About 18% of all third-graders in Connecticut are obese. About 25% of Latino third-graders in the state are obese. Some experts in the region are highlighting unhealthy marketing as a contributor, given Latino kids' high exposure to media, the New Britain Herald reports. “In my opinion, Spanish-speaking children are more heavily targeted by junk food, dessert and sugar-sweetened beverage ads because their community is very disempowered and does not have the means to advocate for changes in these unhealthy marketing practices that have been seriously questioned by groups that have a higher social position in the country,” Dr. Rafael Perez-Escamilla, director of the Connecticut Center for Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos at the University of Connecticut, told the ...
In an effort to get more people biking, a local volunteer group by the name of Open Austin has partnered with the Office of Council Member Chris Riley, the City of Austin Public Works Neighborhood Connectivity Division, and other bike organizations in Austin to create the Bike Buddy website. The Bike Buddy website aims to connect novice cyclists with experienced bikers to encourage more bike commuting in Austin. On the Bike Buddy website, one can also gain access to the Movability Austin website, which encourages individuals to break the habit of driving and consider adopting an alternative means of transportation. Learn more about Austin's Safe Passing Ordinance, which protects cyclists while on the road, by watching the ...
A recent study by the Children's Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas has discovered an interesting correlation between obesity and peanut consumption. According to their study, Mexican-American children who consume peanuts at least once a week are less likely to be overweight or obese. Currently, 39% of the Mexican-American children are classified as overweight or obese, compared to the 32% of all children in the United States- a fact that prompts studies like this, that explore what factors and foods affect childhood obesity. Studies have long shown the health benefits of nut consumption for adults, aiding in lower lipid levels, lower body mass indices, and reduced risk of coronary artery disease. This study looks specifically at how these benefits relate to children. It ...
Latino kids often have limited access to safe gyms, fields, and playgrounds, but shared use agreements and street-level improvements can improve access to these “active spaces” in underserved communities and may help young Latinos become more physically active and maintain a healthy weight, according to a new package of research materials from Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children. The new Salud America! “Active Spaces for Latino Kids” has a research review of the latest science, an original animated video, and an infographic. A study shows that 81 percent of Latino neighborhoods did not have a recreational facility, compared with 38 percent of White neighborhoods. Fewer schools provided public ...
Check out this cool new animated video on how Latino families need better access to safe playgrounds, gyms, fields, and other "active spaces." The video, which is part of a new Salud America! “Active Spaces and Latino Kids” package of research, which also contains a research review, issue brief and infographic, can be found ...
Check out this cool new infographic on how Latino families need better access to safe playgrounds, gyms, fields, and other "active spaces." The infographic, which is part of a new Salud America! “Active Spaces and Latino Kids” package of research, which also contains a research review, issue brief and animated video, can be found ...
Parents in New Haven called for change after realizing that children in some schools were not given time for recess. One parent, Tanhee Cookson Muhammad learnedthat her son Enaji was denied the right to recess as a form of punishment. At some schools children only have recess on days that they don’t have PE class. This led Muhammad to join up with a group of local parent advocates, who decided to create a petition as part of a campaign called Recess For All. The petition requests that all public school children, in grades K-8, receive at least 20 minutes of recess a day. Accordingto a state bill passed in 2012, children in grades K-5th are required to receive at least 20 minutes of physical activity throughout the schoolday. Still, not enough schools are enforcing this ...
Check out these great videos about Latinos who are changing their San Antonio neighborhoods into healthier places. The videos are from the San Antonio Mayor's Fitness Council, a group of community experts and leaders organized by Mayor Julián Castro to develop ways to spur improved community nutrition and activity across town. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, is a member of the council. Here's a video about the Mayor's Fitness Council Healthy Heroes Awards. Here are videos about awards winners Ivan Bermejo and Makayla and Alyssa ...
Laura Vargas is a cancer survivor. The 10-year-old Latina girl from San Antonio battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia but is now in remission—and is helping brighten the day for other kids who have cancer, according to a San Antonio Express-News story. Vargas entered an "Ouchies for Others" contest from Ouchies Adhesive Bandages that asked kids to design a bandage to be featured in a new line of Ouchies bandages called “Fight Against Pediatric Cancer.” Profits from these bandage sales go to children's cancer organizations. Vargas and four other children's designs were chosen as winners. Vargas' entry features a nurse and two children surrounded by the slogans DON'T LET CANCER KNOCK U OUT and DON'T GIVE UP "BE HAPPY." “I wanted to do this because I had cancer myself so I ...
