Empowering Parents To Take Action For Healthy Changes

Los Angeles Collaborative for Healthy Active Children Hosts “Parents In Action!” Parent Conference.
By: LA Collaborative for Healthy Active Children
 
June 6, 2009 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA– Latino families in Los Angeles continue to battle the obesity epidemic. According to data from the 2007 Los Angeles County Health Survey, 29.4% of Latino adults are obese, the highest reported proportion for all race/ethnicity categories.  Latino children do not fair much better.  In 2007, the prevalence of obesity in Hispanic or Latino children was second highest at 27.4%. [Available at: www.lapublichealth.org/ha.]

In today’s tough economy, families across the country—and here in Los Angeles—find it challenging to eat right when money is tight. Many lack the knowledge and resources to ensure that good health prevails in a bad economy.

“Making healthy choices is difficult even in a good economy, but when parents struggle to make ends meet, focusing on eating healthy and being active can become a low priority,” says Lauren Neel, Coordinator of the Los Angeles Collaborative for Healthy Active Children.  “Many parents aren’t aware that it’s possible to select healthy foods that are within their budgets and that a number of free or low cost resources for physical activity exist in their communities.”

To empower Latino parents in East Los Angeles with the tools necessary to make healthy living a priority, the Los Angeles Collaborative for Healthy Active Children and the Community Diabetes Initiative of the University of Southern California hosted “Parents In Action!”- a parent conference at Sheridan Street Elementary School. Special guests José Huizar, Los Angeles City Councilmember for District 14, Margaret Juarez M.D. of the California Latino Medical Association and Aracely Rosas, local Champion Mom were on hand to address the parents.

The “Parents In Action!” conference offered attendees a fun-filled day of educational, interactive workshops and activities, conducted entirely in Spanish.  “Parents In Action!” was designed to highlight a number of ways parents can overcome challenges by making healthy choices for their families to take charge of their families’ health by reducing the risk of serious health problems, including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers .

“Lasting changes that lead to a healthy lifestyle are easier if they are made one step at a time”, stated Valerie Ruelas, Director of the Diabetes Initiative of USC and Collaborative partner organization.  “The one of a kind workshops presented today helped parents identify what those small first steps might be, like incorporating one healthy item in place of a less healthy item.”

The workshops for the “Parents In Action!” parent conference were developed by members and partners of the Los Angeles Collaborative for Healthy Active Children, focusing on a number of key skills parents need to make healthy choices every day.  Topics included how to read a nutrition label, eating healthier versions of your favorite foods and recipes, rethinking your drink choices, promoting healthy foods at your child’s school, and creating opportunities for physical activity in your community.  Parents also enjoyed taste tests of affordable healthy recipes and were entertained by the Sheridan Street Elementary School Children’s Choir.

The Los Angeles Collaborative for Healthy Active Children works to reduce the incidence of obesity and to improve the health of children and families in Los Angeles. Support for the LA Collaborative is provided by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Nutrition Program with funding from the US Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, an equal opportunity provider and employer, through the Network for a Healthy California. Visit the Collaborative website at www.lacollaborative.org .
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Source:LA Collaborative for Healthy Active Children
Email:***@ph.lacounty.gov
Zip:90010
Tags:Obesity, Nutrition, Public Health, Family, Physical Activity, Education, Schools, Children, Parents
Industry:Health, Family
Location:Los Angeles - California - United States
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