The average Latino infant has 3.8 hours of TV exposure a day, and TV and other media usage remains high as Latino kids get older. Sugary drink marketers are taking full advantage. Latino preschoolers saw 23% more #SugaryDrink ads on Spanish TV in 2013 than in years prior, according to new Sugary Drinks and Latino Kids research from Salud America!, an obesity prevention network under Dr. Amelie Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio. Ads for sugary beverages were more commonly found on Spanish-language than English-language TV. Ad spending on sugary drinks on Spanish-language TV rose 44% from 2010 to 2013, a study found.
How can this change?
The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) is a voluntary self-regulation program for food and drink companies to create ...
Our nation is facing high rates of Latino childhood obesity, unsustainable dependence on carbon-based energy, and high unemployment. Beyond the known health and environmental benefits of sidewalks and bike lanes, what are the employment impacts of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure? A 2011 study compares 58 projects from transportation and public works departments from 11 cities and found that bike projects create 46% more jobs than road projects without bike or pedestrian components. Projects included, road construction and rehabilitation, building new multi-use trails, and widening roads to include bikes lanes and sidewalks. According to this study by the Political Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the “road-only” projects ...
This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Latino children consume less water than their peers
Research based on national NHANES data (2005-06, 2007-08, and 2009-10) has shown that water intakes among U.S. children ages 4-13 are below recommended levels. Mexican-American children consumed less plain water than Non-Hispanic white children, on average, and children living in lower-income households were less likely to consume water as a beverage than those in high-income households.105 Studies have found that Hispanics are more likely to perceive tap water as unsafe and are less likely to drink tap water compared to Non-Hispanic whites.38,106–108 Recent NHANES data showed that over half (56%) of Mexican-American children consumed water from ...
This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Sugary drink consumption among infants, toddlers
In the largest longitudinal study of infant feeding practices in the U.S., the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II), prevalence of any SSB intake during infancy (between ages 1-12 months) was 25.9 percent in 2005-2007.5 Research from the 2008 Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS), a cross-sectional survey describing infant feeding practices, nutrient intake, and food consumption patterns of U.S. infants and young children, showed that: 0.6 percent of infants ages 4-5.9 months
5 percent of infants 6-8.9 months
and 10.7 percent of infants 9-11.9 months consumed SSBs at least once in a day.6 Prevalence of SSB consumption in a given day ...
This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review »
Introduction
Americans obtain over 40 percent of their total sugar in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), including soda, sports and energy drinks, and fruit drinks that contain less than 100 percent juice. Young Americans—including young Latinos—drink far more of these beverages than they did a few decades ago.1 Further, as young Americans’ consumption of soda, fruit drinks, and other SSBs has increased, their consumption of white, unsweetened milk has decreased at the same time.2 Cross sectional studies have shown that children’s milk intakes are inversely associated with intakes of SSBs, including juice drinks and soda, as early as 2 years of age.3,4 This trend is particularly ...
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® ...
Some grocery stores are working towards helping consumers make the healthy choice the easy choice for consumers. H-E-B, a popular and large grocery chain located throughout Texas has been practicing healthy marketing practices like marking food products with nutritional tags, helping consumers online with the Health and Wellness section of their website and including select ingredients marking for products made with no artificial ingredients. Nutritional tags like on the H-E-B made products help consumers clearly see healthier food options like foods with low sodium, low saturated fat, sugar-free products, and products that may be a fiber source or something that is heart healthy. These markings can help consumers conveniently see products that may be a better option for them in ...
Food insecurity remains one of the country’s most troubling conditions that plague many Latino families. Feeding America has determined that Latinos are more than twice as likely to be food insecure as Whites. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) established the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support food and nutrition assistance programs giving aid to low-income households. More than 20% of all Latinos are food insecure as compared to just 10% of all Americans and nearly 25% of all Latino children live in a food-insecure household. In 2014, of the 92 counties with a majority Latino/Hispanic population, 18% were among the top 10 of counties with the highest rates of childhood food insecurity. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to ...
Dentists in Fairbanks, Alaska (7.0% Latino) have partnered with the state Division of Public Health, to help reduce sugary drink consumption in their patients and work to decrease childhood obesity, according to Newsminer.com. The Latino population in Fairbanks has grown rapidly reported the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development that detailed the trend, highlighting a 52% growth rate for Hispanic or Latino residents in Alaska from 2000 to 2010. Many Latino kids and teens drink more sugary drinks on a daily basis than their white peers, sometimes even up to three drinks a day studies show, and with each sugary drink the risk of becoming an obese adult jumps to 60%. Since September of 2016, the public health state workers have started providing training to dental ...