A new report from the Heartland Regional Health Equity Council addressed the disparities in heart disease in four Midwest states: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The Heart Disease Disparities Report provides an overview of the demographics and heart disease disparities in these states. Chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most frequent and costly health conditions in the United States. Latinos are disproportionately burdened by many of these chronic illnesses. The data in the report covers the time period from 2000 to 2010. The data was collected from numerous sources, including online tools, state health department offices, and surveys. Some of the findings from the report include dramatic Latino population increases in the four ...
In Las Cruces, NM city council members will meet today, May 23, 2016, to discuss plans for expanding the local agriculture and food environment, through a comprehensive Urban Agriculture and Food Policy plan, developed by local non-profit La Semilla Food Center. Exactly what is urban agriculture (UA)? The idea is to inform leaders about the many forms, benefits and opportunities that UA has to offer the local community. UA is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in and around towns and cities. Through UA communities are no longer held to the idea that local growing is just for farmers or rural communities, but in reality schools, churches, local businesses, housing authorities, residents and virtually anyone with a desire to grow and produce their ...
On May, 20, 2016, after 35 years of negotiations, the National Park Service the San Antonio Food Bank finalized a land use agreement allowing the Food Bank and its volunteers to grow crops on 45 acres of farmland at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Five acres of land will be used used for demonstrations of the 1730's Spanish colonial acequia system-an acequia is a type of ditch used to irrigate crops-and forty acres will be farmed and managed by the Food Bank. "In the 1700s, the fields were maintained by indigenous mission inhabitants and irrigated with acequias, carefully engineered irrigation ditches that were hand-dug to carry water from the San Antonio River to the farmland," Park superintendent Mardi Arce said, according to one source. Los Compadres, the official nonprofit ...
After two years of working on modernizing the current Nutrition Facts label, the US Food and Drug Administration has rolled out its anticipated new food labels. The latest changes will make it easier for everyone, especially parents, to pick nutritious foods for their children. The changes include: Bold and easy to read “Amount per serving calories.”
Packages that are between one and two servings, such as a 20-ounce soda, the calories and other nutrients will be required to be labeled as one serving because people typically consume it in one sitting.
“Dual column” labels to indicate both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for certain multi-serving food products that could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings.
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Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Sylvia M. Burwell, announced over $260 million in funding awarded to 290 health centers in 45 states across the country. The funds will be used for renovation, construction, or expansion. “Health centers are cornerstones of the communities they serve,” said Secretary Burwell. “[These] awards will empower health centers to build more capacity and provide needed health care to hundreds of thousands of additional individuals and their families.” The goal is for health centers to utilize these funds to increase their patient capacity and provide additional comprehensive primary and preventive health services “to medically underserved populations.” The new and/or renovated centers are expected to ...
Data from the League of American Bicyclists shows that 40% of all trips in the U.S. are less than two miles and the number of bicycle commuters has increased tremendously over the last 16 years—especially among Latinos who have the second highest bicycle commuting rate. Peddling to work is not only good for the environment, but it’s also good for the heart and can significantly cut the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes—a condition that affects millions of Latinos. According to doctors the health benefits of bike riding also include: • Increased cardiovascular fitness
• Increased muscle strength and flexibility
• Improved joint mobility
• Decreased stress levels
• Improved posture and coordination
• Strengthened bones
• Decreased body fat ...
It's that time of year again! Summer is nearly hear and we're excited to share this wonderful opportunity for San Antonio youth to get involved in the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) Camp Power Up! This year's 2016 Camp Power Up will take place June 6-10 at San Antonio's Westside YMCA! Camp Power Up! is a FREE healthy lifestyle/diabetes prevention program (est. value $700) open to students ages 10-14 yrs, with a physician's referral. During the week long event, 50 campers and their families will get to enjoy: health/nutrition education;
indoor and outdoor fun activities;
field trips;
parent health education sessions; and
a family celebration night Lunch and snacks will be provided, as well as health information and prizes. If you know of a physician who ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger
Jefferson Dental Clinics Latinas and other women are highly susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease. One big reason is that Latinas are more likely than their peers to skip routine dental care due to cost, according to a study. Untreated dental issues can produce significant pain and tooth loss. Biological factors also play a role. Women are vulnerable to oral health issues during periods of hormonal fluctuation: puberty, with the use of birth control pills, and pregnancy and menopause. Thus, hormones are a major cause of gum disease, which is characterized by chronically irritated and inflamed gums and can lead to gum recession and eventual tooth loss. Bleeding and swollen gums, first signs of gum disease, are a common complaint in pregnant women ...
The Urban Institute's mission is to open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research. Health is high on the list, not only because of the ever-increasing healthcare costs and societal costs related to American's poor health-obesity, heart disease, diabetes-but health is influenced by numerous aspects of our lives, not just what happens in the doctors office. In the Urban Institute paints the picture of health in America in their The Picture of Health: At Home, at Work, at Every Age, in Every Community series, which was funded with support from the Lawrence & Rebecca Stern Family foundation, Inc. The Picture of Health project weaves research into storytelling, looking at numerous aspects of our lives that influence health. The ...
