Working together to discuss actions to reduce obesity in children and adolescents, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) hosted a roundtable discussion with government representatives, nongovernmental organizations and private sector groups. The discussion focused on the Plan of Action for the Prevention of Obesity in Children and Adolescents, drawing on actions to help healthier options become the easier options. A few key points discussed were taxes on sugary beverages and junk foods, protecting children from unhealthy marketing, and food labeling, along with policy and programs for healthier foods and water access for schools and increased physical activity in schools. To see all groups and participants involved, click here. Copy & ...
College friends Tori Ostenso and Emily Pence met through volunteer opportunities while in school. They soon learned there was plenty of fresh produce in their neighborhoods, but immigrant families lacked access to these healthy options in Rice County, Minn. (8% Latino population). The two students wanted to help. They eventually started a mobile market and eventually began a weekly program to help Latino and other families have greater access to an affordable bag full of fresh local organic vegetables.
Abundant Fresh Produce, But Inequitable Access
Victoria (Tori) Ostenso became keenly aware of the bounty of healthy fresh produce grown in Northfield, Minn (8.4% Latino) while working at Carleton College’s two-acre organic vegetable farm in summer 2012 after her freshman year ...
A new program called Students for Nutrition and Exercise (SNaX) is helping obese students in Southern California have healthier weights for longer periods of time. According to a recent article, SNax combined school-wide environmental changes, encouragement fo healthy eating, healthy foods in cafeterias and peer-led education and marketing to help students change their body mass index (BMI). Over 1,368 students heights and weights were assessed before and after two years of the program in over five schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District where thirty percent of the students were classified as obese at the start of the program. Two years later students showed a "significant decline" in BMI, around nine pounds lower in body weight, according to the article. The ...
According to a local news article, by this summer local convenient stores and large chain stores who sell food in the city of Minneapolis must offer healthier fresh food options. Most corner stores throughout the nation offer junk foods, that are usually high in sodium, added sugars and low in nutritious benefit- an unhealthy food environment for Latinos- who are currently reported to have the highest rates of obesity in the city (31.7% of Latino Adults Obese) and the overall nation. This new law is the first of it's kind in the nation, hoping to help combat diabetes, obesity, and other diet-related health risks by offering more convenient access and healthier foods throughout the city's corner stores and convenience stores. The law asks businesses to stock protein items, milk, ...
On March 31, 2016, Tennessee Governor, Bill Haslam, signed a new bill which increases the weekly requirements for physical activity in grades K-6. The new law will go into effect in July 2016 requiring 225 minutes of physical activity per week for Tennessee (5% Latino) students in grades K-1, and 160 minutes per week for students in grades 2-6. This is a drastic increase from the previous requirement of 90 minutes per week for all grades, although students in grades 7-12 will still only receive 90 minutes. More specifically, the law requires a minimum of three 15-minutes periods of non-structured physical activity at least four days a week for grades K-1, and a minimum of two 20-minutes periods of non-structured physical activity at least four days a week for grades 2-6. Many ...
According to recent local news, kids in Arizona schools that have school garden produce will now get to crunch into their fresh-cut carrots. Existing law required that the Department of Health Services adopt regulations to ensure all food and or drink being sold at retail and provided for consumption be free from dirt, or disease- causing organisms. The new law just passed this month that would exempt fruits and vegetables grown in school gardens to be able to be washed and eaten on-site for immediate consumption. There were opposals of the bill, stating that kids could be at health risks, however, physician and House Minority Leader Eric Meyer said in the recent article that he has never known of any cases when kids would get sick from eating fresh fruits and ...
A team of researchers studying preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital found that premature babies whose daily diets consisted of 50 percent breast milk had more brain tissue by their due dates than premature babies who consumed significantly less breast milk. One notable finding is that researchers didn’t distinguish between milk from the babies’ own mothers and milk donated by other women. Breastfeeding has numerous positive effects on children, one of which is reduce risk for obesity. The researchers plan to follow these babies through their first years of life to look at their growth and motor, cognitive, and social development, because researchers believe they will be able to determine the effects of early exposure ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger
Campaign for Dental Health Community water fluoridation is the practice of adjusting the level of fluoride in the local water supply so there is just enough to help protect teeth from decay. It’s called ‘community’ water fluoridation because the whole community benefits. But Latino kids and families with low incomes, who suffer more than others from tooth decay, benefit the most. For every $1 invested in community water fluoridation we save as much as $38 in money that CHIP, Medicaid, insurance companies, and individuals would have to spend to treat unhealthy teeth. What is fluoride? Fluoride is a mineral that strengthens teeth so they’re more resistant to the bacteria that cause decay. It is found naturally in all sources of water. (It ...
The National Park Service's (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program is working with doctors, healthcare providers, and other local organizations as part of the Healthy Parks Healthy People (HPHP); Greater Washington Area Initiative (DC, VA, MD, and WV) to connect physicians with ParkRx. ParkRx (Park Prescriptions) are programs designed in collaboration among public land agencies, healthcare providers, and community partners to encourage people to utilize parks, trails, and open space for the purpose of improving individual and community health. Doctors use a prescription pad to actually prescribe park time outdoors in nature or in a park. Park prescriptions can improve their health-physical and mental-and create a generation of lifelong park stewards. Since 2013, ...
