Latino kids tend to live in neighborhoods with more access to fast food restaurants and less access to healthier food options, according to Salud America! research. Regularly eating high-calorie, high-sugar, and high-sodium meals at these restaurants can have devastating long-term health impacts, such as obesity, heart disease, and more. In an effort to combat these worsening trends, some of the largest fast-food restaurant chains pledged to offer healthier meal options on their kids’ menus. Some pledged to remove sugary drinks, and other pledged to add healthier options. Were they able to keep their promises?
Fast food study The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, a nonprofit research and public policy organization based out of the University of Connecticut, ...
Sweetened sugary beverages are the main sources of excess sugar consumption and are associated with decreased water, fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as increased risk for obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Parents in the Tayside area of Scotland expressed their concerns about the excess sugar given to toddlers in the form of fruit juice. In March 2017, more than 140 Scottish primary schools were banned from giving toddlers fruit juice. Water and milk will be served instead. “All local authorities have a duty to provide school meals that meet strict nutritional requirements, ensuring that pupils are offered balanced and nutritious school lunches," a Scottish Government spokesperson said according to one source. Barriers to healthy eating are not only ...
With temperatures this summer reaching into the triple digits in many cities across the country, staying hydrated is crucially important for everyone. In many low-income and Latino neighborhoods, this becomes problematic, as access to clean drinking water is not always readily available. In Chattanooga, Tenn. (5.41% Latino population), the city’s branch of the Salvation Army has launched a new campaign to help residents in the area keep cool and stay hydrated during the summer, according to a report from WDEF News. “I don’t know how folks make it through the hot days of summer,” said Kimberly George, a representative with the Salvation Army said in an interview with WDEF. “It is so hot that it is life threatening.” The Salvation Army’s “Beat the Heat” campaign, ...
We believe in grassroots changes that help families have healthy lives. That's why we at Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio are proud to partner with Univision for a campaign to promote healthy change in San Antonio. The campaign will periodically feature our heroes of change on Univision 41's afternoon news and mid-day digital broadcasts, Edicion Digital. These San Antonio heroes of change, who we call Salud Heroes, are adding fruits and veggies to corner stores, creating community gardens, launching fitness programs in parks, and promoting water over sugary drinks. Our first Univision 41 segment in May 2017 featured the amazing Baby Cafe in San Antonio, which provides support and peer networking for Latina and all moms who breastfeed their babies. The hashtag ...
Caffeine use among children is increasing. Sodas as well as energy drinks are a major source of caffeine for kids. A recent study shows 29% of 7th and 8th graders can’t judge what has caffeine and what doesn’t. Between 30% and 50% of teens and young adults reported using energy drinks. Energy drinks account for up to 58% of a person’s beverage budget for those on government assistance. For Latinos, there are 22% more ads for energy drinks on Spanish radio as compared to English radio. This targeting to Latinos could increase future energy drink use in the Latino community. Why is this a problem? The American Academy of Pediatrics says caffeine might have health risks for kids. Sodas, energy drinks, or other caffeinated drinks often have large amounts of ...
A newly released study of the Berkeley soda tax, a joint effort of the Public Health Institute and the University of North Carolina covering over 15 million supermarket transactions, shows that the Berkeley soda tax is working. Soda sales have been down by 10%, and water and milk sales have gone up! Residents are buying fewer sugary-sweetened beverages water sales are up 16%, plus, according to the study. Also, in opposition to what was suggested by the American Beverage Association, grocery bills have not gone up. Not only has all this helped deter consumption of unhealthy beverages for health but also $1.5 million has been raised for nutrition & health programs! Nancy Brown, CEO, from the American Heart Association, told PLOS Medicine: “This study adds to the ...
Have you seen Pepsi's soda ad that it yanked after big public outrage? It shows a staged protest with good-looking multicultural crowd and model Kendall Jenner. Jenner gives a Pepsi to a police officer. He smiles, everyone's happy. Social justice delivered and police brutality solved—by soda. The ad sparked a storm of criticism, for some obvious reasons. Even scarier is that sugary drink marketers continues to exploit Latino and Black youth, and stir obesity issues in these groups, according to commentaries by Vox's Julia Belluz and The Washington Post's Michelle Singletary. Belluz writes: "The public health community has long argued that big soda’s targeting of African Americans and Latinos is exacerbating health problems in those communities. We now have a big ...
People care deeply about health; however, with so many complicated messages from health experts and contradicting messages from food manufacturers, as well as lack of access to affordable healthy food, it can be very difficult for families to make truly healthy choices. Latinos, in particular, face additional barriers to access healthy food, thus face higher rates of obesity and related chronic diseases. The City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) launched a new ¡Viva Health! Eat well, feel great. Come bien, sientete bien. campaign in March 2017 to target the biggest public health threats of this generation—obesity and diabetes. Obesity is linked to numerous burdensome chronic diseases and diminished quality of life, and diabetes can lead to blindness, ...
Health advocates hoping to raise an estimated $28.4 million per year from a soda tax in Multnomah County are working to gather around 25,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot. The tax would allow for an 18 cent tax for an average 12-ounce soda or 51 cents per liter of soda, with revenues helping to fund early childhood education, reading and literacy initiatives and school programs encouraging nutrition, physical education, school gardens and more. Health advocates like Michael Bloomberg are working together to get the initiative off the ground with seed funding. Also, the American Heart Association, who have helped pass similar policies across the nation have started a local advocacy group called,"Yes for Healthy Kids and Education Coalition" aiming to build support ...
