Children don't magically "get over" trauma when they turn 18. Trauma, toxic stress, and adverse childhood experiences permanently change a child's body and brain, which can have serious, lifelong consequences, according to a recent report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Here are four ways trauma can overload a child's developing system: 1. Hormone level changes: Cortisol and adrenaline are the "stress hormones" that help you react to a perceived threat or danger by directing blood flow to major muscle groups and bypassing the thinking part of the brain to activate the survival part. High levels of these hormones keep your blood pressure elevated, which weakens the heart and circulatory system; keep your glucose levels elevated, which can lead ...
Abstract
Many Latino children are at risk of not getting the proper care, services, and environment they need for healthy formative development. Traumatic early experiences, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and low participation in preschool programs impair Latino children’s social and emotional development, academic achievement, and overall health and wellbeing. But there’s reason for hope. Culturally-sensitive programs and policies can prevent or reduce the effects of traumatic childhood experiences, improve mental health, and boost school readiness. Early childhood development and education programs, breastfeeding and family support, and Latino family values support all have been shown to promote healthy early development. Read the News Release (PDF)
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This is part of the Salud America! The State of Latino Early Childhood Development: A Research Review »
Latino Kids Have Limited Access to Healthy Foods
Pediatric obesity is an important public health issue. Targeted efforts to curb child obesity rates are necessary, especially among Latino children, as this sub-group is more likely to become overweight before entering elementary school than children of other ethnic groups.11 Obesity in Latino children increases health risk factors and can also impact school performance.11,54 A main contributor of overweight and obesity in Latino children may be their limited access to healthy food. See the full Salud America! research review on Latino children and healthy food access.10 Some recent study results appear mixed on this ...
This is part of the Salud America! The State of Latino Early Childhood Development: A Research Review » Growing up feeling safe, secure, and loved is essential for the healthy development of all children.14 Nationally, over 46% of U.S. youth—34 million children under age 18—have had at least one ACE, and more than 20% have had at least two.15 By age 6, 70% of children in a sample of families investigated for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have ACEs that may have negative effects on many aspects of their developmental.8,9,16,17 ACEs may include parental domestic violence, substance use disorder, mental illness, criminal justice involvement, child abuse and/or neglect, poverty/homelessness, and parental death, among others.18 Multiple studies have shown that ...
This is part of the Salud America! The State of Latino Early Childhood Development: A Research Review »
Introduction
Childhood development is a dynamic, interactive process that is not predetermined by genetics, but is hindered by lack of proper care, services, and support. Proper childhood development is critical because 90 percent of brain development occurs by age 5. Latino childhood development is particularly important because Latinos make up 26 percent of US children younger than 5. The Latino population is one of the fastest-growing U.S. demographics, yet 12 million Latinos live below the poverty level.1–3 As such, many Latino children are at risk of not receiving the care and services they need during their formative years, which may have negative effects on their early ...
U.S. obesity has reached an all-time high, with overall adult obesity rates surpassing 40% and childhood obesity rates surpassing 20%, according to new CDC data. The news is especially bad for Latinos. Latino adults were more obese (47%) than their black (46.8%), white (37.9%), and Asian (12.7%) peers. Latino children also were more obese (25.8%) than their black (22%), white (14.1%), and Asian (11%) peers. It means 1 in 4 Latino are now obese, regardless of age, according to the new data. “We know the basics of supply and demand help people eat healthier and move more,” said Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention at the American Heart Association, in a statement. “It will take a massive push from the food and beverage industry to increase the ...
Latino communities are getting help to tackle obesity and mental illness, thanks to $5 million in new grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH). The money is for 15 local groups from across the country. The groups will use the money to drive solutions among Latino and other minority populations that suffer higher burdens of obesity, mental illness, and opioid addiction. “We selected the opioid crisis, childhood obesity and serious mental illness as our top three clinical priorities at HHS because they are three of the country’s most pressing public health concerns,” said Dr. Tom Price, HHS leader, in a news release.
Who Will Help Latinos?
The 15 groups include several in Latino-populated areas: Mariposa ...
Obesity rates are showing signs of leveling off, but rates among Latino adults and children remain much higher than whites, according to a new report. In nine heavily Latino-populated states, the adult obesity rates were at or above 35%, according to the 14th annual State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America report by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Latino adults are more obese (42.6%) than their white peers (36.3%). Similarly, among children, Latinos have are more obese (21.9%) than their black (19.5%) and white (14.7%) peers, according to the new report. This means much work is left to promote a healthy weight.
Adult Obesity by the Numbers
This year, the adult obesity rates were over 35% in five states: ...
Nearly 85% of brain development happens before age 4. But Latino children are at risk of not getting the proper care and services they need during their formative first three years of life, creating educational achievement gaps. How can we bridge these gaps? Early care providers and early childhood development programs have the power to connect families to services and resources to improve Latino and all kids’ school readiness and promote healthy development and wellbeing. Let’s use #SaludTues on Aug. 15, 2017, to tweet about how we can elevate the conversation around early childhood development. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Elevate Early Childhood Development”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: ...
