By Rosalie Aguilar, Salud America! Project Coordinator At least 76% of U.S. Latinos connect to the Internet by mobile phone—many of which are connected to social media networks according to the Pew Research Center. Social media and online communities can be a great way to share information and tools to drive social change. Salud America! uses its website and online community to keep educators, parents, leaders, and members of the health care industry informed about the latest stories, policies and systems change to reverse Latino childhood obesity. This week we’ll be chatting about online communities and resources that can activate change. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Online Communities & Tools For Healthy Change” DATE: Tuesday, July 19th, 2016
TIME: 1-2 ...
The conditions in which you live, learn, work, and age affect your health. The Public Health Institute's (PHI) Public Health Alliance of Southern California collaborated with health departments across the state of California (38.8% Latino), developed the new California Health Disadvantage Index to look into these social, environmental, economic, and political factors, called social determinants of health. "The Health Disadvantage Index provides a fine-grained illustration at a geographic level that makes sense to the decision makers that have the greatest ability to impact these social determinants: local elected officials, planners, engineers, investors, NGOs and others," says Tracy Delaney, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California. "By ...
Kids who are physical activity are scientifically proven to achieve higher school grades, better attendance, improved behavior, and improved health. So where can kids find infinite options for physical activity? Nature. Many studies show that spending time in outdoor physical activity can positively impact mental and physical activity and health. But Latinos tend to lack availability of and safe access to parks and other natural spaces.. Let’s use #SaludTues on July 5, 2016, during the #NatureWalks theme month and #SuperJuly National Parks and Recreation Month, to tweet about the “Power of Nature” and how parents, schools, and communities can improve awareness of and access to nature among Latinos and everyone. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “#NatureWalks & ...
According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans, living in the U.S., have poorer health than other Latino groups, The Bismarck Tribune reports. The report shows that 3 in 10 Puerto Ricans and 1 in 5 Mexican Americans have a chronic illness, such as heart disease or hypertension. In terms of mental health, Puerto Ricans also fared worse; 6% said they had a serious psychological distress in the last 30 days compared to 3.3% among Central and South American adults. "Although the Hispanic population in the United States may share a common language, there is considerable variation among subgroups when it comes to culture, economics and even their attitudes toward seeking out health care,” researchers ...
According to researchers from the American University in Washington, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) behaviors may be reduced with healthier living habits. Reducing screen time, drinking more water and making time for exercise were all recommendations by lead study author Kathleen Holton, who explained in a recent article that all kids who follow these healthy habits will benefit. Researchers studied and compared data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Sleep Foundation, recommending children to exercise at least one hour a day, no more than two hours of screen time and reducing the consumption of sugary beverages. Latino kids are more likely to drink sugary beverages than their white peers, having ...
Working together, local government and non-profits in Santa Barbara, Calif. (43.74% Latino) are redesigning the food environment to focus on health and sustainability. According to a local article, over half of county residents are overweight or obese, and face difficulties in access to healthy foods, affordable housing, health care and more. A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) report on health behavior shows that over 70% of adults or 214,354 adults over the age of eighteen within the county have inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption- consuming less than five servings of fruit and vegetables each day. "Population growth in the county is expected to increase by 100,000 people", Sigrid Wright of the Community Environmental Council told the Pacific Coast Business Times, ...
In the San Antonio, Texas area (69% Latino) families, health care leaders like Dr. Mark Gilger, and philanthropy groups like the Goldsbury Foundation are exploring what healthy and culturally fun Latino meals look like with the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio’s new Culinary Health Education for Families (CHEF) program. Aiming to be a new culinary health model for families needing help in preventing diet-related disease such as childhood diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, the goal of the program is to provide San Antonio residents with tools, resources, and education to lead healthier lives and encourage healthy weights for children.
EMERGENCE
Awareness/Learn: Dr. Mark Gilger, pediatrician-in-chief at the Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, has seen first-hand a local and ...
More than 170,000 undocumented children will benefit from an extension of Medi-Cal (California’s Health Coverage) that will provide them with comprehensive medical insurance including dental and mental health services, Univision reports. "We have to invest in the next generation of Californians and that also has to include our undocumented children,” Sen. Ricardo Lara told CA Public Radio. To be eligible for coverage, children have to be 19 years old or younger and a family of four should not earn more than $65,505 a year. Currently, state legislators are working on expanding health coverage to undocumented adults. "The immediate need is to make sure that the federal government, that this administration, grants us this waiver to make California the first state to allow ...
According to a recent study from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), the brains of unborn children may become addicted to junk foods if the mother eats junk foods during pregnancy. Eating healthy has always been a good practice for moms-to-be, but according to new research, unborn children's brains are impacted by opioid signaling when mothers consume junk foods. The negative impact is that children who become accustomed to these addicting high fats and sugar signals from the mother's consumption of unhealthy foods, need to eat more high fat and sugar foods to achieve a "feel good" response. Researchers examined two groups of baby rats, one group fed on normal rat food and the other on a range of "junk foods" during pregnancy and lactation. ...
