Having access to healthier foods is becoming easier in certain schools there is a growing trend for students to grow gardens in the small green spaces around the school. What about pre-school aged kids? Can they learn to garden? All aged kids need vegetables and fruits in their diet, especially Latino kids who's population only continues to grow according to studies. USDA now has a resource that answers the questions many parents or school leaders may wonder in trying to put in place a farm to pre-school garden. To learn more about how Latino preschool kids can grow their school gardens, click ...
Clean water access for Californians is a large issue for many rural latino families. California has the largest Latino population in the U.S. and unfortunately many without access to uncontaminated drinking water. According to the Community Water Center, California’s San Joaquin Valley has the highest rates of contaminated drinking water as well as the greatest number of public water systems with Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) violations in the state. The good news is that Federal and State investments along with California-based organizations are working on water quality and quantity in the dry state. A new partnership focused on conserving and restoring Sierra-Cascade California Headwaters will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other partners to ...
Kentucky, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama are among USDA's top states to receive 2015 Federal funding through the new initiative Local Food, Local Places.
Local Food, Local Places is a federal initiative providing direct technical support to help local food systems and grow local economy as well as help provide community kitchens, food hubs, enhance public spaces for people to walk or bike to farmers markets, and encourage gardens in schools.Communities work together in a holistic approach, with experts from all fields, including public health, environmental, agricultural, transportation, and regional economics. Harvesting the reports from 2014, the program brought in over 11 billion dollars and showed that local food is growing in popularity and sustainability. ...
To inform and educate the San Antonio community on just how much sugar is in the beverages people consume daily, health officials and community leaders partnered to launch the bilingual Sugar-Packed marketing campaign. After San Antonio’s previous attempts to tackle sugary drink consumption fizzled out, Nelson Wolff, judge of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, and his partners reignited a campaign against sugar with hopes to change the way residents look at sugar in beverages and its effect on health. The campaign includes print and online materials, including a sugar calculator tool, educational brochures, and posters.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: In 1997, Bexar County’s Health Collaborative formed as a coalition of health agencies that aim to improve the health status of the ...
In addition to increasing nutrition education and physical activity programs for children, the City of Wichita Parks and Recreation Department found ways to involve parents.
Wichita (15.2% Latino) expanded their gardening programs and cooking projects for their summer campers. Campers made fruit kabobs and yogurt parfaits, and they grew tomatoes, bell peppers, and cilantro. Campers then made fresh salsa using the vegetables they grew and threw a Salsa Celebration Party for their parents.
Additionally, parents were invited to participate in field days. Throughout the summer, children were encouraged to complete 250 laps around the gym to be part of the “250 Lap Club.” Over 14,300 laps were completed last summer. Wichita also provided sports clinics, boot camps, obstacle ...
Establishing healthy habits for pregnant teens and teen mothers is important to reduce disparities in Latino childhood obesity. 30% of Latino children ages 2-5 are overweight or obese compared with only 21% of non-Latino white children. In addition to providing day care for young parents while they complete high school or their GED, the Healy-Murphy Center, in San Antonio, TX ( % Latino), also provides nutrition education and cooking classes. 50% of the students at Healy-Murphy are pregnant of parenting, and 30% are homeless. Thanks to nursing professor, Dr. Novak, as well as nursing students and nutritionists at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, these classes have increased from four hours per week to four days per week. In addition to the health benefits ...
Looking for the next best place to eat or buy the freshest local veggies? Eat Well Guide app can help you do just that. A movement to know were your food comes from and eat sustainable products is becoming increasingly popular. Technology may help build the bridge for consumers with looking for healthier options. Created by GRACE Communication Foundation, the app allows users to find local farmers market or the closest restaurants with sustainable products. Leslie Hatfield, GRACE’s communications director in a recent article stated, “We want to show people that there are places that are better than McDonalds.” On their website, Eat Well Guide state that it help's people "eat local, even when your not" a local. Access to healthy options through free or easily applicable ...
South El Monte High School is a predominantly Latino High School located in Los Angeles, California. The School is located in a Latino working class community, with little access or education on obesity prevention. A chart from the local public health report shows the school as the highest ranked city with prevalence of diabetes at 34.5% for children. The students at South El Monte High School wanted to leave a lasting impression for future students in regards to having a healthier future. Working with Youth voices and the PTA, six students quickly grew an idea of how to help future students have better eating habits through a school garden, the SEMHS Greensleeves: Garden Project. The Team GreenSleeves, consists of six students: Vienna Z., Jocelyn R., Adriana T., Francisco ...
A recent study shows that two key factors -- taste and choice -- are instrumental in improving school childrens' lunchtime nutritional choices. You need both, the researchers found. Absent tasty food, choice alone is doomed to fail.The study was published in the March 2015 issue of JAMA Pediatrics. When children exercise their small measure of independence in the school lunch line, they do respond well to choice, according to the study. So giving kids a range of options for fruits and vegetables -- and presenting the healthiest options in attractive ways -- prompts these tough customers to pick them more often. But when it comes to getting kids to not just pick but actually eat more fruits and vegetables over the long haul, there's no substitute for a tasty food, the ...
