Water isn't magic, but it can help you stay hydrated, control calories, and fuel muscles. But Latino kids don't drink enough water. In fact, Latino kids drink less plain water and more sugary drinks than white kids. That is according to research by Salud America!, a national Latino childhood obesity prevention network at UT Health San Antonio. That’s why we are spotlighting heroes who work hard to push water for Latino kids and families!
Praxina Guerra: 5th-Grader Gets Hydration Station in School
San Antonio fifth-grader Praxina Guerra and her mentor, Cathy Lopez, are true Salud Heroes when it comes to creating a healthy school environment. Praxina, spurred on by Lopez, joined the city's San Antonio Student Ambassador program and created a student club to encourage ...
Everyone knows that drinking water is a healthy habit, but how much and often and what are some of the benefits? For young athletes drinking water is much healthier than Gatorade or other sports drinks that are often high in added sugars. In fact, a 24-ounce Gatorade contains 34 grams of sugar and also contains large amounts of sodium as well. The Healthy Kids Hub has provided easy to use infographics that portray all the benefits of drinking water for athletes young or old, showing the benefits of water, like that it's free and doctors recommend it in their resource "5 Ways Water Wins", offered both in English and in Spanish. Another great resource offered in English and Spanish is the "Healthy Fuel for Healthy Athletes", which encourages young athletes to consume fruits and ...
San Francisco (41.9% Latino), will now enjoy the refreshing ability to have clean water access in neighborhoods across the city, where free drinking water stations will be installed thanks to community collaborations. The collaborations include the City of San Francisco, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), and other community groups that are hoping to help lower-income neighborhoods have access to quality water, and reduce the high rates of obesity and diabetes. Diabetes, impacts around two million Latinos in the U.S. and about 95% of all diabetes cases are Type 2. This type of Diabetes develops when the body doesn't make enough insulin and can lead to serious health risks like heart attacks, strokes, depression and more. Latinos often live in neighborhoods ...
The average Latino infant has 3.8 hours of TV exposure a day, and TV and other media usage remains high as Latino kids get older. Sugary drink marketers are taking full advantage. Latino preschoolers saw 23% more #SugaryDrink ads on Spanish TV in 2013 than in years prior, according to new Sugary Drinks and Latino Kids research from Salud America!, an obesity prevention network under Dr. Amelie Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio. Ads for sugary beverages were more commonly found on Spanish-language than English-language TV. Ad spending on sugary drinks on Spanish-language TV rose 44% from 2010 to 2013, a study found.
How can this change?
The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) is a voluntary self-regulation program for food and drink companies to create ...
What would happen if the price of sugary drinks went up? Two models have estimated that a 10% increase in soft drink prices would lead to a reduction in soft drink consumption of between 7.9% and 12.1%, which could ultimately improve people's health. These data are part of the new Sugary Drinks and Latino Kids research from Salud America!, an obesity prevention network at UT Health San Antonio.
Can a sugary drink tax really benefit?
Sugary drink taxes (e.g., per ounce or gram of added sugar) have been proposed in several states, and a federal tax was introduced in 2014. None have passed so far. But in November 2014, Berkeley, Calif. (10.8% Latino) became the first U.S. jurisdiction to pass a tax on sugary drinks. Revenue from this penny-per-ounce excise tax, estimated at ...
Did you know Mexican-American kids drink less plain water than white kids? They also are more likely to perceive tap water as unsafe? In fact, negative perceptions of school water fountains were associated with sugary drink intake among Latino kids, according to new Sugary Drinks and Latino Kids research from Salud America!, an obesity prevention network under Dr. Amelie Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio.
What changes can promote water?
When New York elementary and middle schools replaced vending machines with water jets, students’ likelihood of being overweight dropped 0.9 percentage points among boys and 0.6 points among girls. Also, kids would consume 205 fewer calories a day by replacing sugary drink consumption with low-fat milk at meals and water between meals.
What ...
Sugary drinks are a rising threat to the health of Latino preschoolers. Being Latino and drinking sugary beverages at least once in the past week were associated with 2.3 times the odds of severe obesity in kindergarten, which can lead to obesity-related diseases, according to a study. The study is part of a research review, Sugary Drinks and Latino Kids, released today by Salud America!, an obesity prevention network at UT Health San Antonio, and Bridging the Gap, an obesity research team at the University of Illinois. “We have to work together to do more to reduce sugar consumption and help kids grow up at a healthy weight, well before they ever enter kindergarten,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT ...
This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Future research needs
Further research could focus on differences in SSB consumption and the effect on obesity and health among Latino subgroups, as most studies that tease out results by racial/ethnic group focus on Mexican Americans. More research is also needed on the beverages available and promoted in early child care settings and how new federal, state, and (where they have regulatory authority) local regulations impact this in both licensed and unlicensed child care settings. Further research on the potential impact of SSB prices and taxes on Latinos, particularly youths, could be conducted. It will be important to evaluate the taxes implemented in Philadelphia, Cook County, Ill., and the ...
This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Conclusions The large amount of added sugar consumed by Latino youths in the form of SSBs must be addressed, given the impact of this added sugar on obesity.
Young people are exposed to a wide variety of SSB advertising and promotion, with exposure among Latinos disproportionately high, despite voluntary efforts by beverage companies to reduce marketing to children.
Very few early childcare facilities report serving sugary drinks to children ages 0-5, but increased regulation can reduce serving of sugary drinks and increase promotion of water.
A more sizable price increase on all SSBs could have a significant effect on consumption of SSBs and could improve weight12,30–33,36,38,49,67,77,92,112–115 ...
