Providing a healthy food environment at school can play a huge role in reducing childhood obesity. In 2010, the Texas State Board of Education amended school nutritional guidelines to prohibit the sale of competitive foods during school hours for elementary schools and during meal periods for middle and high schools. Competitive foods are defined as items sold in vending machines, in school stores, or through school fundraisers by parents, administrators or other groups or organizations. The new rules also state that carbonated beverages are not allowed to be provided to students anytime, anywhere until after the end of the last scheduled ...
Glendale fifth-graders at Don Mensendick Elementary school didn't just learn about childhood obesity, they developed policy positions to fight it. In May 2012, the students presented their policy recommendations to state Sen. Jerry Lewis (R- Mesa). Among their requests---get rid of flavored milk, only offering them on Fridays as a ...
The Arizona PTA assembled a platform of legislative areas they champion for the 2012-2013 school year. The platform states that the Arizona PTA "Supports and promotes the importance of healthy eating among children and youth to combat the growing national epidemic of childhood obesity." The PTA also supports food access for all children. The group will monitor all legislation and will take a position to support or oppose any bill that enhances or detracts from the Arizona PTA Legislative ...
Health advocates and medical professionals are getting together and thinking outside the box about ways to reduce childhood obesity. Nonprofits, like Wholesome Wave and DC Greens, which runs several food access and urban agriculture projects in our nation’s capital, are connecting physicians who are already dedicated to preventative wellness and nutrition, like those at Unity Health Clinic (Unity) in Washington, D.C., to fresh produce. Physicians, like Dr. Jessica Wallace at Unity, are writing prescriptions for locally grown fruits and vegetables that their low-income patients can then take to five D.C. farmers’ markets, Columbia Heights Community Marketplace, Mount Pleasant, 14th and U St., Bloomingdale, and Glover Park-Burleith. “We know nationwide that poor minority communities ...
In November 2012, the city of Richmond, CA voted against measures that would have put a one cent per one ounce business licence fee on sugar-sweetened beverages and use the revenue to fund activities related to reducing childhood obesity. The Richmond soda tax proposal brought a large amount of attention to the idea of taxing sugary drinks. Many public health experts saw this as a silver lining to the defeat in ...
The Center for Science in the Public Interest along with 10 health departments, 20 health and consumer organizations, and 41 health professionals has sent a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking them to rethink the role of sugar in the American diet. Among the specific requests, the petition asks the FDA to work with the food industry to limit the sale of over-sized sugar-sweetened beverages in restaurants and in vending machines. The petition also asks the FDA to initiate a rule-making process to ensure that the content of sucrose and high fructose corn syrup in beverages is limited to safe levels consistent with authoritative recommendations. Consuming too much sugar has been linked to all sorts of health problems, including childhood obesity. Since minority ...
What would happen if a group of teenage advocates came before policy makers to express concern about their community's health? Could this lead to safer streets, healthier food in schools, and more green space? CANFIT has trained and equipped directors of youth programs and young advocates, with the tools and knowledge they need to bring healthy changes to their community. Learn what youth in Santa Ana found when they conducted their own assessment of the environment. Young advocates received an award for their submission "What We See in Santa Ana" to the MO Project video contest. This video demonstrates many of the environmental factors which contribute to Latino childhood obesity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56RZzre0H3Y&list=UUN-aTdEpagQnFhVACxdnhcA Visit the resource CANFIT ...
Food companies launch marketing campaigns disguised as charities to schools. Experts agree that too much sugar, salt, and fat, in food marketed to children, is contributing to the childhood ...
Food and beverage companies are well aware that Hispanics consumers comprise a large part of the market share. This is why despite the rising trends of childhood obesity, companies that sell unhealthy foods continue to target young audiences with their messages. Studies have found that Latino youth are a more brand conscious group and that they are also more receptive to food advertisements. This is why food companies continue to target this group with their food advertisements and marketing campaigns. ...
