Web Forum 4/16/13: Mobilizing Latinos to Address Obesity

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Latinos have among the highest rates of obesity in the United States.

A new web forum series, “Why Obesity Is Important to the Latino Community,” is launching at 12:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, April 16, 2013, focusing on the Latino community and obesity and overweight prevention.

The series, organized by the Public Health Institute (PHI) of California, will air on PHI’s Dialogue4Health web platform in both English and Spanish.

Presenters will:

• Outline the epidemiology of obesity in accessible terms, and the underlying factors contributing to the obesity epidemic;
• Elaborate upon the link between obesity prevention and other social issues;
• Discuss the role of community empowerment through leadership and capacity building for policy advocacy and systems change; and
• Provide examples of how Latino communities are coming together to create healthier built, food, beverage, social and community environments.

“This forum, which is by and for Latinos, aims to encourage communities to mobilize in ways that resonate with their culture, values and the environments they live in that influence the availability of healthy food and physical activity,” said Dr. Carmen R. Nevarez, PHI vice president for external relations, as well as a grantee of Salud America!, a Latino childhood obesity research network led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The first forum will be moderated by Dr. George Flores of The California Endowment.

Speakers include Michael Rodriguez, MD, MPH, a professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine; Rosa Soto, regional director, California Center for Public Health Advocacy; and Genoveva Islas-Hooker, MPH, regional program director, CCROPP Program.

Register here.