Urban environments can increase risk for development of obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by limiting physical activity. This study examined, in a cohort of urban Hispanic youth, the relationship between daily physical activity (PA) measured by GPS, insulin resistance and cardiovascular fitness. The researchers found that moderate and vigorous physical activity was extremely low in the youth they surveyed, possibly contributing to insulin resistance and obesity. The data from this study suggest that children in urban settings confront physical, cultural, and attitudinal barriers that severely limit physical activity. The urban built environment near the school in this study (i.e. high crime area abutting a major highway) could markedly impede ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger
OpenIdeo We know the scary statistics: 1 out of every 5 Hispanic Americans adults suffers from Diabetes, over 75% are affected by obesity, strokes are the fourth leading cause of death, and it goes on. And we know it’s time to take action and approach tackling these preventable diseases in a new way. NBCUniversal, NBCUniverso, and Telemundo have partnered with an organization called OpenIDEO to do just that. Instead of driving action through fear, they’ve turned the urgency into something approachable, collaborative, and fun. OpenIDEO is an innovation platform, based on IDEO's design methodology, which enables people everywhere to help address pressing global issues. Together with NBCU, NBCUniverso, and Telemundo they’ve created the ...
Carlos Valenzuela, with dreams of becoming the next Jorge Ramos, got a degree in broadcast journalism and worked as a community affairs TV reporter. But he soon found a way to use his skills to improve people’s lives. Impressed by the passionate health advocacy of his mentor, Floyd Robinson, who directs health and wellness at the University of Houston, Valenzuela started developing health prevention campaigns for the city of Houston’s health department. “I learned the big impact health campaigns can have in minority communities in areas like obesity, diabetes, and sexually transmitted infections,” he said. Today Valenzuela is taking health communications to a new level as social media coordinator at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health ...
With 3 city proposals to reduce resident’s consumption of sugary drinks, sugary drinks have been a hot issue in San Francisco (15.1% Latino) recently. San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center has announced that it will no longer advertise, sell or provide sugar-sweetened beverages. This applies to vending machines, gift shops, cafeterias, patient meals and food trucks. For example, juice in children’s meals must now be 100% fruit juice. Sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Latino children are disproportionately burdened by advertisements of sugar-sweetened beverages and face disproportionate rates of obesity and diabetes. 13.2% of Latino infants and 47.0% of Latino toddlers were fed sweetened fruit-flavored ...
Hispanic men in the United States tend to have a more passive approach to their health than other men in the United States, putting them at risk of being diagnosed with life-threatening diseases when is too late. Diabetes, liver failure, hypertension and obesity are among the top diseases that affect Latino men. Type 2 diabetes often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ often presents no symptoms and can cause loss of eyesight, stroke and kidney failure. Liver disease which is often genetic or caused by obesity can rapidly damage the liver beyond repair. Heart disease, when left untreated, can cause blood clots and lead to a heart attack or stroke and sometimes death. “Hispanic men place great emphasis and pride on supporting their families and being great providers; ...
Latino and African American youth as well as individuals belonging to a local coalition of health leaders joined forces to launch Open Truth, a counter-advertising campaign that exposes big soda companies’ marketing tactics aimed at youth and communities of color. The result was a series of poems and videos created by youth, as well as dozens of ads viewed by millions, a website, and a viral social media campaign aimed at getting those targeted by soda companies to speak out against Big Soda. EMERGENCE Awareness: By 2008, Christina Goette of the San Francisco Public Health Department and Shape Up San Francisco (Shape Up SF), a coalition of community groups and leaders interested in preventing chronic disease and promoting better health for the region, were already very ...
The FDA has given food manufacturing companies 3 years to comply with a new ban on partially hydrogenated oils, also known as trans fat. Trans fat is found in baked, fried and processed food and is associated with heart disease. It has been used for decades because it is cheaper and lasts longer than animal-based fats. However, reduced cost means increased consumption in many low-income and minority populations. Latinos are not only faced with increased marketing for cheaper processed foods, but they are also burdened with increased risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity. The FDA estimates that removing trans fats will help prevent up to 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year. Dr. Golomb said, “as I tell patients, while ...
OpenIDEO is a platform to gather ideas in order to solve problems in multiple facets. One of the current questions in motion is asking how we can use technology to inspire healthier lives for multicultural groups. With over 30% of Hispanics in the US suffering from obesity and over 75% suffering with Diabetes, OpenIDEO is looking to change how the Latino population uses technology to advance health outcomes for their communities. Partnering with NBCUniversal and Telemundo to promote this challenge together OpenIDEO is looking to find immediate ideas and actions that can be implemented quickly and proven on a small scale. "In this challenge, we recognize that young people are the largest influencers of a community’s health future. That’s where the technology piece comes ...
According to a new report by the American College of Sports Medicine, Washington, DC is the fittest city in the country. The report took into account two broad measures of public health: such as prevalence of diabetes and smoking and the average consumption of fruits and vegetables by city residents. They also looked at the access citizens had to bike lanes, public parks and farmer’s markets. Cities with large Hispanic populations fared badly. Phoenix, with a Latino population of more than 40 percent placed 37th and San Antonio, Texas with a population of more than 50 percent Latino placed 47th. "When you take in huge swaths of metro areas, it can hide huge disparities. These are wonderful wake-up calls for communities at the bottom of the list, but they should not be reason ...
