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 ...
Back to give it another shot, California State Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning introduced Senate Bill 203 that would require a simple warning on the front of containers of soda, sweet teas, sports drinks and energy drinks. The label, developed by a national panel of public health experts, would read: STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. "Given the rock solid scientific evidence showing the dangers of sugary beverages, the state of California has a responsibility to inform consumers about products proven to be harmful to the public’s health," said Sen. Monning in a press release from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. "This bill will give Californians the at-a-glance ...
A bill introduced last legislative session in New York that would have placed a warning label on sugary drinks may have fallen short, but another legislator is giving it second shot in 2015. New York Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has introduced the “Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act,” a bill that would require warning labels on all sugary drinks, like soda, iced tea and energy drinks.The labels would read: “SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.” Dinowitz cites the success of tabacco-style warning labels as one reason his bill is winner. “This is not a ban. It’s a warning label. I believe warning labels contributed to the decrease in smoking,” he said in an article in the New York ...
U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas, who represents California's 29th Congressional District, is passionate about "Meatless Monday." An effort he and his staff first spearheaded last year, "Meatless Monday" is a global movement urging folks to forgo meat on Mondays in an effort to conserve the environment and also improve overall health. In early February, Rep. Cárdenas sent a "Dear Colleague" message to his fellow Representatives, urging them to join him and his staff in observing "Meatless Monday." According to an article in the Latin Post, the response has been positive. "Some of the nation's largest school districts, workplaces and public figures are signing up to start the week off by taking a day off from eating meat," Cárdenas said in the article. "Going meat-free means ...
The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) was ready to step up the fight to improve health in the face of rising obesity problems among racial/ethnic populations. Latino and black high-school students were especially overweight/obese (34.2% and 35.9%, respectively), possibly due to the fact that 24% of students consume at least one soda daily, according to a study. The BPHC developed a bilingual public health campaign against sugary drinks to help racial/ethnic residents make healthier choices. EMERGENCE Awareness/Learn: Obesity is typically a bigger problem among racial/ethnic populations. Boston, which is increasingly diverse, with an 18% Latino and 24% black population, exemplifies this disparity. In 2010, Latino and black high-school students were very overweight (34.2% ...
Spinach pancakes with homemade berry syrup? This is one of Febe Hernandez and her family's new favorite recipes thanks to the healthy lifestyle classes she's been attending at the Casa de Colores Headstart Center in Caldwell, Idaho. Children of migrant farmworkers living in Southern Idaho are now able to benefit from a new pilot program aimed at preventing childhood obesity among Latinos. The program, an initiative of the nonprofit Community Council of Idaho, was developed to teach parents important nutrition concepts, healthier ways of preparing food, and how to keep physically active. According to an Idaho Statesmen news article, the Community Council of Idaho recognized the need for such a program after realizing that over one-third of children in local head start centers ...
What's one of the world's leading cause of blindness? Glaucoma—and it's far more prevalent in Latinos and blacks. Glaucoma, a gradual eye disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, has few symptoms. Peripheral or side vision begins to worsen without patients realizing it, which enables the disease to progress into later stages, according to the Mount Sinai Health System. How can you prevent it (and keep your eyes healthy)? According to the National Eye Institute (NEI): Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam. A dilated eye exam is the only way to detect diseases like glaucoma in their early stages.
Know your family's eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary.
Eat right to ...
How did smallish Berkeley, Calif., become the nation’s first city to pass a sugary drink tax in 2014, after many other cities had failed? People power! Local health advocates like Xavier Morales had long supported a tax on sugary drinks, believing the higher price would discourage consumption. Research studies indicate that such a decrease in consumption could potentially reduce obesity and diabetes rates, especially for Latino kids. Because Latino children are heavily targeted by sugary drink and junk food advertisements, this issue was especially important to Berkeley’s 11% Latino community. In the end, it took passionate advocates, a well-organized campaign for a sugary drink tax, and national attention to eventually bring sweet victory for public health advocates in ...
Mexicans are guzzling fewer sugary drinks since a national sugary drink tax took effect one year ago, and U.S. health proponents say they hope this can help sway local voters to adopt similar measures, the International Business Times reports. Studies indicate raising the price of sugary drinks can reduce consumption and potentially lower obesity and health risks. U.S. Latino kids consume an above-average amount of sugary drinks (soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and flavored milk), which contributes to increased rates of obesity, diabetes, and other health issues that disproportionately affect the Latino community. Mexico's sugary drink tax, a reaction to the country's large sugary drink intake (3.6 million cans of soda each day) and high diabetes rates ...
