Post: Obesity Risk Twice as High in Hispanic Children
Obesity Risk Twice as High in Hispanic Children
Maria Nadel, Shaping Youth's Spanish translation expert, is putting the finishing touches on our "mind & body" media literacy log as our “Dare to Compare: A Gross Out Game for Good Nutrition” kicks off a new session with 5th graders this Friday.
Evidently, not a moment too soon…
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health finds that young Hispanic children are twice as likely as African-American or white children to be overweight or obese.
Our newest counter-marketing and obesity prevention session is at a Title One school in San Bruno serving a 52 percent Hispanic population with close to half the students (43 percent) in the Free/Reduced Lunch Program.
Why do these stats matter?
Over the last two decades climbing national trends in childhood obesity reflect this socioeconomic and racial/ethnic relevance, as cheap fast food and "every corner" convenience factor into the mind and body media mix.
Energy balance (the buzz phrase for measuring "get off your duff" activities against how many sodas-n-snack packs kids are slamming) is impacted by safety of neighborhoods where outdoor play is less likely and parks can be dicey.
Not sure how much of the community environs apply to students in our preteen "living lab" at Allen Elementary school, but we’re excited about taking a shot at intervention in an "at risk" ethnic group for youth obesity,
Read the rest of the entry on the Shaping Youth blog, where it originally appeared.