On November 26th, 2012, Texas State Representative Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) filed legislation to ban sugary drinks from being sold in public schools. The ban would include soda, sports drinks and similar sugary beverages but would allow schools to sell or distribute 100-percent vegetable or fruit juice, vitamin-enhanced water, water without sweeteners and milk with a fat content of 1 percent or less. Rep. Alvarado introduced similar legislation in 2011, but the bill died early on. Read the full-text of the bill here On June 28, 2013 after being passed by the legislature, the bill was vetoed by Texas Governor Rick ...
Chicago Public Schools unanimously approved a healthier snack and beverage policy on November 13, 2012. The policy bans the sale of items like Gatorade, energy drinks and whole milk in schools. It also discourages rewarding kids with sweets or selling them at school fundraisers. Latino children make up the majority of students in the district, at 44%. Schools will be given a full year to implement the ...
A company by the name of Healthways is working with communities in California and Iowa to shape policies that would make communities more active through the Blue Zones Project. According to a blog post from the DC.StreetsBlog.org, the Blue Zones Project---a collaborative effort of AARP, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute---is now working to integrate more physical activity into daily life. The blog post mentions that communities near Los Angeles like Hermosa, Rendondo Beach, and Mahattan Beach, participated in a planning process to institute walking school buses, to create a livable streets plan and to develop a master bike plan. It also states that since the start of the Blue Zones project in Southern California, ten local schools have ...
CycloBia is Brownsville's version of Ciclovia--an open streets event--which originated in Colombia. The first CycloBia was held November of 2012. The event was a way of getting people to leave their houses and become active, by riding bikes and walking down a temporarily closed off streets in Brownsville. CycloBia not only gave participants a chance to ride their bikes through downtown Brownsville, but also the opportunity to participate in "reclovias"--free exercise sessions available at four different locations, along the closed off streets. In this blog, Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, a participant of the Brownsville CycloBia, shares the wonderful experience she had while attending Brownsville's first CycloBia. She describes the healthy event as one where "the streets belonged to ...
The Promoting Health as Youth Skills In Classrooms And Life Act (S.392) is a federal bill that would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and make health education and physical education core academic subjects in the classroom. It was brought before the 113th Congress on February 27, 2013 and sponsored by Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico). Read the full text to the bill ...
According to The Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST), only 15% of school aged children are enrolled in after school programs. Expanded Learning Opportunities would reduce the amount of risky behaviors that kids participate in, make communities safer, and increase the amount of physical activity that children participate in. HB 384 and SB 503 are two bills that would establish an Expanded Learning Opportunities Council. An Expanded Learning Opportunities Council would serve to increase learning opportunities in coursework, mentoring, tutoring, physical activity, academic support, and educational enrichment. The council would be charged with developing innovative learning methods, and would consist of 2 members from the senate, 2 members from the house of ...
On January 8, 2013, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) released the Blueprint for Accelerating Progress in Childhood Obesity Prevention in Chicago: The Next Decade. It was created after a year of strategic planning with national and local experts to create goals, objectives, and strategies for Chicago to undertake to make a substantial difference in childhood obesity rates in the city. Among the recommendations outlined in the plan were price incentives and disincentives for unhealthy beverages, policies that promote greater food access for all, and continuing to remove unhealthy competitive foods in schools. In Chicago public schools, Hispanic children make up almost half of the student body. Keep up to date with CLOCC's progress through their ...
Community-based, family-centered programs may offer an effective, low-cost method for encouraging children to adopt healthy lifestyle practices. For instance, a pilot study of The YMCA Healthy, Fit, and Strong Program found that the low cost, and simple design of this program could provide YMCAs and community organizations across the country with a means for developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Club sport participation and fitness programs offered through organizations like the YMCA are examples of alternatives that can offer children ways to be active, outside of school time. Because most children do not receive the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity they should be getting, community based programs may offer children a solution to this problem. Club Sport ...
Latino children face a high risk of being overweight. In order to curve this situation, programs to promote increased physical activity among children are important. To address this issue Texas House Rep. Richard P. Raymond (D-Laredo) introduced a bill (H.B. 128), during the 2013 Texas Legislative session, to authorize grants for childhood health programs. Grants would be applied towards programs related to childhood health, fitness, and obesity prevention. Read the full text of H.B. 128, which would establish a Childhood Health Program Grant. Visit the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living to learn about other obesity related bills that were authored during the 2013 Texas Legislative Session. Update: This bill failed to pass and has been referred to ...
