Bekcy Hamik, a P.E. Coach from Hastings, Nebraska is looking for ways to bring more physical activity opportunities to her students. She says that the Promoting Health for Youth Skills in Classrooms and Life (PHYSICAL) Act would bring more funding to PE programs and make PE part of a student's core academic requirements. Hamik, who has been teaching P.E. for 30 years, will soon be headed to Washington to raise awareness about the need for more physical activity programs in schools. She says she would like to see P.E. offered on a daily basis to students, but if she can't make that happen, she would still like to see kids moving more throughout the school day. "Our goal is to have kids be successful at physical activity so that they want to make it a lifelong activity for ...
In Latino neighborhoods, convenience stores often out number supermarkets.These small shops tend to market and sell junk food, sugary drinks, and tobacco products more aggressively than healthier foods. Many of these stores are just blocks away from schools, making them a routine snack stop for kids. In March 2014, a California coalition launched the Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community campaign, targeted at educating California citizens about the dangers of unhealthy marketing in local convenience stores and how communities can work towards a solution. California-based tobacco prevention, nutrition, and alcohol prevention agencies will work together to improve the health of Californians by improving what appears in stores across the state. To figure out what to fix, ...
Health advocates in California are busy. Between San Francisco's soda tax bill and the proposed warning labels on sugary drinks, momentum is growing for healthy changes in the state, many of which would affect Latino families. In January, the Sonoma County Department of Health Services kicked off an ad campaign urging people to reconsider their beverage choices. Billboards throughout the county are spotlighting the issue. From January through April 2014, residents will see ads depicting the sugar content in sodas and energy and sports drinks on billboards, YouTube and Facebook, in convenience stores, schools, and throughout the community. The website, www.ChooseHealthyDrinks.org, will provide more information on how much sugar is in common drinks, how to read nutrition labels, ...
Latino kids are less likely than White kids to meet federal recommendations of at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day. The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and PHA Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama to end the childhood obesity epidemic, announced in late February that two of the nation’s largest providers of low-cost or free out-of-school time activities have committed to create healthier environments for five million kids in their programs, many of which are Latino. Over the next five years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have committed to encouraging 5,400 sites and Clubs nationwide to adopt strong standards for nutrition and ...
If you're looking to get people in your community excited about being active, an open streets event or Ciclovia is a great way to get started. According to People for Bikes---a group that's uniting individuals from all across America through the activity of biking---Open Streets events are already taking the country by storm. Over 100 cities across the US have already experienced an open streets event. For more information read Open Streets Events Are Spreading Like Crazy. To get started with organizing an Open Streets Event visit our Ciclovia resources ...
Many residents in McLennan County, Texas struggle with diet-related diseases, like diabetes. In this county, where Latinos make up a quarter of the population, community partners are stepping up to identify solutions to these diet-related issues. Students from Baylor University in Waco, TX are canvassing the county during their spring 2014 semester, surveying 111 food stores in seven ZIP codes to assess the cost, availability, and quality of produce. A similar assessment was done in 2012 to assess if small convenience store owners had the capacity to offer fresh fruits and vegetables in their stores. That assessment found that concerns about spoilage and revenue loss kept many store owners from stocking fruits and vegetables. The results of the current study will be a part ...
Law-makers in Maryland are hoping to make it easier for small business owners in USDA-designated food deserts to purchase and sell more fresh fruits and vegetables. Legislation encouraging vendors to make local fruits and vegetables more available in underserved areas moved through the State House and on to the Senate on Friday February 28, 2014. The measure would offer $1 million yearly to small businesses that want to sell Maryland-grown produce in areas lacking grocery stores. Other states, like New York, have passed similar food laws, hoping to increase access to healthy food in areas that lack large grocery ...
Latinos comprise 41% of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and 15% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. Changes in these types of food assistance programs that allow healthier food purchases have been proven to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk by children. In Missouri, some law-makers are hoping these types of healthy changes will be put into legislation. A State House panel heard testimony in late February 2014 on legislation that would give bonus dollars to food assistance participants who buy fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. Supporters say the measure would cut down on obesity in low-income households and reduce costs for obesity-related illnesses. Under the bill, the state would set up a ...
About 9 million low-income women and young children receive federal food assistance under the U.S. government's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, and Latino mothers and their kids make-up over 40% of participants. Soon these families will have greater access to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains under changes to the program unveiled on February 28, 2014. In its final form, the overhaul will boost by 30%, or $2 per month, the allowance for each child's fruit and vegetable purchases, and permit fresh produce in lieu of jarred infant food for babies, if their parents prefer. The update also expands whole grain options available to recipients and allows yogurt as a partial milk substitute, adding to the soy-based ...
