A lot of mothers no longer breastfeed their babies by age 6 months. But when workplaces make it easier for new mothers to breastfeed by providing paid maternity leave, break-time from work or provisions for pumping, mothers are 20% more likely to breastfeed 6 months, according to our new infographic on breastfeeding and kids. The infographic is part of the new Salud America! Healthy Weight research package on the latest data and recommendations on how to ensure kids reach a healthy weight by kindergarten. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication ...
Two architecture and planning graduate students from the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) recognized good fruit from fruit trees were being left to rot in urban areas of San Antonio, Texas, where many families live in need of fresh foods. Working together for a class project, the friends created a blossoming non-profit to make sure families in need can access a variety of fresh fruit.
A Local Healthy Food Problem
Awareness/Learn: In summer 2013, UTSA grad student Melissa Federspill started a class focused on health planning, called “Health in the Built Environment.” Students in the class were advised to visualize solutions to inner-city health problems. The class analyzed a neighborhood close to campus, the Avenue to Guadalupe neighborhood in the West Side of San ...
People younger than age 50, the age at which doctors recommend screening, are being diagnosed with colon cancer, according to a new analysis, Time reports. Colorectal cancer is a common cancer. “Colon cancer has traditionally been thought of as a disease of the elderly," said study lead author Dr. Samantha Hendren, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The study shows 1 in 7 colon cancer patients is under 50, and “younger patients tend to be in more advanced stages of the disease. “ “This study is really a wake up call to the medical community that a relatively large number of colon cancers are occurring in people under 50,” Hendren said. Healthier diets can help, especially at a young age. Yet fast food and corner ...
Children who lived closer to supermarkets increased fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced their body mass index (BMI), according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers examined about 500 children ages 6-12 with a BMI of or above the 95th percentile. There are other factors still needing further research. The researchers of the study suggest focusing on household income, other non-medical drivers of health, the drive to lose weight, and other factors, which could determine weight loss or gain, too. Having close access to fruits and vegetables has also been shown to assist families and help reduce the BMI of kids, studies show. To learn more about this study, click ...
Obesity is rising among our youngest children. That’s because of a mother's obesity, less exclusive breastfeeding, and workplace and childcare issues, according to a new package of research from Salud America!, a national network for childhood obesity prevention and communication funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Salud America!’s Healthy Weight by Kindergarten research shows that many women, including many Latinos, are overweight/obese when they get pregnant. Obese moms gave birth to kids who were 1.8 times more likely to be obese than their peers. Breastfeeding can reduce obesity by 47% among kids, but some moms are less likely than white moms to exclusively breastfeed their infants through age 1. Solutions are emerging to improve maternal and child ...
This is part of our Latina Mom and Baby Health: A Research Review »
Benefits of breastfeeding
The benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby are well established in the literature, and yet breastfeeding rates in the United States remain below desired levels.38,39 According to recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), mothers should exclusively breastfeed their infants for at least the first 6 months of life, with continuation for 1 year or longer. In addition, breastfeeding infants should not receive supplemental formula unless advised by a health care professional.39,40 As part of the Healthy People 2020 initiative, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services outlined several ...
One of four U.S. kids, including Latino kids, is already overweight or obese by age 2-5. How can we promote a healthy weight by kindergarten? Mothers’ physical activity and healthy eating habits before and during pregnancy play a big role. Breastfeeding also has many positive effects on children. Interventions or policies aimed at improving breastfeeding rates, while reducing formula marketing, among Latino and all mothers may be critical to promoting healthy weight goals. Healthy eating and physical activity habits established during early childhood care settings also is a stepping stone toward lifelong health. See the Full Research Review with references (PDF)
Read the Issue Brief in English (PDF)
Read the Issue Brief in Spanish (PDF)
Contents
Introduction & ...
The World Health Organization(WHO) predicts the Zika virus will spread to all countries in the Americas, including the U.S., except Canada and Chile, Reuters reports. “Twenty-one countries and territories of the Americas have reported cases of the virus since Brazil reported the first cases of local transmission in May 2015,” WHO's regional office for the Americas said in a statement. In the U.S. three cases have been confirmed in Florida, Texas and Illinois. "These imported cases might result in local human-to-mosquito-to-human spread of the virus in limited areas of the continental Unites States that have the appropriate mosquito vectors," according to a new report on the spread of the virus issued by the CDC Friday. According to doctors the symptoms of the virus ...
Univision’s affiliate in San Antonio, Texas (KWEX), recently reported on the latest research and recommendations by Salud America! on healthier school environments for kids. See the latest research on school health. Watch the whole story and interview (Spanish) with Dr. Amelie Ramirez ...
