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 ...
OSNAP – An Initiative to Create Healthy Spaces for Kids
Harvard School of Public Health Prevention Research Center (HPRC) has developed OSNAP- an Out of School Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative, to help make the healthy choice an easy choice. This initiative works with out of school time (OST) programs in Massachusetts and Main to improve physical activity, nutrition, environment and policies. The main goals of OSNAP are for out of school programs to: Increase physical activity
Limit screen time
Serve water every day
Serve fruits and vegetables
Serve whole grains
Reduce sugary drinks
Eliminate trans fats The OSNAP website is a resource for teachers, afterschool program staff and organizational leaders to help achieve these goals into the out of ...
Salud Today Guest Blogger Jefferson Dental Clinics While summer break is most certainly a time to rest and adventure with family, disruption of regular routines and less daily supervision can have destructive effects on the dental health of children. “It is important for children to learn and recognize that dental health is a year-round practice, not simply a practice for when it’s convenient,” says Dr. Leslie Townsend, DDS., Regional Dental Director at Jefferson Dental Clinics. “Summertime is a great time for parents to reinforce daily brushing and flossing habits with their kids.” Historically high levels of tooth decay in Latino children coupled with heightened advertising of sugary beverages and ample free time, elevate the risk of forming dental cavities during ...
Following the lead of other large fast-food chains like McDonald's and Wendy's, Dairy Queen has agreed to remove sodas from its listing of kids’ meals on menu boards and replace them with milk and water. According to a letter addressed to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), who had urged Dairy Queen to take such action, Dairy Queen's Franchise Advisory Council voted unanimously to remove soft drinks from kids’ menu. The change will go into effect on Sept. 1, 2015 when new menu board panels arrive at franchise locations. “Dairy Queen deserves credit for being responsive to the concerns of parents, who increasingly want to be able to order off the kids’ menu without having to say ‘no’ to soda,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan in ...
The zoo isn’t exactly a place of health (for humans), with typical fare like popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy, and sugary drinks. However, in El Paso, TX, kids and visitors of all ages are learning fun facts about how they can be healthy by copying habits, like eating fruits and vegetables, from animals. In 2012, the El Paso Zoo installed new signs and healthy menu items to promote good health for its record-breaking 354,130 visitors, and they continue to work with city public health officials to make a healthy lifestyle second nature to the community. EMERGENCE
Awareness: In 2010, El Paso, Texas, a vibrant a city with a rich culture at the west-most point of the state, was named the “third-fattest city” in the U.S. Sue Beatty, a health education and training manager ...
One Texas legislator hopes to encourage healthy eating and physical activity among students enrolled in after school programming, through the creation of a statewide distinguished afterschool recognition program (DASH). Legislation for the program was first introduced by Texas state representative Carol Alvarado in February 2015. If created the proposed program would recognize before and after school care providers with recognition for going the extra mile to ensure that all children are provided with healthy opportunities during the out-of-school setting. After school care providers would be eligible to apply for yearly recognition if they provide: staff member training on the importance of modeling healthy eating and physical activity;
regular & ongoing nutrition ...
Over 150,000 elementary school students from 250 schools throughout the city of San Antonio will have the opportunity to participate in the 12th annual Go!Kids Challenge, thanks to a partnership with between San Antonio Sports, the City of San Antonio, and the University Health System. The GO!Kids Challenge prompts kids to commit 40 days of healthy lifestyle practices such as exercise, eating healthy meals, and drinking plenty of water. This year's challenge kicked off at Rayburn elementary with special guest celebrity, former NFL player Tyreo Harrison. “Getting a chance to tell kids they can be their best with their diet, exercise and academics will create good habit for the future,” said the former Philadelphia Eagle and Green Bay Packer in a news article printed by the ...
The Navajo Nation, faced with rising rates of obesity, has decided to take make some healthy changes. On Jan. 30, 2014, the Navajo Nation Council voted in favor of the Healthy Diné Nation Act to increase the sales tax on junk food, by two percent and eliminate the five percent sales tax on healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, water, nuts and seeds. What is considered junk? Sugary drinks and snack foods that are highly processed and low in nutritional quality including chips, candy, pastries and the like. Revenue from the tax would be deposited into a special fund that will help develop projects such as wellness centers, community parks, basketball courts, running trails, community gardens and health education classes. The bill was sent to Navajo Nation President Ben ...
In West Oakland, there are plenty of liquor and small corner stores that sell junk to the already at-risk community they serve. HOPE Collaborative (Health for Oakland’s People and Environment) plans to help these stores sell better food and become beacons of health. HOPE Collaborative is a community collaborative working towards policy and systems change to promote the health and well-being of families and youth in the most vulnerable communities of East and West Oakland. Their new Healthy Corner Store Project connects corner stores with financing opportunities, community and technical support that will allow stores to provide fresh, healthier food options. The project promotes resident leadership in building an efficient neighborhood-based food system that will ultimately ...
