Hispanics suffer disproportionately from obesity, yet companies like Coca-Cola continue to target Latinos with advertisements. Now Coca-Cola is using anti-obesity ads to create a positive image for their brand, which knowingly sells products high in sugar and fat. Producers of sodas and sweetened beverages recognize that Hispanics are a group with a high buying power. For Coca-Cola Latinos' buying power has reached over $1 billion for their products. Because the industry is subject only to self-regulation, vulnerable groups continue to be the target of their marketing ...
On January 8, 2013, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) released the Blueprint for Accelerating Progress in Childhood Obesity Prevention in Chicago: The Next Decade. It was created after a year of strategic planning with national and local experts to create goals, objectives, and strategies for Chicago to undertake to make a substantial difference in childhood obesity rates in the city. Among the recommendations outlined in the plan were price incentives and disincentives for unhealthy beverages, policies that promote greater food access for all, and continuing to remove unhealthy competitive foods in schools. In Chicago public schools, Hispanic children make up almost half of the student body. Keep up to date with CLOCC's progress through their ...
Over 300 volunteers from local business groups and organizations teamed up with KaBOOM!---a non-profit organization that helps bring playgrounds to communities---to build a playground at Woodard Park in San Antonio, Texas. The event which took place on May 11, 2013 will benefit children living on the Eastside of San Antonio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10bHuCJWgQE&feature=player_embedded According to the video employees from Blue-Cross Blue Shield, Valero, and United Way came out to build the new ...
Community-based, family-centered programs may offer an effective, low-cost method for encouraging children to adopt healthy lifestyle practices. For instance, a pilot study of The YMCA Healthy, Fit, and Strong Program found that the low cost, and simple design of this program could provide YMCAs and community organizations across the country with a means for developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Club sport participation and fitness programs offered through organizations like the YMCA are examples of alternatives that can offer children ways to be active, outside of school time. Because most children do not receive the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity they should be getting, community based programs may offer children a solution to this problem. Club Sport ...
A group of over 300 parents and teens joined the Baldwin Park Resident Advisory Committee (BPRAC) in order to bring safer and more walkable streets to Baldwin Park. Advocates attended a series of workshops where they identified areas that needed street-scale improvements like sidewalks and crosswalks. They then went before the city council to express their concerns and to describe what improvements would enable them to walk more. After speaking with city officials the City of Baldwin Park was able to get a grant to study the streets of Baldwin Park. Eventually a Complete Streets design was presented to advocates and a Complete Streets policy was adopted by the city on July 20, 2011. The City of Baldwin Park's Complete Streets Policy Baldwin Park's Complete Streets policy seeks to ...
The city of Los Angeles is working to improve mobility for all Angelenos by adding continental crosswalks to the city's top-fifty most dangerous intersections. In December 2012, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, launched an initiative to improve crosswalks at 53 intersections throughout the city by March 2013. According to a LAStreetsblog post, Mayor Villaraigosa stated that in the future he would like to see continental crosswalks (otherwise known as zebra crosswalks) at every intersection, however this would be costly. According to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) the city's Measure R funds, for pedestrian improvements, will be used to fund this project. Most of new crosswalks (84%) will be installed adjacent to schools and transit. Related news City ...
Latino children face a high risk of being overweight. In order to curve this situation, programs to promote increased physical activity among children are important. To address this issue Texas House Rep. Richard P. Raymond (D-Laredo) introduced a bill (H.B. 128), during the 2013 Texas Legislative session, to authorize grants for childhood health programs. Grants would be applied towards programs related to childhood health, fitness, and obesity prevention. Read the full text of H.B. 128, which would establish a Childhood Health Program Grant. Visit the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living to learn about other obesity related bills that were authored during the 2013 Texas Legislative Session. Update: This bill failed to pass and has been referred to ...
Events like Los Angeles' CicLAvia help promote the idea that roads not only belong to motorists, but to cyclists and pedestrians as well. The first CicLAvia in 2010 attracted 60,000 children and adults of all walks of life and now CicLAvia has become a yearly event in Los Angeles. CicLAvia has helped create a safe, bike friendly, environment for both children and adults. Watch "Viva CicLAvia!" the bilingual video from Streetfilms, to learn about CicLAvia and other open streets events. Hear what CicLAvia participants had to ...
In Florida, Broward County Commissioners recently adopted a Complete Streets policy, which will help create safer roads for cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and motorists of all ages. Not will only there be safer roads, but this type of policy helps create a healthy environment which promotes walking and cycling. According to a blog post from BrowardNet, Mayor Kristin Jacobs of Broward County encouraged the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team to create a Complete Streets policy. In this effort the Broward Metropolitan Planing Organization, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Broward Regional Health Planning Council, and others worked to design the Complete Streets guidelines. Over 2,000 Broward residents have participated in public workshops, focus groups, and ...
