Civil Rights Organizations Unite to Fight Latino Childhood Obesity
Sep 8th
A $2 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is bringing together five civil rights organizations with the prominence and strength to help reverse childhood obesity, especially in African-American and Latino communities where the epidemic continues to hit hardest.
Over the next 16 months, the groups will aim individually and collaboratively to advance the public advocacy and policy changes critical to creating healthier communities. The initiative recognizes the power of their work to solve systemic issues of racial and social injustice.
The organizations include the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF); National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); National Council of La Raza (NCLR); and National Urban League (NUL).
Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey
“These national organizations are coming together to take a stand,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Foundation. “They will help ensure that all communities benefit from the policy and environmental changes we know are necessary to reverse childhood obesity.”
RWJF’s announcement of the initiative coincides with September’s designation as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Prevention is acutely needed in communities of color given the troubling disparities that persist in rates of childhood obesity and related health problems.
RWJF also has a national program, Salud America!, led by the team behind SaludToday, to increase the number of researchers and the amount of research to reduce the childhood obesity epidemic among Latinos.
RWJF also has a Multicultural Newsroom covering Latino and African-American health care issues.
Salud America! Targets Latino Child Obesity During Nat’l Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Sep 2nd
Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, which is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is observing National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and encouraging people to join us and get involved.
Earlier this year, a resolution was unanimously passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate designating September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, to bring attention to this growing epidemic.
Mexican-American children are more likely to be obese or overweight (38%) than children overall (31.9%), putting them at greater risk for chronic disease and shorter lifespans.
In repsonse, Salud America! formed in 2008 to increase the number of researchers, policy-makers and community leaders engaged in research to prevent obesity among Latino children. We have:
- Developed a network of more than 1,600 people interested in preventing Latino childhood obesity.
- Developed first National Latino Child Obesity Research Agenda.
- Funded, through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 20 pilot research projects working in and with Latino communities on a variety of nutrition, physical activity and policy issues.
- Developed the SaludToday Web site and blog to spread positive Latino health stories and messages.
And we’ve also produced an award-winning dramatic video that uses shocking statistics and actual child voices to document the multi-faceted epidemic of Latino childhood obesity, “Did You Know?/¿Sabía Usted?”
Texans, You Can Weigh in on Obesity-Reduction Efforts
Aug 19th
Texas adults are the 15th-most obese in the nation and 40% of Texas children are overweight or obese, which can lead to serious health concerns and increased health care costs.
Obesity is a multi-faceted problem and will require a comprehensive, collaborative systems change approach involving families, workplaces, schools, communities, organizations, business and industry, academic institutions, and local and state governments.
Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children is among the initiatives in the state that are addressing the burden of obesity.
CPRIT invites comments on the following questions:
- Given current efforts in Texas that address obesity research, prevention, and control, where are the gaps? What other evidence, research, programs, or services are needed to fill these gaps?
- Given CPRIT’s mission to fund innovation in cancer prevention and research, what unique niche, if any, should CPRIT attempt to fill?
You are invited to e-mail an answer to these questions (no longer than one page) to RFI@cprit.state.tx.us by Sept. 20, 2010. All ideas submitted will be reviewed by and distributed to CPRIT program staff and advisory groups. CPRIT will use these ideas to consider its role in addressing the burden of obesity in Texas.
See Who’s Stepping Up Vs. Latino Child Obesity
Aug 16th
How does Cookie Monster help Latino pre-schoolers eat right, exercise? How does Marathon Kids get children to “run” from obesity? How does Dharma Cortes teach low-income Latinos to shop, eat healthier?
Find the answers and more in the latest Salud America! E-newsletter.
Also find out the latest in Latino childhood obesity policy, news and updated on Salud America!
Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation network to pevent obesity among Latino kids. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, which developed SaludToday. To sign up to receive Salud America! E-newsletters, go here.
Community Health Centers Are Flourishing; Just Ask Salud America! Grantee Dr. Dudley
Jul 30th
Known by many for his affable bedside manner, Dr. Robert Dudley, left, examines patient Elvis Garcia at the New Britain Community Health Center (From the Hartford Courant).
As hospitals struggle to balance the books and social service groups cope with budget cuts and heightened demands, community health centers across the state are flourishing, the Hartford Courant reports.
Just ask Dr. Robert Dudley of the Community Health Center in New Britain, Conn.
Dr. Dudley, a grantee of Salud America!, a national network led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, has seen his health center’s medical personnel multiply and move from an empty limosine garage to a renovated building that opened in June after a $6.3 million project to expand and upgrade the space.
He even dubbed the new exam rooms the “luxury suite.”
“You’re the third person to be in this room, ever,” he told his patient, a 12-year-old girl who has been his patient for her entire life, according to the Courant.
More from the Courant:
The health center serves as a “medical home.” The idea is to give patients a regular source of care that they can access easily, treating all aspects of their health and coordinating their treatment — making sure someone keeps track of referrals, medications and everything else related to the person’s health.
The federal health reform law includes provisions for developing medical homes. It offers states money if they develop a care coordination program through Medicaid for people with chronic illnesses, for example. The federal government is also launching a demonstration project for medical homes in Medicare.
Read more about the trending community health centers here and Dr. Dudley’s Salud America! pilot project to combat Latino childhood obesity here.
Join Salud America! & Help Fight Latino Child Obesity
Jul 28th
Join Salud America! and receive news about the latest research, events, funding opportunities and other activities in the fight against Latino childhood obesity.
Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children aims to unite and increase the number of Latino researchers and advicates seeking environmental and policy solutions to address Latino childhood obesity.
Salud America! is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.
Latina Author Lauds Salud America! Latino Childhood Obesity Video
Jul 26th
The dramatic Salud America! “Did You Know” Latino childhood obesity video, which frames the challenges of the epidemic, already has won several film awards and been seen more than 5,000 times on YouTube.
Now Latina author Barbara Trujillo Gomez has written about the video in a new blog post.
Trujillo Gomez, author of “…Barbara por Atras” A Latin Woman’s Guide to Fitness, wrote that the video sent chills up her spine and helped illustrate the reasons behind Latino childhood obesity.
How is it we can sit and continue to watch this happen? There is an epidemic in childhood obesity and Latinos are affected by far more so than non-Latino whites and African Americans. Our Latino kids are suffering from diabetes and heart disease, have a higher BMI, and indulging in junk food. Latinos kids are becoming less active and more involved in video games and social media. We need to educate and motivate.
Watch the video in English here or below, or in Spanish here.
The video was produced by Salud America!, which is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.
Funding Opportunities in Child Obesity Research
Jul 20th
Check out the latest funding opportunities in childhood obesity research, brought to you by Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children.
Partnerships Active in Communities to Achieve Health Equity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services seeks proposals for Partnerships Active in Communities to Achieve Health Equity. The program aims to curb health disparities and promote quality health outcomes. Applications are due August 2, 2010.
Healthy Eating Research Grants
Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), is seeking grant proposals for studies to promote healthy eating among children to prevent obesity, especially among low-income and racial/ethnic populations at highest risk. Applications are due September 1, 2010.
Ladder to Leadership
Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders seeks to help local, early- to mid-career professionals serving vulnerable populations develop leadership skills. The next opening, for Kansas City, Mo., is scheduled for Fall 2010.
Active Living Research Grants
Active Living Research, an RWJF national program, is seeking proposals for studies of emerging or anticipated changes in physical activity-related policies or environments. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis. Letters of intent may be submitted until July 1, 2011.
NIH Obesity Grants
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) compiles a wide variety of obesity-related research funding opportunities that are currently seeking applications.
NCCOR Obesity Grants
The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR), which aims to improve childhood obesity research and reverse obesity, conducts a grants roundup.
Salud America! is a program of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.
En Español: Latino Childhood Obesity Video
Jul 7th
Our dramatic video that uses shocking statistics and actual child voices to document the complex epidemic of Latino childhood obesity is now in Spanish.
The award-winning video, titled “¿Sabía Usted?” and developed by the Salud America! program of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, was originally developed in English. To request a DVD copy in English or Spanish, e-mail us as saludamerica@uthscsa.edu.
Watch the Spanish-language video here or below:
The video was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children.
Amelie Ramirez Talks on Challenges, Solutions to Latino Child Obesity
Jun 24th
Amelie G. Ramirez
Go here to listen to Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of SaludToday, in a radio interview about the challenges of Latino childhood obesity and her Salud America! program’s efforts to reduce the epidemic.
Dr. Ramirez was a guest on “Conversations on Health Care,” a weekly radio show airing in Connecticut, Minnesota and Michigan featuring experts in health care innovation and reform. The show is made possible by the Connecticut-based Community Health Center, Inc.
Dr. Ramirez has spent 30 years directing many state-, federal- and privately-funded research programs focused on human and organizational communication to reduce chronic disease and cancer health disparities affecting Latinos. Under her leadership, the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center investigates cancer disparities among Latinos, including research on cancer control and prevention, cancer survivorship, smoking prevention, obesity and much more.
Listen to Dr. Ramirez’ interview here until June 30, then here after that.