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Student Nurses Train to Stem Tide of Latino Youth Obesity



Hispanic nursing students in Chicago, Phoenix, San Antonio, Brownsville, Texas, and Edinburg, Texas will become trainer-influencers to communities, steering Hispanic youth and their families away from the damaging lifelong effects of obesity. Muevete (Move) USA is the nursing students’ training course. This program, which began March 5-6, will equip students to tout a balanced life through healthy choices. “I know, as a Latina, that our children will have problems as adults if we let them continue to be obese,” said Muevete USA project director Dr. Norma Martinez Rogers of the The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. “We have to teach our children how to eat healthy, and through Muevete USA we are teaching an ideal population, Hispanic nursing ...

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‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to Help Teach Healthy Eating



There's a good chance you're one of the many kids or parents who've enjoyed reading about the unsatiable worm in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the famous children's book by Eric Carle. Now the fast-eating caterpillar, who gets a tummy ache from eating too much, is helping families learn to eat healthy. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Academy of Pediatrics have joined with the children’s book and with We Give Books to help teach families about healthy eating habits at home. The Eating Healthy. Growing Strong. campaign is an important part of the Alliance’s mission to combat childhood obesity. This spring, more than 17,500 pediatrician offices across the nation will receive free copies of specially created The Very Hungry Caterpillar books, ...

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Healthy Lifestyle Tips and Tools in Spanish



We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition), a national movement to promote a healthy weight for kids, provides parents and communities with many Spanish-language materials, such as tools, tracking sheets, training, and other information to encourage a healthy and physically active lifestyle. Spanish-language resources include: Ayuda a tu familia a celebrar con comidas sabrosas y a mantener un peso saludable Bocadillos 100 Calorías o Menos Como las familias encuentran el equilibrio: Un manual para los padres de familia If you'd like more info about We Can!, call toll-free at ...

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Foreign-Born Latinos Healthier, Live Longer Than U.S.-Born, New Jersey Study Says



Foreign-born Latinos in New Jersey are healthier, have fewer vices and live longer than Hispanics born in the U.S., mirroring a national trend, according to a new report, Fox News Latino reports. According to the news report: The report, released by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, found that foreign-born residents of New Jersey are primarily healthier than native-born residents, and also have healthier lifestyles. About 20 percent of New Jersey residents are foreign immigrants, and, of those 20 percent, approximately 36 percent are Hispanic, the report says. The large proportion of foreign-born Latino residents were found to have lower mortality rates than U.S.-born Hispanics for most leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, ...

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Minorities Still Face Daunting Transportation Issues in U.S.



Many of us are familiar with the historic connection between civil rights and transportation, from Plessy vs. Ferguson in the 1890s to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the 1960s, writes Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, in a recent e-mail to PolicyLink followers. Today, transportation remains a 21st century civil rights issue for minorities and low-income people. For example, nearly 20% of African American households, 14% of Latino households, and 13% of Asian households lack access to automobiles, compared with nearly 5% of white households. Also, nearly 60 percent of public transportation riders are people of color. For decades, advocates all over have continued to push for much-needed reforms in America’s transportation policies that will help ...

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Cancer Survival and the Hispanic Paradox



A new study of cancer survival among Hispanics found important variations by Hispanic subgroup. The study, published in the journal Cancer Causes Control, indicates that, for cancers of moderate outcome, the adjusted risk of death was higher among all Hispanic populations in comparison with non-Hispanic Whites: 6% higher for Cubans, 11% for Puerto Ricans, and 13% for U.S.-born Mexicans. Foreign-born Mexicans, even with incomplete follow-up, had a 24% higher risk of death. No evidence of a Hispanic advantage was found in cancer survival. The researchers, who studied all 1.2 million cancer cases diagnosed during 1995-2003 in Florida and Texas, suggest improvements are needed in mortality follow-up procedures for Latinos, especially for those without a valid social security number. "By ...

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San Antonio School District Transforms Cafeterias into Healthy Cafés



Students at Northside Independent School District cafeterias in San Antonio are noticing changes as they choose their food. New options are fresh fruit bowls, veggies, salads, lean meats and whole-grain rolls. Gone are white-flour breads, high-fat cheese, fried food and sodas. Even the cafeteria name is gone—“café” has taken its place. The Northside Child Nutrition Department has spent $1.5 million over the last two years to provide more fresh fruits and salads, and new entrée options with less sodium and fat, in order to improve access to healthy foods. The district also has revamped the marketing of its healthy foods and has a mascot named NIC (Nutrition Instructional Chimp) to visit schools and tout healthy choices. “If you take this food away from the ...

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Free Bilingual Children’s Books Teach Healthy Lifestyles to Latino Kids



A Latino boy plays soccer and encourages kids to play and eat right. A Latina girl and her classmates learn about “veggie cousins.” These are two storylines from the new ¡Salud, familia! children’s book series, from Houston-based publisher Arte Público Press, in which young protagonists make choices about healthy eating and active lifestyles to reduce Latino childhood obesity and diabetes. The free books are distributed free through community partners to low-income Hispanic families with school-aged children in both urban and rural areas across the U.S. “Childhood obesity and diabetes among Latinos are already at pandemic levels; we hope to positively influence Latino attitudes towards healthy lifestyles and nutrition at the grass-roots and policy levels,” said ...

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See Who’s Stepping Up Vs. Latino Child Obesity



How can... Bilingual kids' books teach Latinos about healthy lifestyles? (Page 1) School cafeterias transform into healthy cafés? (Page 3) Researchers more easily investigate American childhood obesity? (Page 4) Find the answers and more in the latest Salud America! E-newsletter. Also find out the latest in Latino childhood obesity policy, news and updates on Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, which developed SaludToday. To sign up to receive Salud America! E-newsletters, go ...

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