You’ve probably heard the expression, “Get your steps in,” but just how many steps are needed to make a difference in your health? The average American takes anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, which equates to 1.5 to 2 miles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the CDC suggests that most adults should aim for at least 10,000 steps, which is equivalent of walking 5 miles, a day to maintain a healthier existence. If walking 5 miles a day puts a spring in your step toward a healthy lifestyle, just how many steps would it take to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes? A recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism looked at Fitbit data collected from 5,600 participants in the All of Us research ...
According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a national penny-per-ounce excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) “could substantially reduce body mass index (BMI) and healthcare expenditures and increase healthy life expectancy.” Researchers estimated that the tax would reduce SSB consumption by 20 percent and mean BMI by 0.16 units among youth and 0.08 units among adults. They also estimate the tax would result in $23.6 billion in healthcare cost savings, generate $12.6 billion in annual revenue, and gain 871,000 quality-adjusted life years. Latinos would likely benefit substantially from a nationwide soda tax, considering they are more likely to drink sodas, be overweight/obese and not have adequate health care. Read the full SSB tax ...
Researchers in California found rates of overweight and obesity among children have declined since the state adopted new laws in the past 10 years. In the five years after the start of these statewide policy changes, trends in overweight/obesity leveled off among fifth-grade students at public schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and declined in advantaged neighborhoods, according to the study led by researchers at San Francisco State University. 52% of a public school students in California are Latino. The researchers looked at the effect of two state laws that restricted competitive food and beverages sold alongside meal programs in public schools. This study is released at a time when new federal school lunch guidelines that similarly limit competitive ...
Hispanic children have twice as many untreated cavities in their permanent teeth than white children, according to a new study. The study, which examined 3,300 kids and was led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has good news overall: the number of kids who had cavities in their permanent teeth dropped from 75% 50 years ago to 25% today. But racial/ethnic disparities persist. Hispanic kids ages 2-8 had higher rates of cavities (46%) than black, (44%), white (31%) and Asian (36%) children. Hispanic kids also had the highest cavity rates in the 6-11 and 12-19 age groups. Prevention is key to reducing these rates, expert say. That means educating parents and communities on how cavities occur in children, urging parents to get their kids at least one ...
Thanks to the enactment of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act nutrition standards in schools are changing. Students are now required to take at least one serving of fruit or vegetables. Yet often with such changes comes the challenge of implementation. Although students are provided with more fruits and veggies as part of their school lunch, they don't always eat them. According to a study recently published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine, students who had lunch after recess were more likely to eat their fruits and veggies. The study which was conducted at seven Utah elementary schools, with students in grades 1st-6th, found that lunch after recess increased fruit and vegetable consumption by up to 54%. To learn more about the fruit and vegetable consumption ...
We all know that healthier school meals improve kids' diets. But did you know kids' like them? The first national surveys of school leaders show that the majority of students like the new healthier lunches schools are offering after USDA’s improved nutrition standards went into effect in fall 2012. This study is done by Bridging the Gap, a nationally recognized research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation dedicated to improving the understanding of how policies and environmental factors affect diet, physical activity and obesity among youth, as well as youth tobacco use. In elementary school the study finds that there hasn't been a significant impact on participation in the school lunch program. Sixty‐five percent of public elementary schools reported no overall ...
Toddlers from low-income Hispanic, American Indian (AI), and Alaskan Native (AN) homes are at increased risk for obesity, according to a new study, Medscape reports. The federal study, published in the journal Pediatrics, collected weight data for 1.2 million children at ages 0 to 23 months in 2008 and followed up with them within 24 to 35 months in 2010-11. In 2008, 13.3% of children were obese. In 2010-11, 36.5% of those children remained obese and 11% who were not obese at baseline became obese at follow-up. The Medscape article also highlighted some striking disparities in children's weight by race/ethnicity:
At baseline, obesity rates were higher among Hispanic and AI/AN toddlers, with 18.0% of AI/AN children obese at baseline compared with 15.3% of Hispanic children, 12.8% of ...
A new study is testing whether an automated self-help "Stop Smoking" website—available in both English and Spanish with various resources and tools to track quit progress—can help smokers quit at higher rates than trying to quit on their own. Visit the website in English or Spanish to enroll in this no-cost study. The study, led by Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute, is a collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Upon enrollment, researchers will randomly assign participants to one of two methods to quit: Immediate no-cost access to the UCSF "Stop Smoking" ...
Latinas tend to have positive attitudes and strong interest in genetic testing for breast cancer risk, yet lacked general knowledge about testing, its risks and benefits, according to a new study led by researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The study, published recently in the journal Community Medicine & Health Education, conducted focus groups with 58 Latinas in Hidalgo County, a largely Latino part of South Texas. Researchers used analyzed focus group responses and themes and uncovered several cultural factors, such as religious beliefs, that impacted Latinas’ decisions to get genetic testing. “Key Latino values—religiosity, importance of family and the influential ...
