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El Paso, TX, September 20, 2010 (PAHO/WHO) - Obesity and overweight are
serious problems affecting the population living in the border. According to a recent U.S. Mexico Border
Diabetes study, 70% of the participants were overweight or obese. Furthermore, it
has been found that nationally these high rates are affecting Hispanic school
age children where 44% of boys and 37 % of girls are overweight. Due to the
high prevalence of overweight and obesity, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is
implementing a national program named Healthy Kids, healthy Communities whose
primary goal is to implement healthy eating and active living policy- and
environmental-change initiatives that can support healthier communities for
children and families across the United States. This initiative places special
emphasis on reaching children who are at highest risk for obesity on the basis
of race/ethnicity, income and/or geographic location.
Starting
in 2010, 50 communities from across the country are now funded to support
active living, nutritious eating and improve community neighborhoods into a
model community. The model includes social, environmental, and
physical improvements on the ground through policy level change. San Antonio, Texas; Houston,
Texas; Grant County, NM; and El Paso, Texas are some of the 50 cities selected.
El Paso, Texas is one who’s taking the initiative to invite the agencies and
organizations from Texas and Southern New Mexico that are leading this program to
participate in a 2 days workshop. It is expected that joining efforts with
partner cities will be beneficial for the success of Healthy Kids, Healthy
Communities project since all of them have the same goal of advocating for
healthy eating and active living in Hispanic/Latino children and youth. This
workshop will take place on:
September 21 and 22,
2010
Holiday Inn
9:00
am to 6:00 pm
900 Sunland Park Dr. Room C
El Paso, TX 79922
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
The
City of El Paso Chamizal Neighborhood Initiative has proposed to join effort
with these grantee cities since the target population of these initiatives are
similar due to the near geographically area. Based on this the main objectives
of this workshop are the following:
- Learn
more in detail about the goals and objectives of each project, as well as,
identify similarities and differences in the characteristics of the
population that each project is serving
- Comparison/contrast;
identify the areas in which each project has needs and expertise along
with the areas in where they
can benefit from exchanging information
- Discuss
success, challenges, and unique factors that each project faces when
working with Latino/Hispanic child and youth population. Also indentify the
strengths and weaknesses that each project faced and the support and
communication between this group
About the Healthy Kids, Healthy
Communities grantee projects that will participate in this meeting
El Paso, Texas
The City of El Paso initiative is lead by the PAHO/WHO
U.S.-Mexico Border Office. The purpose of this project is to complement and
create synergy among all efforts supporting after-school and weekend activities
for kids and youth, community based actions, and a mass media campaign to
provide consistent information about healthy eating and active living.
Deliverables include, advocating with federal, state and local authorities,
policy and decision makers and community leaders, to invest in healthy public
policies, evaluating environmental changes implemented in the community to
increase physical activity and sports among school-age kids and youth,
increasing community awareness and availability of healthy food choices and
opportunities for active living and informing and involving community leaders
and other key stakeholders of the consequence of childhood obesity.
Houston, Texas
The City of Houston is lead by the agency CAN DO Houston.
The purpose of this project is to develop a supportive framework for creating
environmental and policy change in collaboration with community members and
networks of researchers, city-services, business partners, and educators. Deliverables
include, conducting and reviewing assessment of an additional super
neighborhood, providing support to existing CAN DO Houston neighborhoods,
maintaining and developing new partnership and securing additional funding to
increase ability to expand to more super neighborhoods.
San Antonio, Texas
The City of San Antonio, TX is lead by the agency San
Antonio Metropolitan Health District. The purpose of this project is to conduct
a community assessment evaluation, implement activities and to develop partnership,
build capacity, and conduct collaborative planning and implement policy and
environmental change interventions that support active living and healthy
eating. Deliverables include, building a comprehensive community assessment to
inform stakeholders of the needs of the target community, conducting the
Nutrition Environmental Measure assessment to identify neighborhood- level
access to healthy foods, expanding the partnership and engaging other community
members to build technical capacity and community support and implementing the
Complete Streets concept in the target area for new development and
redevelopment projects.
Grant County, New Mexico
The City of Grant County is lead by the agency Gila
Regional Medical center Foundation. This project will encourage healthy eating
among low-income populations disproportionately affected by obesity and food
insecurity through the development of local food systems and agriculture
projects. Deliverables include the creation of a local Food Policy Council, addressing
food system infrastructure and creating public-private partnership, food
purchasing and storage agreement with grocery stores, businesses and food
pantry. Active living will be promoted through the development of environmental
supports relevant to everyday living including complete streets, safe play
spaces and trails connecting rural communities. Cooperative partnership with
local government will be expanded in order to ensure community voice and foster
long-term sustainability of policy and environmental change.
For more information please contact: Lorely Ambriz, M.S.I.S, Knowledge Management & Communication Advisor.
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| Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) / A Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) United States-Mexico Border Office: 5400 Suncrest Dr. Ste. C-4 El Paso, TX 79912. Office (915) 845-5950 Ext. 2523 / Cel (915) 449-3040 / Fax (915) 845-4361.
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