London will ban advertisements for unhealthy food on public transportation in February 2019, as a publicly approved way to reduce rising obesity rates. Other cities can use the ban as a model.
London Obesity
London has one of the highest childhood overweight and obesity rates in Europe. Of children ages 10 and 11, more than 37% are overweight or obese. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is particularly concerned because children living in deprived neighborhoods are almost twice as likely to be overweight. “It’s completely unacceptable that in a city as prosperous as London, where you live and the amount you earn can have a massive impact on whether you have access to healthy, nutritious food,” the mayor said in a press release. “I’m determined to change this.” He is ...
Florida reinvented how they implement Complete Streets a few years ago, even adding coordinators to help each district create roads for people who travel by foot, bike, car, and more. And they didn’t forget about public transit. In fact, the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) created a guidebook to instruct and show examples of how to make public transit─trains, buses, & trolleys─a big part of Complete Streets. Read more below in Part 2 of Salud America!’s three-part series on transportation changes in Florida. Part 1 examined Florida’s reinvention of Complete Streets. Part 3 will cover pedestrian death reduction.
Integrating Transit and Complete Streets
Complete Streets can save lives by providing safe options for people to walk, bike and use public ...
In 1984, Florida transportation leaders crafted the state’s first policy for Complete Streets, which aim for safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders. The policy worked. It saved 3,500 lives in 30 years, according to a study. But, even with a three-decade decline in pedestrian deaths, Florida remains car-dependent and repeatedly ranks among the most dangerous states for pedestrians and bicyclists. What could transportation leaders do now? Their answer: Reinvent how they implement Complete Streets. Read more below in Part 1 of Salud America!’s three-part series on transportation changes in Florida. Part 2 will examine the potential for transit integration. Part 3 will cover pedestrian death reduction.
Why Didn’t the ...
UPDATE 11/12/18: Penalosa challenges San Antonio to stop sprawling and focusing on cars and start building connected networks of sidewalks and protected bike lanes, particularly if they want to become a world class city. You can watch his presentation on the Rivard Report Facebook page. San Antonio has an epic lineup of speakers and panelists for “CityFest,” the city’s first-ever urban ideas and equity festival from Nov. 8-10, 2018. CityFest will serve as a gathering place and platform for city leaders and engaged citizens to connect and discuss issues, challenges, and opportunities to build a more vibrant, equitable, prosperous San Antonio (63.6% Latino). The event, modeled by the Rivard Report and Southwest School of Art from the Texas Tribune’s annual TribFest, aims to ...
Does your city want to embrace the winter, rather than merely endure it? Apply for Wintermission! Wintermission will coach three U.S. cities to plan, pilot, and implement creative solutions to increase social interaction and physical activity among children, newcomer families, and other vulnerable communities in public spaces during the coldest, darkest months of the year. Applications, offered by nonprofit 8 80 Cities, are due Nov. 29, 2018. “Building a culture of public life outside in winter also helps build a culture of public life in all seasons,” according to the 8 80 Cities website.
Improving Social and Physical Activity in Winter
Fewer people spend time outdoors in the winter, which contributes to lower rates of physical activity and social ...
Immigrants are a part of American society, regardless of ongoing political battles. Schools play a big role in embracing and accommodating the unique socio-emotional needs of immigrant students and their families, well beyond academics. But not all school personnel are equipped to respond to these needs. Fortunately, recent guidelines from the National Dropout Prevention Center can help you and other teachers, administrators, and staff at your school understand and better meet the social, economic, and emotional needs of immigrant students and families. “Meeting the needs of such diverse immigrant child and family situations requires knowledge, commitment, and emotional energy on the parts of school administrators, teachers, and other school personnel,” according to the ...
Nationwide, 20.6% of Latino youth and 22.5% of Black youth have obesity compared to 12.5% of white youth, according to a new data report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The new data feature obesity rates among youth ages 10-17 nationally and from each state from the 2016 and 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), along with analysis conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Five states have Latino youth obesity rates over 30%. No states have White youth obesity rates over that mark. “Far too many young people in this country are facing increased chances of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, all due to a preventable condition … black and Latino youth are still more likely ...
Bicycling shops went extinct in Hartford, Conn. (43% Latino), a few years ago. That’s why, in 2015, the Center for Latino Progress teamed with Hartford Public Schools and Capital Workforce Partners to open BiCi Co.—short for Bicicleta y Comunidad—a community bike shop cooperative run by students. The shop soon became more than a place to get a bike. It transformed into a hub for community connection, civic engagement, and better health, according to Mobility Lab.
How Did They Stimulate Community Connection?
Many people don’t feel an emotional connection to or a sense of membership in their community. Those people are less inclined to take action to improve their own health, according to a 2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation survey. Community connection can spur ...
40 million low-income people across the U.S. are in danger of losing a critical lifeline as federal funding for SNAP, commonly known as the food stamp program, hangs in the balance. But just who are these families? What would losing benefits mean? Two new research reports provide an answer.
SNAP & Families
SNAP provides temporary support to help people and families afford food. It is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, with $70 billion in funding in fiscal-year 2017. Latinos comprise more than 20% of SNAP participants. But 1 in 11 households who receive SNAP benefits would no longer be eligible under a revised House Farm Bill, according to data from Mathematica Policy Research cited by the recent State of Obesity report from Trust for America's Health ...
