Imaging scans of obese children as young as 8 years old, show heart damage, NBC Health reports. MRI’s conducted in obese children by researchers at the Geisinger Health System show “thickening of the muscle — a sign of strain that can lead to stroke, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure and sudden death.” "Obese children had 27 percent more muscle mass in the left ventricle of their hearts and 12 percent thicker heart muscles - both signs of heart disease - compared to normal weight children," Geisinger said in a statement. "This evidence of cardiac remodeling was present in obese children as young as age 8," Linyuan Jing, lead researcher said. In the U.S. more than 39 percent of Latino children are overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk for diabetes and ...
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) was passed in 2010 with the goal of improving child nutrition. The Act proved to be historic investment in the health of the nation’s children, especially Latinos who have been traditionally underserved by nutritional standards. One of the primary changes to come from the act was the introduction of updated school nutrition standards. Over 97% of the schools in the country report that they are meeting the updated standards. Previously the United States Drug Administration (USDA) determined that 17.4 million American households were at risk for hunger in (in a report from 2009); this included one in four Latino families. Among them, households with children were more likely than average to face very low food security among children. “The ...
Last May 2015, Councilman Nick Mosby held an informational hearing regarding Sugar-Free Kids and the effects of sugary drinks on the community. Plans to introduce a bill that would require all ads for sugary beverages to contain warning labels and state health risks associated with consumption, like obesity and diabetes. The introduction of the bill by Councilman Mosby are projected to happen in the coming months. The legislation would also authorize the City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen to impose penalties on any stores or companies that do not comply with the new bill. Research shows that about 74 percent of Latinos have had a sugary drink by age 2 and also that Latino kids have increased their consumption of sugary drinks between 1991 and 2008. More is needed to be done ...
If you are thinking of changing your diet for the new year, why not take the VEGOUT! challenge? Houston and San Antonio city council members are asking people to join the VEGOUT! challenge March of 2016 to eat more vegetables for at least 30 days to benefit the health of their cities. Many Latinos live in both of these urban cities and have high health risks associated to diet-related issues like obesity and diabetes. Research has shown that diets that consist of more fruits and vegetables and less junk food are beneficial to a person's health. In response to helping San Antonio and Houston's health risks vanish, the VEGOUT! challenge can help participants in the campaign learn how to cook healthy vegetable recipes, include more vegetables in their daily diet and track all ...
As the new year approaches, new healthier food options are being introduced into the Nevada schools district (NEISD). Students in the district are learning through a week long "National School Lunch Week" about healthier foods and being introduced to healthier options in their school lunches. The school lunches will offer more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and veggie-rich meals, options that will all be lower in calories, fat and sodium. School officials along with local and state leaders will be meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the importance of healthier school lunches. The law that authorizes child nutrition programs like the free school lunch program is due to be reauthorized. The school brought back its food services in-house, after ending the ...
This is part of our Food and Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Latinos face economic barriers to healthy eating
Focus groups of Latino mothers have revealed that the most significant barrier to establishing healthy eating habits for their children is economic constraint.82 Many Latino families experience intermittent or chronic food insecurity; however, food is usually given the highest priority. Because of financial constraints, lower-income Latino mothers’ food purchases are driven almost exclusively by price.83 Mothers have expressed that they commonly travel to several different locations to purchase specific items at the lowest prices available.82 These practices demonstrate that Latino mothers’ desire to provide healthy meals for their families and protect their ...
This is part of our Food and Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Introduction
While a nationwide concern, obesity is especially prevalent among Latino children. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. Latino youth ages 2-19 are overweight or obese compared with 28.5 percent of non-Latino white youths.1 Obesity is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, liver disease, and cancer.2 Given that Latinos are one of the fastest-growing U.S. populations, preventing and reducing obesity among Latinos will have an important impact on our nation’s health. Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, Latino children are more likely to live in poverty,3,4 causing diet quality to suffer and increasing the risk for developing obesity.5 Limited ...
A controversy is growing over sugary drinks and their impact on health in largely Latino San Antonio, Texas. Sugary drinks recently surged into the national spotlight with emerging research on the link between too much dietary sugar and health issues like diabetes and obesity, and the growth of sugary drink pricing initiatives by cities to cut consumption and increase revenue for health promotion programs. These issues have prompted push-back by the beverage industry. That push-back reached San Antonio, where beverage industry reps and health advocates sparred over local health, fueled by research by Salud America!, the Latino childhood obesity prevention network at UT Health San Antonio. Obesity and diabetes are grave local and national health concerns with no single cause, ...
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to increase access to quality health care for everyone in the country, especially the Latino community. The ACA’s open enrollment phase is currently underway through January 31, 2016. Health coverage under the new enrollment period began as early as January 1, 2016. To date, nearly 17 million individuals have gained coverage through the ACA and it has seen the largest reduction of uninsured Americans in four decades. Overall, 4.2 million Latinos (ages 18-64) gained health coverage and nearly 9 million now have access to vital preventive services such as mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and flu shots. In 2014, an estimated 80% of uninsured Latinos qualified Medicaid, CHIP, or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Health ...
