Rosie Salazar has a keepsake L.A. Dodgers apron that reminds her of her mother’s love for family and cooking—and her fight against breast cancer. Even undergoing treatment for cancer, her mom tried hard to cook, clean, and remain strong. Salazar took that lesson of strength and turned it into a positive life outlook and tries to always make people laugh and smile. Now she’s aiming to apply her attitude to solving health and obesity issues. Salazar, who earned a bachelor’s degree in health science at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2006, worked in the emergency medical field for five years. Treating patients with chronic diseases inspired her to create health promotion programs, and she obtained her master’s degree in public health, too. Salazar ...
Many foods are marketed as "healthy" to consumers, but what about the amount of sugar that is in each product? Antonio R. Estrada, a photographer, CrossFit enthusiast and sports nutritionist is aiming to show consumers products marketed as healthy, in their true light, portraying the amount of sugar contained in many products that people consume on a daily basis. Estrada explains that his idea is simple, to show consumers the amounts of sugar in products in the same way that industries show their products, with great lighting, packaging and visual effects. By putting the amount of sugar next to each product, consumers visualize the amount of sugar in an easy to see format. He hopes that through this artistic way of portraying these products, consumers will share his photos (with ...
Public transportation matters for healthy food access. When grocery stores aren't close to home, which is the case in many Latino neighborhoods, people lack access to healthy food-and various other destinations. Public transportation can play a huge role in connecting families in disadvantaged areas to healthy resources to build a culture of health for everyone. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership developed a 2-page fact sheet which identifies inequities in access and provides examples of strategies for transit agencies to connect neighborhoods and grocery stores. Safe Routes also developed a fact sheet outlining the role of transit agencies in improving food access. Check out these solutions to help transit agencies create and strengthen the connection between ...
On February third, the Ordot -Chalan Pago Elementary School (OCPES) kicked off the school-wide event for a SNAP-Ed program called "Fit Fridays" to encourage students to have at least one hour of regular physical activity every day. Health champions that helped lead the event were Principal of OCPES, Tricia Moylan and School Nurse, Leah Landstrom. Ordot-Chalan Pago is a pilot village for the program, where schools signed on back in December of 2016, to help roll out many Fit Fridays and become leaders and champions with the 5-2-1-Almost None pledge with SNAP-ED. The campaign for the 5-2-1-Almost None is supported by a partnership between the UOG college of Natural and Applied Sciences and the Department of Public Health and Social Services through SNAP-Ed. To learn more about ...
Growing up, Jacklyn Samano’s mother insisted that she practice her Spanish and made her write things over and over until she got it right. That lesson of persistence is paying off for Samano. Samano, who dreams of one day leading her own public health research center and discovering ways to incorporate a better quality of care to help Latino families lead healthier lives, already has made great strides toward her goal. The Los Angeles native earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2013. She spent her undergraduate years working with teams like Chicanos for Community Medicine, UCLA Pediatric Neurology, and Senior Smiles. Now, as a master’s student in public health at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, ...
In all 50 states, at least 20% of the population now has obesity, according to The Milken Institute report, "Weighing Down America" that shows in detail the threat of obesity on rising rates of disease, our health care system, and our economy.
Among the report are the facts that: Finds total cost of Americans' obesity equals to 8.2 % of U.S. GDP
Obesity costs our nation’s collective well-being and prosperity $1.4 trillion annually
Obesity and excess weight is an expanding health problem for more than 60% of Americans These are just a few of the findings from the report. Unfortunately, many health conditions are caused by obesity including cancer, type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, hypertension, congestive heart failure, asthma, Alzheimers and more. Cost is also a ...
Low-income Latino kids who attended early education programs at age 4 did better in third grade than other public school children, according to a study conducted using data from the Miami School Readiness Project (MSRP). Unfortunately, fewer Latino children are enrolled in early education programs than non-Latino children. Researchers looked at data from 11,902 low-income Latino children in Miami (66.8% Latino) to assess children's performance on state standardized tests of math and reading as well as children's grade point average (GPA) in third grade. "We found that those children who took part in public school prekindergarten programs started kindergarten with stronger academic skills, more optimal social-behavior skills, and English-language proficiency," Arya Ansari, a ...
After decades of educational messages and campaigns on the grave health consequences of tobacco use, fewer young people than ever smoke cigarettes. But this triumph has come with an unintended side effect. A rising number of middle and high school kids are smoking electronic cigarettes, or "E-cigarettes," according to a National Institutes of Health report. E-cigarettes are electronic devices that vaporize flavored liquids that often times contain nicotine. These alternatives to smoking tobacco come with their own set of health risks, including asthma and respiratory infections. Among Latinos, tobacco use remains a serious problem and an increasing number have begun using e-cigarettes, according to American Heart Association News. "Easy access to these products, the ...
Clean, accessible water is vital to the health of children, especially when it comes to reducing consumption of sugary beverages and keeping kids healthy throughout the school day. The National Drinking Water Alliance (NDWA) is a national coalition of nonprofits, academic institutions, individuals and advocates who are working to ensure all children have access to safe and clean drinking water. NDWA is working to ensure water safety issues, like what happened in Flint, are eradicated at the national, state and community levels, by developing legislation for tap water testing in schools and childcare sites. NDWA has not only urged the United States Department of Agriculture to add a water symbol to the My Plate graphic but also provides a hub of various water resources, including ...
