Thanks to the enactment of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act nutrition standards in schools are changing. Students are now required to take at least one serving of fruit or vegetables. Yet often with such changes comes the challenge of implementation. Although students are provided with more fruits and veggies as part of their school lunch, they don't always eat them. According to a study recently published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine, students who had lunch after recess were more likely to eat their fruits and veggies. The study which was conducted at seven Utah elementary schools, with students in grades 1st-6th, found that lunch after recess increased fruit and vegetable consumption by up to 54%. To learn more about the fruit and vegetable consumption ...
Want to learn more about how to advance policy changes for improving the health of children? Check out the new look of The Leadership for Healthy Communities (LHC) website which is aimed at providing the latest resources to do this. The new site is designed to be accessed by desktop computer, mobile phone, or a tablet and to provide web users with: The latest critical issues related to childhood obesity prevention;
A searchable database of valuable resources from LHC and partner organizations;
Profiles of policymaker leaders who are making a difference in their communities; and the
Ability to sign up for the LHC newsletter and connect via Twitter and Facebook. Along with the launch of the new website, the LHC has also released an animated video entitled Cause & ...
How can you get involved with helping to promote more physical activity both during and after school hours? Check out the Action for Healthy Kids webinar for ideas! The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday January 14, 2014 and 3:00 pm - 4:15 ET. Parents will learn about creative ways and resources for promoting and supporting more movement both in the classroom and beyond. Examples of topics that will be discussed include: o More effective recess
o Fitness breaks at school
o Before and after school activities
o Walking and biking to school
o Physical activity for middle and high school students Click here to register for the webinar. Learn more about the need for more physical activity in Latino communities and about the prevention of Latino ...
Happy holidays from the Salud America! team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio! We feel so blessed to be able to deliver to you the latest news and advances in Latino health. We encourage you to email us at saludamerica@uthscsa.edu and submit guest blog posts to continue spreading the word about how Latinos (and everyone!) can make their health a bigger priority in 2015 and beyond. If you need some inspiration for a healthy New Year, watch this ...
All communities deserve the right to be healthy! That's why partners from the Advisory Board Company, the de Beaumont Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have teamed up to launch the BUILD Health Challenge. The BUILD Health Challenge is a national award program aimed at providing support to communities who are interested in collaborating with other groups to improve the health of high risk communities. Through the BUILD Health Challenge up to 14 communities will be awarded grants of $75,000-$250,000 for the planning and implementation of their projects. To be eligible to apply, applicants must: Have the support of a three-way partnership between a hospital or health system, the local health department, and at least one not-for-profit ...
Spanish-language TV advertising for sugary drinks and energy shots increased by 44% over the past few years, according to a new report. The report, Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, updates the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity's 2011 research on sugary drinks and advertising to children. The report highlights industry progress but also indicates that companies still have a long way to go to improve their marketing practices and the nutritional quality of their youth-marketed products. This is particularly relevant to Latino youth, who consume more sugary drinks than their white peers, with 74% of Latinos having their first sugary drink before age 2. Some progress was made in marketing to Latino kids: On Spanish-language TV, Kraft Foods and Red Bull eliminated virtually ...
Looking for some great ways to get junk food out of schools?
Join the Fit to Learn Webinar Series for some great tips on how to bring healthier fundraising alternatives to your school. Topic: Beyond the Bake Sale: Effective and Healthy Fundraising Strategies Date: Thursday, November 20, 2014 Time: 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. (CST) Register for this webinar here. This webinar has already occurred, view the taping of it ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez and Mr. Kip Gallion, the leaders of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, today were named co-recipients of the Everett M. Rogers Public Health Communication Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA). Ramirez is an internationally recognized expert in health disparities research and outreach. Gallion is an accomplished health communications producer and researcher. Working together for more than 20 years, Ramirez and Gallion have developed robust health communication models, research interventions, community outreach, public and scientific speaking engagements, and training of young minds—which have contributed to reduced cancer and disease among Latinos, ...
As faith-based organizations turn their focus to health and wellness, many recognize the need to direct these efforts to their communities in addition to their members. Shared use – also called “joint use” and “community use” – traditionally occurs when government entities or other organizations agree to open or broaden access to their facilities for community use. Faith-based organizations can do this too, as they also have recreational facilities that are not in continual use. ChangeLab Solutions, in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Public Health, developed this fact sheet to highlight how faith-based organizations can play an important role in improving the health and well-being of their neighbors by opening up their facilities and ...
