The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants your input to shape transportation planning and spending across the state for the next 10 years, in what is known as the Unified Transportation Program (UTP). The UTP will guide construction, development, and related activities for 13,000 projects. However, the program prioritizes congestion relief over safety, connectivity, and economic development, says nonprofit Farm & City. You can speak up for transportation that prioritizes Texans’ wellbeing! Copy one of the model public comments drafted by our Salud America! research team, click the “submit” button, and paste the comment on txdot.gov’s comments website by Aug. 20, 2018. Be sure to click “No” in the required field asking if this is a complaint.
Model ...
A leading pediatricians’ group is warning families on chemicals in processed food and the use of plastic food containers, while encouraging more whole fruits and vegetables, according to The New York Times. Previous studies have shown how chemicals used in an array of fast food packaging can be dangerous to consumers. Now the American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents 67,000 of U.S. children’s doctors, have released a statement and technical report that is concerned about rising evidence "that certain chemicals that enter foods may interfere with the body’s natural hormones in ways that may affect long-term growth and development." The pediatrician’s group is asking for further rigorous testing and regulation on the countless of food additive chemicals as well as ...
Cam Juarez knows the bad stats. Latinos are just 2% of visitors to Saguaro National Park, despite being 40% of the population in Pima County, Ariz. They miss a big chance to connect with nature and be physically active. Heck, Juarez himself lived nearby for 26 years before visiting Saguaro. Now Juarez's job—Saguaro's "community engagement coordinator"—is to raise Latino park attendance. And, by mixing cultural events with workforce diversity and bilingual community and school outreach, he's helped raised attendance and at the same time created a model for other parks to solve a national issue: How to get Latinos to come to national parks. How'd Juarez do it?
Latinos, Physical Activity, and National Parks
Cam Juarez was born with a heart defect—likely due to the ...
Want to change your life? Walk. Walking can boost your health, the way you live, and your community. As a physical activity, walking changes your body physiologically, improving mental and physical health. As a lifestyle, walking in your local neighborhood and parks can enhance your social and environmental awareness. You'll see things you can’t see while driving. As a driver of community change, walking contributes to building a culture of health through peer-modeling and observational learning. You change your parks and trails simply by being there. Sharing what you see—good and bad—can encourage others to walk and advocate for sustainable, equitable change. UPDATE: Check out the recap on Wakelet. Join us for a #SaludTues Tweetchat on July 24, 2018, to tweet ...
The steady increase in human average life expectancy in the 20th century is considered one of the greatest accomplishments of public health. A person’s rate of aging has important implications for his/her risk of death and disease. Now scientists have developed a blood test that reveals how long a person has left to live, The Guardian reports. Researchers at Yale School of Public Health used a nationally representative U.S. sample to derive a person's “Phenotypic Age” based on 34 a linear combination of chronological age and nine multi-system clinical chemistry measures. The study result suggested that Phenotypic Age is significantly associated with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality. If a person’s phenotypic age is higher than their chronological ...
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (Safe Routes) is raising awareness to end over-policing as a safety solution in walking and biking initiatives. Racial profiling by police, for example, threatens drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists of color. These Latinos and other minorities, who already face less safe roads and fewer places to walk and bike, deal with a greater burden of traffic and pedestrian violations, too. Safe Routes wants you to stand up for minorities by sharing on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. “As walk and bike advocates, we need to come together to protect people in communities made vulnerable not only by missing and poorly maintained bike lanes and sidewalks and inequitable policies, but also by over-policing,” wrote Holly Nickel, coalitions and ...
Our own Amanda Merck recently joined HiMama’s The Preschool Podcast to talk about addressing childhood trauma in early childcare and schools to build better futures for Latino and all children. HiMama, which offers tools to help educators improve childhood development, hosts The Preschool Podcast every Tuesday with its co-founder and CEO Ron Spreeuwenberg and a guest. Merck, who curates content for Salud America! on early childhood development, joined podcast episode #103, Impacts of Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences, on July 3, 2018. Merck spoke about the critical formative years from 0 to 5 in a child’s development and how childhood trauma, like abuse and poverty, affect a child’s body and brain. However, early childcare educators are rarely trained to deal with ...
About half of U.S. children suffer abuse, poverty, parental incarceration. These kids face deep physical and mental scars that impair development, learning, and health. How can schools support and help students dealing with these issues? The new Salud America! “Help Your School Support Students Action Pack” is a free guide with coaching to help school personnel talk to decision-makers, build a support team, craft a system to identify and support students, and more! The Action Pack was created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! Latino health program at UT Health San Antonio, with input from John Hernandez, who created a unique system to help support students at East Central ISD in San Antonio. Get the Action Pack! The Action Pack helps school ...
Climate leadership comes in all shapes, sizes, and places. The Let’s Lead on Climate guide features stories from faith-based and community groups that engage their constituents to elevate climate action and solutions across the nation. “Whether you are a locally elected leader, pastor, nurse, or other community leader, this guide will help you take the first steps toward local climate leadership,” the guide states.
The Guide Can Help Latinos and Many More
Latinos are worried about global warming, but fewer Latinos view themselves as activists, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Latinos thus may not feel comfortable reaching decision makers or taking action. What can they do? The Let’s Lead on Climate shows key insights and lessons ...
