hardships, health disparities, and a lack of access to quality healthcare. In the past few years, the nonprofit Eastside Promise Neighborhood (EPN) has sought ways to improve conditions for residents in the city’s east side. To solve the gap in the availability of healthcare options in the area and fight health disparities, the EPN partnered with a provider, CommuniCare Health Partners, to open a new health clinic in the area.
Latinos in need in San Antonio
San Antonio’s historic east side neighborhood is home to 17,955 residents (mostly Latino), more than 200 private businesses, and six schools on 3.5 square miles bounded by Interstate 37 to the west, Fort Sam Houston to the north, AT&T ...
The majority of Latino kids who live in inner city neighborhoods lack access to active spaces and safe streets where they can be physically active. Streets in Latino neighborhoods are often plagued with speeding cars and lack of sidewalks. Research shows that when communities adopt a “complete streets” policy and organize events such as “Open Street” more Latino kids and their families become physically active, according to our new infographic on safe streets which is part of the new Salud America! Active Spaces and Latino Kids research package on the latest science and policy recommendations on the Latino physical activity environment. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national Latino childhood obesity ...
Texas Grow! Eat! Go! program received the National Extension Diversity Award at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in November 2015. The award honors an extension program that contributes to achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism. The national Cooperative Extension association and the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the five-year program. Collaboration from AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas School of Public Health, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health created the program to improve physical activity and eating behaviors of families and children living in low-income and underserved areas of ...
