A study from Los Angeles, Calif. shows that high stress in Latino adults may have twice the risk of having obese children. According to a recent article, researchers looked at data from the Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth) and stated that parental stress is a risk factor for childhood obesity among Latinos. High levels of stress were reported among Latino parents and obesity and chronic stress were prevalent among this population, explained researchers. Stress factors were determined from the Chronic Stress Burden Scale, including factors of difficulties at work or in a relationship among other stress factors, where data showed 34 percent of parents in the study had three or more stress factors. The doctors of the research later explained that the importance of stress on the ...
Latino and Black children have the highest prevalence of severe obesity according to a recent study, Univision Salud reports. Researchers analyzed data from 1999 through 2014 and concluded that one-third of U.S. children are overweight, 25% are obese and more than two percent are severely obese. "Despite other recent reports, all categories of obesity have increased from 1999 to 2014, and there is no evidence of a decline in the last few years." lead researcher Asheley Skinner said. According to Skinner, there are 4.5 million children who are severely obese in need of immediate treatment. "Unless we make big changes on a national level, we're not going to see huge changes in obesity," Skinner said. "We have created a culture where kids aren't very active and one where it's ...
New research suggests that mothers who perceive their child to be in fair or poor health are more likely to underestimate their weight. The study from the University of Houston's Department of Health and Human Performance found that a child's risk for obesity or malnutrition may be tied to the mother's misperception of her child's weight status. Surveying 70 low-income Latina mothers, the study revealed over 54 percent of the mothers surveyed with an overweight or obese child perceived their child as being a healthy weight. One of the main researchers of the study explained in a recent article that the way mothers perceive their children's weight is closely tied to their own weight, and often Latina moms seem to link health with weight. Researchers suggest that bilingual ...
Did you know that 81% of Latino neighborhoods don’t have a safe recreational facility? That means many kids lack places to play and be active, which contributes to higher rates of physical inactivity and obesity, according to a new package of research from Salud America!, a national network for childhood obesity prevention and communication funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Salud America!’s Active Spaces and Kids research package tackles the latest issues on the physical activity environment and offers recommendations. Solutions are emerging to improve access to and safe use of active spaces: Shared use agreements are formal contracts between a school and a city, county, or sports league that outline terms for sharing existing physical activity facilities. They ...
Obesity is on the rise in the United States, including among Latinos, according to a new CDC study, CBS News reports. The results come as a surprise after a decade of public-awareness campaigns and efforts to get Americans to watch their weight. According to the report by the CDC, the obesity rate of U.S. adults climbed to 38% from 32%, almost a decade ago. "This is a striking finding and suggests that a situation that was thought to be stable is getting worse", Dr. William Dietz, an obesity expert at George Washington University, told CBS News. But some experts warn that the study done by the CDC “may not have been representative of the nation as a whole.” The study was based on surveys conducted in 2013-2014 and found the rate of obesity to be higher among American women ...
How can one family have an impact on reducing obesity in their school and beyond? Just look at the Surani teen sisters of Corpus Christi, Texas. After learning that their city had been named the fattest in the nation and how obesity is a huge health threat among children, the three girls wanted to take action They, with the help of their parents and others, created several programs to improve children’s health, including the iConquer program to help kids beat obesity by achieving healthy lifestyles starting from the early ages of 3 to 6 years old.
Teen Sisters Aim for Better Health
Fifteen-year-old Zoya Surani, along with sisters Sara (19) and Saherish (16), grew up in a household where healthy choices were commonplace. Their father, a pulmonologist, and mother, a respiratory ...
Childhood obesity is a big problem in San Antonio. That's why Salud America! and KSAT-TV are teaming up for a new series, "Making Awesome Changes," which will regularly feature local Salud America! Salud Heroes—people and groups who are pushing for healthy changes—on the evening news. Salud America!, a childhood obesity research and communication network supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directed by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, uses research, stories, and resources to help people drive healthy change in their own communities. Salud America! tells the stories of many youth, parents, teachers and other community members are working to improve physical activity and nutrition to help reduce ...
Diabetes and obesity are the two most significant health threats in South Texas, according to a new report published online in Springer Open Books by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) in the School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. The South Texas Health Status Review, originally self-published in 2008, was updated this year to study more than 35 health conditions and risk factors and how people in South Texas are affected compared to those in the rest of Texas or nation. The Review, in addition to singling out diabetes and obesity, also indicates that the South Texas region faces higher rates than the rest of Texas or nation for: Cervical, liver, stomach and gallbladder cancers
Child and adolescent leukemia
Neural tube defects
Other birth ...
School lunches and snacks are becoming more nutritious thanks to improved federal nutrition regulations—but this is only part of the school food solution. Nutrition education for kids is a critical component. Natasha Lance Rogoff, a seasoned children’s TV producer, who witnessed the childhood obesity epidemic as she raised her own kids, had an idea to use new technology to engage kids in learning about healthy living. Because of Rogoff, thousands of kids in Massachusetts, New York, and Florida have begun learning through KickinNutrition.TV, a digital platform for teachers to use to instruct students on healthy eating habits and exercise through videos, online gaming, and engagement designed for elementary- and middle-schoolers.
The Need for Nutrition for ...