It is a proven fact that people of color inhale more hazardous pollution than whites. Worse, the consumption of products that cause unclean air is coming from the community least affected by this kind of pollution — whites, according to recent research. Latinos, the group most impacted, will breathe 63% more contaminated air than what their consumption produces. “Even though minorities are contributing less to the overall problem of air pollution, they are affected by it more,” Jason Hill, study co-author, University of Minnesota engineering professor, and who is also white, told USA Today. “Is it fair [that] I create more pollution, and somebody else is disproportionately affected by it?” Air quality detrimentally affects Latinos in childhood diabetes, lung ...
Did you know Latino kids are twice as likely to die from asthma than their peers? More than 1 in 10 U.S. Latino kids have been told they have asthma. These kids struggle with this incurable lung disease that causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and can result in missed days of school or emotional and physical stress. Why is this? Poverty plays a big role, but it's more than that, said Genny Carrillo of Texas A&M, who studies the disease. "Possibly due to more limited access to health insurance and health care providers and higher presence of environmental triggers such as pollution, dust and mold," Carrillo said. There is good news. A person with asthma can live and sleep without interruptions with proper ...
Sweetened sugary beverages are the main sources of excess sugar consumption and are associated with decreased water, fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as increased risk for obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Parents in the Tayside area of Scotland expressed their concerns about the excess sugar given to toddlers in the form of fruit juice. In March 2017, more than 140 Scottish primary schools were banned from giving toddlers fruit juice. Water and milk will be served instead. “All local authorities have a duty to provide school meals that meet strict nutritional requirements, ensuring that pupils are offered balanced and nutritious school lunches," a Scottish Government spokesperson said according to one source. Barriers to healthy eating are not only ...
Did you know air pollution is the world’s biggest environmental health threat? Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths a year, according to WHO data. It is linked to heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, and even diabetes in kids. Sadly, Latinos breathe 38% more polluted air than whites. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, to tweet about the latest strategies to improve air quality for Latinos and all people, and help celebrate World Asthma Day (May 2, 2017) and National Air Quality Week (May 1-5, 2017)! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinos and the Crisis of Air Quality”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 2, 2017
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: Voces Verdes (@VocesVerdes), The ...
Latino kids who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution have a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. USC researchers tracked 314 overweight/obese Latino kids ages 8-15 in L.A. County. None had diabetes at study start. But by the time kids turned 18, those who lived in areas with high levels of air pollution had 13% less-than-normal efficiency in their insulin-producing cells, making them more prone to eventually developing diabetes, according to USC news. These children lived in neighborhoods that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had excess nitrogen dioxide and tiny air pollution particles that are generated by automobiles and power plants. “Exposure to heightened air pollution during childhood increases ...
Corpus Christi, Texas, had been called the fattest city in the nation. Zoya, Sara, and Saherish Surani wanted to do something about it. So the three sisters, with the help of their parents and others, created the iConquer program to get older students to teach younger students how to move more, eat right, and develop healthy habits to reduce obesity in Corpus Christi public schools. Now the Surani sisters won the Salud America! #SaludHeroes video contest! Watch their winning video or read the story how the sisters worked hard to develop, garner support for, fund, and sustain the iConquer program that brings a team of high school students to visit local elementary schools for about an hour once a week for four weeks to present a creative music video, animated videos, dance ...
For the first time, a new study shows that standing desks in classrooms can slow the increase of a key obesity indicator by an average of 5 percentage points. The study, led by the Texas A&M School of Public Health, followed 193 third- and fourth graders in 24 elementary school classrooms, half with standing-oriented desks and half without, for two years in College Station, Texas, the Vital Record reports. Students who had standing-oriented desks for both years averaged a 3% drop in body mass index (BMI)—a key indicator of obesity. Those in traditional desks showed the 2% increase typically associated with getting older. Even more impressive, students who spent only one of two years with standing-oriented desks also had lower mean BMIs than traditionally seated ...
Having access to clean drinkable water and healthy fresh foods is vital in ensuring children grow up to be a healthy weight. New funds from the state's congressional delegation recently announced that $2.1 million in funds will go to help position new AmeriCorps members into volunteer services for the state. One organization called the Washington County Youth Service Bureau Boys and Girls Club, will help to ensure children of veteran and military families grow up to be a healthy weight. They will receive $325,000 for 26 volunteers, that will help to implement initiatives to help prevent childhood obesity in the state. More funds will also be used to help position AmeriCorps members in addressing problems in affordable housing, water quality, and veteran affairs. To ...
Most Americans are still not aware of the many serious health consequences associated with being obese. Additionally, misconceptions about what healthy weight and obesity look like further complicates adults' and parents' ability to correctly identify weight status, thus they are unable to correctly identify their and their children's risk for life-long health complications. According to the Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) 2012 report, "obese people are far more likely to develop chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart disease and cancer. Obese children are more likely to have one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, to be prediabetic (i.e., at high risk for developing diabetes), and to suffer from bone ...
