Check out these videos about how a Latino family—the Eguez Hopkins family—is planting their own produce garden and eating healthy on a budget. The videos are from Manantial de Salud, a federally funded Latino grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in the Dove Springs neighborhood in Austin, ...
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An ad campaign created as a collaborative effort of First 5 Contra Costa and Healthy and Active Before 5, depicts soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages with sharp, scary teeth. Sugar Bites is a social marketing campaign that aims to encourage parents to provide their children with healthier beverages. The ads are featured in both English and Spanish, in order to reach as many people as possible. Advertisements like these can help educate people and use the same tactics large corporations use to advertise unhealthy drinks and snacks. It is hoped that these memorable ads will stick with people, to lower the amount of soda intake in Contra Costa, Ca., which currently greatly affects the amount of tooth decay, obesity, and type II diabetes in children. Sugar Bites was posted ...
Read MoreEditor's Note: To recognize National Cancer Survivor's Day on June 2, 2013, SaludToday is telling the stories of Latino survivors through their own words. By Meg Reyes I smiled today. I find I’m able to smile more often as time goes by. What is there to smile about? I was diagnosed with cancer and could have died, but yet I smile. I went bald, but yet I smile. I almost let my coworkers paint a basketball on my head during the Spurs playoffs, and I smile. I watched my hair grow back in its true color, including the gray, and I smile. I think of my family, friends, and co-workers who did not let one day go by without a hug, an e-mail, or a “How are you?” and I smile. I talked to an old friend who didn’t know I had cancer; when she tells me how good I look, I smile. I love my ...
Read MoreWhen their schools are near fast-food restaurants, black and Hispanic adolescents are more likely to be overweight and receive less benefit from exercise than Asian or white students, according to new study. The study, published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, found that for all students, having a fast-food restaurant a mile nearer to school almost entirely cancels the body weight benefits of exercising one day per week. However, for black and Hispanic students in lower-income urban neighborhoods, having a fast-food restaurant a mile nearer to school may cancel the benefits of up to three days of exercise per week. The study underscores the importance of understanding how adolescents respond to fast-food availability near school, researchers said. "Our ...
Read MoreEditor's Note: To recognize National Cancer Survivor's Day on June 2, 2013, SaludToday is telling the stories of Latino survivors through their own words. By Julie La Fuente Louviere At 29, I was living in Puerto Rico, and I was in the best shape of my life, training for a triathlon and weighing only 115 pounds of muscle. I felt like I was in total control. I found a knot near my collarbone, which I believed was nothing, but my husband made me get it checked out. The diagnosis was breast cancer. I was in shock. I thought cancer was something that only old people got. I learned the ugly side effects of chemotherapy, like losing hair and eyebrows, but I could give them up if I had to. If I had to lose a breast to survive, I was ready. My motto became “Just do it.” If you want to ...
Read MoreThe city of Austin is offering 10 mini-grants of $2,500 each to organizations that want to create sustainable urban agriculture projects, like community gardens. Even after the grant application period is over in May 2013, the city of Austin still provides great resources about learning how to grow healthy changes on City land. Check out their informational guide and go ask your neighbors if they want to bring healthy fresh produce into their community. There are many benefits of planting a garden on City land, like free water, but be sure to check out all the rules listed in the packet before you get started. Happy ...
Read MoreIrma Rivera, a mother living in Santa Anna, had nowhere to take her children to play after school. Because school playgrounds were locked up during after school hours she would take her kids to play in the school parking lot. It was when Irma saw a child almost get hit by a car that she realized, “enough was enough,” something had to be done to have more playspace for her children. Having already attended some Latino Health Access diabetes classes at a local school, Irma decided to approach the organization to ask for their support. She asked, “can we organize the moms and get a park,” and Latino Health Access’ response was, “with your help, we will.” Moms and children approached city council members and expressed the need for a park in their community. There was a ...
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The World Fit Walk organization, a program sponsored by Olympic athletes, is working to get children moving in 50 schools across the United States. In a news article, Education Week reports that close to 38,000 students would be logging the amount of miles they walked over the course of a six week period. At the end of the six week period students would compare their results with other schools in the area. Those who log 120 miles or more are eligible to receive the President's Active Lifestyle Achievement Award. To learn more about the World Fit Walk organization visit their webpage and Facebook page. Read about how Daniel Herrera a student from Los Olivos School worked towards achieving his goal by participating in the World Fit Walk ...
Read MoreThrough the Healthy Eating, Active Communities program, a group of teenagers living in Chula Vista joined efforts to improve their neighborhood park. To bring about this transformation, in June 2007, local promotoras---Spanish speaking community health workers---mentored a group of five high school students, teaching them leadership development and advocacy skills. Students then interviewed local residents and surveyed the park for needed improvements. Soon city officials were invited to attend a public meeting held at the park. Citizens expressed their concerns, which were later presented to the city council, by the group of students and promotoras. By September 2008, Lauderback Park was officially reopened. Students and promotoras involved in this effort were recognized for their ...
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