Latinos face many inequities in attaining quality and affordable healthcare. Cultural and language barriers are often in place keeping many Latinos, especially Latino immigrants, from getting the healthcare that they need. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded over $950,000 in funds to George Washington University to research health disparities among the Latino immigrant and refugee communities. “The changing demographics of the U.S. population in which recent immigrants are playing a key role in population growth have and will continue to exert a major influence on the course of health disparities,” the grant abstract stated. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect ...
November is almost over, but its not too late to celebrate national diabetes awareness month! Health care professionals organizations and communities across the nation are working toward bringing attention on how to manage and prevent diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease is raising awareness through the "Managing Diabetes – It's Not Easy, But It's Worth It" campaign. The program highlights how to prevent diabetes, managing and preventing complications form the disease. According to the "Managing Diabetes- It's Not Easy, But It's Worth It" campaign, regularly getting at least 30 minutes of a moderate level of physical activity for at least five days a week reduces the risk of diabetes. Maintaining a healthy diet by reducing the amount of ...
Safe places to walk and bike are critical for Latino and all kids to grow up healthy. Sadly, the U.S. lags far behind other countries in traffic safety. Traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S., thus many families avoid walking and biking. Given the inequity in access to safe streets and the disparities in fatalities and injuries among minorities, traffic safety is both a public health and a social justice issue. The National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) and the Vision Zero Network launched an interactive map that showcases the over 59,000 speed-related fatalities that occurred on U.S, roads between 2010 and 2015, identifying city and even street-by-street locations where each incident occurred. Find your city as well as the top 10 most ...
New research has shown that the long-existing digital divide, the gap between Latino Internet users and whites, is at its narrowest point since 2009. Immigrant and Spanish-speaking Latinos made big strides in going online, according to Pew Research Center’s 2015 National Survey of Latinos. While Latinos still lag behind on broadband access and usage – the survey showed little change from 2010 to 2015 – the new data is encouraging. Latinos have long been ahead of the curve in accessing the Internet via smartphones and other mobile devices. In terms of access, Latinos are the most likely racial/ethnic group to own a smartphone, live in a household without a landline telephone, live in a household with only one cellphone, and have access to the Internet via a mobile device. In ...
Napa Valley Unified School District, (33.9% Latino) operates 32 schools within the district and now is working towards healthier and tastier school lunches as parents have come together to get the district to change what it offers for students lunches. The lunch reform movement started in recent years with a passionate group of parents that were wanting to make a change in the high levels of pre-diabetic students, and the fact that students were not enjoying the school lunches that were part of the national lunch program. Since then, members of the Napa City Council and the Napa County Board of Supervisors are supporting lunch reform and joined in participating in a recent Napa County annual Food Day celebration, to help focus on healthier school lunches. The celebration ...
People are more likely to remain physically active when they can do it outdoors; however, Latino kids and adults often lack safe places to walk, play, and be active. Great news! Playgrounds are not just for kids anymore. For example, the Marion Diehl Senior Center in Charlotte, N.C. (13.1% Latino) recently installed a new playground for all ages. The parks and recreation department in San Antonio, TX (63.2% Latino) has installed low-impact, outdoor gym equipment at 35 city parks and five libraries. San Antonio also provides free fitness classes, like Zumba, Yoga, and Boot Camp in parks across the city. Watch this video to learn more. The Trust for Public Land has installed 68 outdoor fitness zones in city parks across the country. The Trust for Public Land's Fitness Zone® ...
Childhood obesity is one of the leading health concerns plaguing the Latino community. New research shows from several federal agencies show that obesity among toddlers from low-income families is declining. New research from several federal agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports. However, despite the decline, the prevalence of obesity for low-income toddlers is 14.5%. This number far exceeds the national average. “Continued initiatives to work with parents and other stakeholders to promote healthy pregnancies, breastfeeding, quality nutrition, and physical activity for young children in multiple settings are needed to ensure healthy child development,” according to the authors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department ...
Joining over 900 jurisdictions across the country, Pittsburgh (2.3% Latino) adopted a Complete Streets Policy in November, 2016, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Climate Initiative to make it safer to travel using alternative modes of transportation in order to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Complete Streets policies—including laws, resolutions, executive orders, policies, and planning and design documents—encourage and provide safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, ethnicity, or how they travel. Check out their toolkit. Safe access to active modes of travel, like walking and biking, are critical to increase kid's physical activity and reduce their risk for lifelong chronic disease, as well as to accommodate our growing population ...
Students at Western High School in Las Vegas (64.7% Latino), now have their very own yoga studio thanks to a unique partnership between sportswear retailer Lululemon and Create a Change Now, a Las Vegas non-profit agency. The two groups and local artists D2 came together to transform an old storage space into a state-of-the art facility where all Western High students can exercise and de-stress. In September 2016, over 75 students and teachers attended the promotional yoga session held for the grand opening of the studio. Weekly sessions will continue to be held twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. The school's goal is to have at least 12 students attend each class. “All of the kids don't play sports,” said Joyce Sportsman, a yoga instructor at Western High. ...
