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Hispanic Children and Obesity Risk

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Hispanic Children In U.S. At Greater Risk For Obesity Than Other Ethnic/Racial Groups

The prevalence of overweight in the US population is among the highest in Mexican-American children and adolescents. In a study of 1,030 Hispanic children between the ages of 4 and 19, published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine found less than optimal diets in both overweight and non-overweight participants.

Hispanic Children and Obesity Risk

Hispanic Children In U.S. At Greater Risk For Obesity Than Other Ethnic/Racial Groups

Hispanic Children In U.S. At Greater Risk For Obesity Than Other Ethnic/Racial Groups

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), in 2005-2006 the prevalence of overweight among children (2-19 years) from all ethnic/racial groups was 15.5%. For Mexican-American males and females (2-19 years) the prevalence was 23.2% and 18.5%, respectively. Although the US environment encourages a sedentary lifestyle and excess food intake, the Hispanic population is burdened with additional risk factors for childhood obesity including parental obesity, low socioeconomic status (SES), recent immigration, acculturation to US diet and lifestyle, and limited health insurance coverage.

The VIVA LA FAMILIA Study was designed to identify genetic and environmental factors contributing to childhood obesity in the Hispanic population. It provided the novel opportunity to assess the diet of a large cohort of Hispanic children from low-SES families at high risk for obesity (1,030 children from 319 families in Houston, Texas). On average, 91% of parents were overweight or obese and parental income and education levels were low. Food insecurity was reported by 49% of households.

Writing in the article, Nancy F. Butte, PhD, Professor, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, states, “The diets of these low-SES Hispanic children were adequate in most essential nutrients, but suboptimal for the promotion of long-term health. Diet quality did not satisfy US dietary guidelines for fat, cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, fiber, added sugar, and sodium. Although energy intake was higher in overweight children, food sources, diet quality, and macro- and micronutrient composition were similar between non-overweight and overweight siblings…Knowledge of the dietary intake of children from low-SES Hispanic families at high risk for obesity will provide a basis on which to build nutritional interventions and policy that are appropriately tailored to population sub-groups.”

In a commentary published in the same issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, PhD, Professor of Nutritional Sciences & Public Health, Director, NIH EXPORT Center for Eliminating, Health Disparities among Latinos (CEHDL), University of Connecticut, Storrs, asks whether the process of acculturation into “mainstream” US society is having negative effects on Hispanics. Citing numerous studies, he explores many of the factors that both support and contradict the assimilation argument, and concludes that while acculturation is likely a negative influence, further study is warranted. He writes, “However, we still need to elucidate the mechanisms and the extent to which acculturation to the USA ‘mainstream’ culture per se explain deterioration in dietary quality, and increased risks for obesity and associated chronic diseases among Latinos. Filling in this gap in knowledge is essential for developing culturally appropriate and behavioral change based interventions targeting Latinos with different levels of acculturation.”

The article is “Nutrient adequacy and diet quality in non-overweight and overweight Hispanic children of low socioeconomic status – the VIVA LA FAMILIA Study” by Theresa A. Wilson, MS, RD, Anne L. Adolph, BS, and Nancy F. Butte, PhD. The commentary is “Dietary quality among Latinos: Is acculturation making us sick?” by Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, PhD. Both appear in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 109, Issue 6 (June 2009) published by Elsevier.

Source: APA – Elsevier (2009, June 4). Hispanic Children In U.S. At Greater Risk For Obesity Than Other Ethnic/Racial Groups. ScienceDaily. Retrieved

Latino Nutrition Month Oldways Releases Latino Health Tool Kit

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Target Latino thanks the Latino Nutrition Coalition and Oldways for allowing us to publish this important information for dissemination within our community. Let’s hope that we all work together for the betterment of our nutrition and that of our children.

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BOSTON, September 15, 2009 – In celebration of Latino Nutrition Month from September 15 through October 15, Oldways and the Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC) have released Latino Living – A Guide to Better Health Through Traditional Food and Active Lifestyles – for both consumers and health professionals.

“Latino Living was originally designed for health professionals and dietitians, but it is so user friendly and simple that it’s perfect for consumers from coast to coast,” said Sara Baer-Sinnott, Executive Vice President of Oldways.

Latin Diet Pyramid - Copyright 2009 Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust - http://www.oldwayspt.org/

Latin Diet Pyramid – Copyright 2009 Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust – http://www.oldwayspt.org/

For Consumers, the kit offers:

  • A 7-day Healthy Latino Meal Plan, with recipes and grocery list.
  • A bilingual Latino Lifestyle Calendar, featuring a tip-a-day for following the healthy Latin American diet.
  • New, illustrated, bilingual Latin American Diet Pyramid, with basic guidelines to help plan daily meals.

The following in both English and Spanish:

  • A list of Latin American super foods
  • Kitchen Strategies: time savers and smart swaps
  • Tip for Kids: cooking, lunches and snacks
  • Tips on how to exercise with your family

For Health Professionals and RDs, the kit offers:

  • All of the above, PLUS
  • Statistics concerning obesity, nutrition, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer rates occurring in the Latino American population.
  • A detailed explanation of the Latin American Diet Pyramid, along with basic guidelines that help plan daily meals.
  • Weekly Goal Tracking and 24-Hour Recall Sheets.

Consumers, health professionals and RDs can request this free resource (on CD-Rom or online) by emailing or calling Adriene Worthington (aworthington@oldwayspt.org, 617-896-4876.

Coinciding with National Hispanic Heritage Month, Latino Nutrition Month will introduce consumers to a variety of ways to cook, eat and enjoy the Latino diet pattern. The introduction of an updated Latin American Diet Pyramid will stress the importance of putting plant foods such as fruits, veggies, grains (mostly whole), nuts and peanuts, beans and spices at the core of one’s diet. Additionally, consumers can enter Oldways/LNC’s Latin American Diet Recipe Contest (see below) to win a variety of prizes.

See what else is happening during Latino Nutrition Month on the Oldways and LNC websites. These programs include:
1. An updated Camino Mágico, a downloadable, bi-lingual supermarket shopping guide to help Latino shoppers make healthy choices among the endless food options available at supermarkets today.

2. Latin American Diet Recipe Contest featured on the Oldways and LNC websites and on the Official Oldways Table Blog. Consumers should submit a recipe that uses at least two Latin American Diet products (list is featured on the Oldways Table Blog).  Winners will be drawn at the end of the month, and announced on our websites.  Prizes include wonderful Latino food products, autographed copies of our widely-praised book, The Oldways Table, chock-full of wonderful recipes and short essays about food and wine experiences, and the new poster of the Latin American Diet Pyramid.

3. A 2′ X 3′ poster with an updated illustration of the Latin American Diet Pyramid will be available at The Oldways Store on September 21, 2009.

Links:

Find Oldways on Twitter – OldwaysPT

Find the LNC on Twitter – LatinoNutrition

Oldways on Facebook – Become a Fan!

The Official Oldways Blog – The Oldways Table

About Oldways and the Latino Nutrition Coalition

Oldways is an internationally-respected non-profit, changing the way people eat through practical and positive programs grounded in science, traditions, and delicious foods and drinks.  The Latino Nutrition Coalition is an Oldways program inspiring Latinos to improve and maintain their health through traditional foods and active lifestyles. LNC members include: General Mills; Herdez; Splenda; La Moderna; Mission Foods; National Watermelon Promotion Board; The Peanut Institute; Soyfoods Association of North America; Splenda  Sweetener Products; United States Potato Board; and Wisconsin Milk  Marketing Board.  You can learn more at www.oldwayspt.org and www.latinonutrition.org.

Header photography credit: IStockPhoto

Single Men and Single Women Perception of Dating and Weight Differ

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New Poll Shows Significant Discrepancy between Single Men’ and Single Females’ Perception of Dating and Weight

New Poll Shows Significant Discrepancy between Single Males' and Single Females' Perception of Dating and Weight

New Poll Shows Significant Discrepancy between Single Males’ and Single Females’ Perception of Dating and Weight

Kirstie Alley, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson and Oprah have spent years yo-yo dieting, but would they work so hard to be thin if they knew men love them despite the extra pounds? These days, Fat is Fabulous, with reality shows about a heavy bachelor searching for his heavy set sweetheart and zaftig women competing in dance-offs, bringing in big ratings numbers for the Networks. So when Fox’s More to Love Bachelor, Luke Conley, professed to loving big, beautiful women, leading online dating sites Date.com http://www.date.com), Matchmaker.com http://www.matchmaker.com), and Amor.com http://www.amor.com), decided to poll its members to see what they think about dating overweight men or women.

The results were surprising, perhaps even astounding. A whopping 85% of single men professed their love for heavier women with more than 80% of men feeling that overweight women are less bitchy than thin women. These single men thought that overweight women appreciate the attention that men give them and are more loving because of it.

Since the beginning of time, men and women have failed to understand each other and this latest poll shows that this continues. While the majority of men have no issue with an overweight woman, 90% of women think men find extra weight unattractive, and that heavy women have a much harder time dating.

85% of Single Men Would Date Heavy Women; 90% of Single Women Feel Men Can’t See Past a Few Extra Pounds, States Date.com

“These poll results show such a significant discrepancy in the way men feel about dating overweight women, and what women think men are looking for when it comes to relationships. Unfortunately, these types of misconceptions between the sexes are extremely common, and result in a lot of missed dating and relationship opportunities,” said Shira Zwebner, Relationship Advisor for Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com. “At the end of the day, what’s important to men is that the women they date be open and receptive to being loved and to giving love, not whether or not they’re a perfect size zero. And once overweight women realize that men aren’t just looking for a thin woman, they’ll have a lot more self-confidence when dating, which will ultimately result in more successful romances.”

In a new survey of thousands of male online daters nationwide, conducted in the months of July and August 2009, we asked: Fox’s hit reality show this Summer, More to Love, is about an overweight guy looking for love amongst overweight women. America is one of the fattest nations on the planet; do you prefer dating skinny or overweight women?

Following are the complete results:

A couple of extra pounds is fine by me: 85%

Thin: 15%

We also asked our male members the following: Why do you prefer to date a heavy woman?

Following are the complete results:

I find that overweight women are less bitchy than thin women, they appreciate the attention men give them and are more loving because of it: 80%

Because it matters what’s on the inside, not on the outside: 68.7%

Heavier women are better in bed: 54.2%

Overweight women have more fun, especially those who are happy in their own skin: 12.5%

All of the above: 34.6%

We also asked our male members the following: And if you would date an overweight woman, how heavy can she be?

Following are the complete results:

She can be obese; it doesn’t matter as long as I love her: 79.9%

A couple of pounds overweight, but she should be working on losing it: 63.8%

20 pounds is my limit: 42.5%

I wouldn’t date someone who is overweight: 20.5%

In a new survey of thousands of female online daters nationwide, we asked: Fox’s hit reality show this Summer, More to Love, is about an overweight guy looking for love amongst overweight women. America is one of the fattest nations on the Planet; do you think overweight women have a harder time dating?

Following are the complete results:

Absolutely, men can’t see beyond a few extra pounds: 90.0%

Not really, they’re just single like the rest of us: 10.0%

We also asked our female members the following: Would you date an overweight guy?

Following are the complete results:

Yes, I love a teddy bear, I feel protected by a bigger guy: 87.6%

Depends on how overweight he is, I’d like someone who is health conscious and not a couch potato: 74.3%

No, I want a guy who is fit and keeps in shape: 29.8%

This summer, Date.com asked people on the street what appeals most to them in a mate: looks, brains, physique, money or confidence? Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URRxN_vA0C8 to view America’s answers!

About Avalanche, LLC

Avalanche operates several leading online dating websites, including Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com. Date.com launched on Valentine’s Day 1997 and has become one of the world’s most popular dating websites. First started as a Bulletin Board System in 1986, Matchmaker.com is the oldest online dating site. It was acquired by Avalanche in 2006 and targets those singles seeking serious relationships. Amor.com, launched in 2007, is a rapidly growing destination for Hispanic singles. Avalanche hosts more than 10 million members worldwide, with the sites adding over 100,000 members each month. Additional information is available at http://www.date.com

Source: Avalanche.com

Effort to Improve Diabetes Self Management and Care

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Community-based Approach Aims to Improve Diabetes Self Management and Care

AADE, Emory University and Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute Partner to Educate and Improve Access to Care for Atlanta-area Minorities with Diabetes

The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) today announced the launch of an Atlanta-based program aimed at improving self-management of diabetes among minority populations. In partnership with Emory University’s Latino Diabetes Education Program and the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, the program aims to advance diabetes education in Hispanic and African American populations and to improve clinical and behavioral outcomes. The announcement was made at the Association’s annual meeting.

The program will be offered in the Chamblee neighborhood, which is served by the North DeKalb Health Clinic. The clinic is part of the satellite neighborhood network of clinics of Grady Health System in the Metro Atlanta area. Emory’s Latino Diabetes Education Program is already serving the Latino community in this area, and will partner with Grady and AADE to implement this minority-specific model.

The “Increasing Access to Diabetes Self-Management Education as a Means of Decreasing Health Disparities in Minority Populations” project aims to:

  • Ensure high quality and culturally appropriate services for people with diabetes by involving different members of the disease management team including: physicians, educators, health promoters/community health workers and other health care professionals.
  • Teach the basics of diabetes self management to populations often lacking in education and community-focused support.
  • Build upon local program capacity to achieve desired clinical and behavioral outcomes.

Individuals from minority communities that participate in this program will receive support and tools that will empower them to:

  • Improve their health and clinical outcomes.
  • Change behaviors, set goals and gain problem solving and healthy coping skills.
  • Learn how to navigate the health care system to increase adherence to evidence-based guidelines and reduce high-cost emergency department utilization.

“This program is unique in that it promotes a team approach to diabetes care. Each member of the team — physician, diabetes educator and community health worker — supports and builds upon one another’s work,” said AADE President Marcia Draheim, RN, CDE. “Success will be measured by many factors including clinical improvements, behavioral outcomes, participation and patient satisfaction with the program.”

Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System have been serving Latinos with diabetes through the Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program. “The program started over three years ago and has reached more than 750 Latinos with diabetes and their families,” said Amparo Gonzalez, RN, CDE, director of the program. “This grant offers the opportunity to apply the successes and experiences that the Emory Latino Diabetes Education has had had with Latino community to the African American community.”

The program is sponsored through a grant from the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute.

Facts about Diabetes in Minority Populations

Diabetes disproportionately affects minority individuals, who comprise a significant segment of the U.S. population. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos represent the United States’ largest minority group making up 14.8% of the population or 43 million people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • Non-Hispanic whites: 14.9 million, or 9.8% of all non-Hispanic whites aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.
  • Non-Hispanic blacks: 3.7 million, or 14.7% of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.

Moreover, health disparities are increasing in the U.S. Individuals in African American and Hispanic neighborhoods, in particular, face many barriers to achieving successful self-management of their diabetes. These barriers are attributable to structural factors (e.g., lack of sidewalks or access to food stores with affordable produce) as well as the cultural, socio-economic, and literacy characteristics of the people living there.

About the AADE

Founded in 1973, AADE was created by and for diabetes educators. We are dedicated to providing our members with the tools, training and support necessary to help patients change their behavior and accomplish their diabetes self-management goals.

As a multidisciplinary professional association, AADE represents and supports the diabetes educator by providing members the resources to stay abreast of the current research, methods and trends in the field and by offering opportunities to network and collaborate with other healthcare professionals. AADE is continuously working towards our vision of successful self-management for all people with diabetes and related conditions.

About the Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program

The Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program is a non-profit program aimed to provide diabetes education and lifestyle intervention to Latinos in Georgia. The program began in December 2005 and was accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators in 2008. It is the first nationally accredited all-Spanish diabetes education program.

About the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute

The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute is a global initiative that provides health care professionals with access to the latest information and skills training to deliver quality care at the community level, and do so in a care model that facilitates early glucose control and appropriate follow-up. Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute aims to be a catalyst for diabetes innovation, improved care and better outcomes worldwide through educational programs.

Source: The American Association of Diabetes Educators

Hispanic children are getting most nutrients, but eating too much fat

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The Hispanic community has its own set of health challenges, including high rates of diabetes, plus kidney and cardiovascular disease. Children aren’t immune — according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, from 2005 through 2006 Mexican American children age 2 through 19 were the heaviest among all ethnic and racial groups in the U.S.

Los Angeles Times – Hispanic Children – Health

Just how their diets break down is the subject of a study in the June issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn., which analyzed the nutrition quality in diets of 1,030 normal weight and overweight Hispanic children age 4 to 19 in Houston who had low socioeconomic status. Quality was assessed using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

Overall, the diets of all children were adequate in most nutrients, but often surpassed the guidelines for total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and added sugar and salt. Looking more closely at the foods the kids ate, 68% of calories came primarily from soda, desserts, pizza, chips, fruit drinks, fruit juice, processed meats and burgers. About one-fourth of the children went over the maximum intake level of 25% for added sugars.

All kids came up short on fruits and vegetables — the average number of servings they ate was lower than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation. They also fell below standards on consumption of vitamins E and D, pantothenic acid, calcium, potassium and fiber.

Several factors put the Hispanic population at higher risk for obesity. In this study, 91% of parents were overweight or obese, and parents’ income and education levels were low. Other issues reported in the NHANES study include limited health insurance coverage, acculturation to American diet and lifestyle, recent immigration, and access to medical care.

Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine wrote in this study: “Knowledge of the dietary intake of children from low-[socioeconomic status] Hispanic families at high risk for obesity will provide a basis on which to build nutritional interventions and policy that are appropriately tailored to population subgroups.”

 

Love this quote. Move on!

Love this quote. Move on!

Source: Los Angeles Times – Health
By Jeannine Stein
Photo credit: Francis Specker / AP