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Webinar 9/30: How to Get Healthier Drinks for Kids


Healthier Drinks for Latino Kids

Some kids consume more sugary drinks than average. This contributes to high rates of overweight/obesity. What can be done? You're invited to join a webinar at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 30, to learn about new local and national efforts to improve kids' access to healthy drinks. The webinar, sponsored by the national Council of La Raza (NCLR) and including Salud America!, is bringing together a panel of experts to highlight successful efforts from across the country to improve beverage choices and healthy environments in schools and other community settings: Rosalie P. Aguilar, MS, Project Coordinator, Salud America! David Thomsen, Policy Analyst, Health Policy Project, NCLR Anisha Patel, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of General Pediatrics, University of California, ...

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Exposure to Chemicals Tied to Risk of Obesity and Diabetes


Exposure to chemicals

The Endocrine Society recently published research that reveals exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is associated with increased risk of developing diabetes and obesity. These common chemicals are found in everyday items like food can linings, cash register receipts, plastics, cosmetics, flame retardants and pesticides. “The evidence is more definitive than ever before – EDCs disrupt hormones in a manner that harms human health,” said Andrea C. Gore, Professor and Vacek Chair of Pharmacology at the University of Texas at Austin, in a recent Newswise article. Gore went on to state that, “Hundreds of studies are pointing to the same conclusion, whether they are long-term epidemiological studies in human, basic research in animals and cells, or research into ...

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Nuestras Historias: 10 Years of Cancer Survival


nuestras-historias-book

Breast cancer is a top killer. But survival is possible. In 2004, a group of 26 cancer survivors from South Texas shared their stories to inspire hope, comfort, and resiliency in a bilingual booklet called Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Hispanas Sobreviviendo el Cáncer del Seno (Our Stories: Women Surviving Breast Cancer). 2014 marked the booklet’s 10th anniversary. Today, 16 of the remaining survivors have new, courageous stories to tell about the importance of cancer screening and that women can not only survive cancer, but thrive in the workplace, school, home, and family. Read their ...

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Hospital Teams with Schools to Boost Wellness for Florida Students



RJ Manchester and Erica Asti, staffers at the Florida Hospital for Children, along with Dr. Angela Fals and her team, spent years working with obese children and families in their Central Florida CCFW clinic. The local childhood overweight and obesity rates ranged from 32% in Orange County (28.7% Latino population) to 64% in Osceola County (48.6% Latino). The team was growing increasingly concerned about younger and younger patients with obesity-related health complications. “We were having some of the youngest patients we’ve ever had in the weight and wellness clinic with pre-diabetes and diabetes,” Asti said. They wanted to step up in a big way. An Underlying Issue: No P.E. Asti and Manchester and the CCFW team discovered that many parents misidentified their ...

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NIAMS Launches Spanish-Language Website


Young Family Playing With Happy Baby Son At Home NIAMS

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS) has launched a new Spanish-language website that provides free health information on conditions of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin. “Many diseases in our scientific portfolio, including lupus, arthritis, and osteoporosis have profoundly negative effects,” said NIAMS Director Dr. Stephen Katz. “We are committed to providing quality health information to all people, no matter what language they speak [or their background].” The new site features easy-to-use navigation tools to help Spanish-speaking individuals identify and locate NIAMS health topics. Some of the features offered include improved access to NIAMS Spanish-language federal information and resources, information on ...

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Math and Gardening in the Classroom?


Math and Gardening

How does math calculate with gardening? Giving students a hands-on approach to calculation, social studies, science and more, schools like Hannah Elementary School in Beverly, Massachusetts (17% Latinos in MA) are opening their doors to a garden classroom education. Students are able to conceptualize life cycles of bugs and anatomies of seeds. School gardens become places of inspiration for creative writing or art. Green City Growers, City Sprouts, and Berkeley's Edible Schoolyard project are all about gardens being interactive classrooms where students learn to grow their minds and their knowledge of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Learning about healthy foods and incorporating these foods into kids' diets and classrooms are important in areas where healthy food ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 9/22/15: “Building Healthier Communities Through Schools”


Small school children sitting at the desk in classroom, eating fruit for snack. High-Fiber Diet

Schools are part of a community. Schools also make a huge influence in a child’s health. How can schools help build health within their communities? Let’s use #SaludTues to tweet information, resources, and tips that help schools, teachers, families and students take charge of health in their communities. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Building Healthier Communities Through Schools” DATE: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: It’s Time Texas (@ITSTIME), Shape America (@Shape_America), Healthy Kids Today (@HealthyKids2Day)  and our special guest, Transformative Schools Network (@Cr8HlthySchools) Be sure to use the hashtag #SaludTues to follow the ...

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PE Teachers Bring 60 Minutes of Daily Activity to Students Before or After School



Many students don’t meet daily recommendations of physical activity. They often lack access to quality activity opportunities during school and they are burdened by challenges for quality activity opportunities after school, such as safety, availability and cost. Kids that don’t meet daily recommendations of physical activity are at increased risk for obesity and other adverse health outcomes. Jennifer Hershey and Jennifer McCloughan, two PE teachers in Edmonds School District in Washington, developed a before/after school program as well as a recess program to help kids reach 60 minutes of recommended daily activity on most days of the week. They developed these programs to be implemented in schools to reduce challenges associated with safety, availability, and cost. PE ...

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