More than 20,000 U.S. Latinos are on kidney transplant lists, struggling to survive as they wait for a potential life-saving organ donation. Just like 7-year-old Anthony Rivera. The family of Anthony, who live in Illinois, took him to the doctor after he was too fatigued to play outside and had swollen eyes. They found out he was experiencing renal failure due to kidney disease. He has to get peritoneal dialysis three times a week and his teacher now home-schools him—often in the hospital. “I wake him up at five in the morning and we are back home by 10 a.m.," said Josefina Rivera, his mother. "He lays down to rest and after sleeping a bit, he gets back up to greet his teacher.” As the Latino population continues to grow, so does the waiting list and the critical ...
A new mobile food market is rolling into neighborhoods in St. Louis without easy access to fresh, affordable food. Washington University graduates Colin Dowling and Tej Azad and Saint Louis University medical student Jeremy Goss teamed up to create the St. Louis MetroMarket, a mobile farmers' market. The mobile farmers’ market is designed to combat the health problems associated with food deserts by bringing fresh produce, fish, meat and other staples to low-income areas that don’t have grocery stores. The food will be sold on a sliding pay scale. St. Louis MetroMarket recently received a $75,000 grant from the Incarnate Word Foundation to launch the grocery-store-on-wheels, and the local metro transit company has donated the bus. Part of St. Louis MetroMarket’s plan ...
Faith based organizations (FBOs) are uniquely positioned to expand their congregation's opportunities for learning about & leading a healthy lifestyle. However, according to a recent study conducted among 844 faith leaders throughout the U.S., over 77% of clergy members were overweight or obese. While certain barriers such as a lack of medical insurance, fear, language, embarrassment, and beliefs in fatalism might contribute to the poor health of some church members, faith based organizations have the opportunity to step in to offer services to those that they might not otherwise have access to. Faith-based leaders can counteract unhealthy lifestyles by providing accurate health information, addressing cultural beliefs about health and addressing behaviors which ...
Local legislators in San Francisco have teamed-up to fight sugary drink advertisements, many of which unfairly target Latino kids. Legislation introduced by San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener would require all advertisements for sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages in San Francisco to have a health warning that reads "WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco." The language harkens back to state Senator Bill Monning's labeling bill introduced in years past. A similar proposal by supervisor Malia Cohen would ban soda ads from publicly-owned property such as parks and bus stations and another piece of legislation from supervisor Eric Mar would prohibit city employees ...
Farmers’ markets are a great place to find fresh fruits and vegetables when your local grocery store doesn’t sell them. But when your neighborhood doesn’t have a farmers’ market OR a local grocery store with fresh fruits and vegetables—are you just out of luck? Find out how a Latina school teacher-turned healthy food activist was inspired by her friend to start a farmers’ market in her neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, so neighbors could not only have better access to fresh fruits and vegetables, but learn how to cook tasty dishes that make healthy eating a delicious way of life.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: As a computer teacher at an elementary school in inner-city San Antonio, TX, Michelle Griego watches kids choose chips over carrots daily. San Antonio sits within ...
Although a similar bill did not pass the state legislator last year, Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter and Rep. Robyn Gabel introduced the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Act to provide tools and resources for Illinois families to live healthier lives. The bill is would generate more than $600 million a year for investment in communities across the state through a small tax on sugary drink distributors and is supported by the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity. "This is an important piece of legislation for the health of Illinois communities, especially those most devastated by sky-high rates of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease," Sen. Hunter said in a press release. "African Americans have the highest heart disease mortality rates in the state and ...
Science backs up your mom’s old adage: “Eat your fruits and vegetables if you want to be healthy and strong!” Unfortunately, this message is often lost or unheeded, buried beneath junk food ads relentlessly targeting kids, especially Latinos. Leaders in San Antonio, Texas decided to combat the city’s troubling obesity rate with a campaign designed to get kids (and their parents!) to eat more fruits and veggies. The “Veg Out” campaign, backed by science and a diverse coalition of public health, school, city, and other officials, aims to have a lasting impact on the health of families in San Antonio. EMERGENCE Awareness: San Antonio is a unique, mostly Latino city known for its rich culture and traditions. However, some cultural traditions, like the consumption of ...
Hispanics are more likely to get alcoholic liver disease, and get it at younger ages, according to a new study, Inquisitr reports. The study, by the UC Davis Health System, conducted a retrospective chart review of more than 1,500 patients with alcoholic liver disease—a spectrum of diseases including alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis that often result from long duration of high amounts of alcohol. Not everyone is affected by alcohol the same way. Even if the same amount of alcohol is consumed, the liver damage from alcohol in some people can be more severe than in others, suggesting that other factors, such as genes and environment, can influence the development of liver damage. In the study, more Hispanic people get alcoholic liver disease, ...
Five community organizations in San Antonio received a combined $250,000 in grants form Medtronic, Inc., to promote healthy lifestyles and improve access to health care. Check out the great activities enabled by the grants: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of South Texas will educate the broader and under-served community about type 1 diabetes, provide resources to improve their access to care, and expand support groups. YMCA of Greater San Antonio will extend their outreach health and wellness programs, specifically to those communities with a higher prevalence of diabetes, to promote and educate on physical activity and healthy eating. The American Diabetes Association of San Antonio will coordinate and implement the Hispanic outreach education program, Por Tu ...
