September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and tennis is a great sport to get your kids active. Attend a United States Tennis Association (USTA) Free Tennis Play Day in celebration of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day. From Sept. 1-Oct. 6, there are thousands of events taking place across the country, and there’s sure to be one near you. USTA Free Tennis Play Days are free to attend and welcome to all skill levels. The Free Tennis Play Day is part of the USTA's commitment to encourage kids to live healthy and active lifestyles through tennis. To find an event near you, go ...
States could dramatically cut health care costs and prevent obesity-related diseases if they reduce the average body mass index (BMI) of their residents by just 5% by 2030, according to a new analysis in the F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012 report. The report, released this week by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), also shows that if adult obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030 all 50 states could have rates above 44% and a quarter could have rates above 60%. With that, the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, hypertension and arthritis could increase 10-fold by 2020—and double again by 2030. Like obesity, these are diseases that disproportionately ...
By SaludToday Guest Blogger: Lizbeth Barrera I come from a Mexican-American family where food is part of our culture. Coming together and enjoying our traditional plates is something I cherish. I grew up eating chilaquiles, enchiladas, sopes—basically all those yummy "antojitos." My struggle with my own weight caused me to realize that we need to eat these traditionally fried foods in moderation. Our cuisine is delicious and unique, but we must think twice before consuming it daily. The peak of my weight gain occurred in college. At the University of California, Berkeley, I cooked what I learned from my mom's kitchen, and ate a lot of fast food. I had a college degree under my belt, but also 155 pounds. It might not seem like a lot, but I am only 5-feet, 1-inch ...
Latinos, African Americans and women are disproportionately affected by both obesity and osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, which is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage that acts as a cushion at the ends of bones. On Sept. 18-19, 2012, Movement is Life will convene for its third annual National Caucus on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health Disparities. At this year’s meeting, the cause and effect relationship between osteoarthritis and obesity will be at the forefront of discussions. “For patients with osteoarthritis, the friction produced when bones grind against one another causes chronic pain and stiffness. As a result, many limit their physical activity, which often leads to weight gain,” said Dr. Mary O'Connor of the Mayo Clinic Florida ...
Children exposed to severe stressors like maternal depression, domestic violence, extreme poverty, or substance abuse, can suffer damage to their emotional development and mental health. Child FIRST, an innovative home-visit program in Connecticut, is designed to stabilize families, connect them with social services, and help develop and support nurturing, responsive caregivers. Watch this Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) video about the program, which features some Latino ...
Cancer is now the leading killer of Hispanics in the U.S., the latest sign it's beginning to displace heart disease as the nation's top cause of death, the Associated Press reports:
The rest of the country may not be far behind, "probably in the next 10 years," said Rebecca Siegel of the American Cancer Society. She is the lead author of a study reporting the new findings. That may be a conservative estimate. Government health statisticians think cancer could overtake heart disease as the top U.S. killer as early as this year, or at least in the next two or three.
For decades, heart disease has been the nation's leading cause of death. But cancer has been closing in on it. That's largely because of better heart disease treatments, including statin drugs that lower cholesterol.
Why is ...
Check out this cool video about Jesse Campos, who weighed 220 pounds at age 9, but was inspired by his pediatrician to lose weight by eating healthier and exercising. Campos, now 17, is 46 pounds lighter at 174 pounds. "Not only did I gain self confidence from losing weight, but I also [feel] better physically," said Campos, who appears in the video produced by Kaiser ...
Latinos kids: Don't drink sodas during the school week. This is the no-soda challenge being asked of Austin, Texas, students and their families by a Latino group, Manantial de Salud, a federally funded grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in Austin's Dove Springs neighborhood. The pledge—which essentially asks students and their families to "don't do the Dew" from Monday to Friday during the school year—is now being adopted citywide by the Austin Independent School District (ISD), Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas and other local groups as a small-but-serious step toward curbing childhood obesity. Families who accept the challenge are urged to text "nosodas" to 84444 or email nosodatx@gmail.com, or share their stories ...
