• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Inaugural Salud America! Scientific Summit Report September 9–11, 2009 • San Antonio, Texas Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children Inaugural Salud America! Scientific Summit Report Table of contents Executive Summary 3 Did You Know? 3 Lance Armstrong Taking Action on Childhood Obesity 4 Dr. Richard H. Carmona Changing Policies 6 Panel: Making Legislative Advances 7 Panel: Making Policy and Environmental Changes Changing Latino Environments 8 Panel: Building up the Built Environment 9 Panel: Partnering with Schools Changing Latino Communities 10 Panel: Empowering Communities, Academia and Political Arenas 11 Panel: Making Initiatives Successful Changing Latino Lifestyles 12 Panel: Increasing Physical Activity 13 Panel: Nutrition and Families Changing Latino Families 14 Sean Elliott and Claudia Zapata Changing Latino Media 15 Panel: Creating Private-Public Partnerships Pilot Researchers 17 20 Pilot Investigators to Improve Latinos’ Lives Summit Information 18 Fun 19 Views 20 Media 21 Agenda 23 Attendees Salud America!, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), conducted its Inaugural Scientific Summit on September 9-11, 2009, at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. This Summit Report is a description of the event. Salud America! aims to unite, and increase the number of, Latino researchers engaged in research on environmental and policy solutions to the obesity epidemic among Latino children. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. For more information, visit www.salud-america.org. Salud America! is funded by RWJF (Grant No. 64756). Inaugural 3 Salud America! Scientific Summit Executive Summary Report Did you know? We asked this question to kick off the Inaugural Salud conscious legislators can America! Scientific Summit, then followed it with the drive policies to prevent alarming statistics about obesity and Latino childhood— obesity among minority about how they have less access to healthy foods and children. fewer opportunities for physical activity. I’d like to thank Latino children face many health challenges, and our these and our other summit audience of 200 researchers, community leaders speakers, researchers, and policy-makers got the message. activists, policy-makers, Salud America! pilot We went on to highlight the work being done to reduce investigators and and prevent Latino childhood obesity, identify avenues attendees for presenting for collaboration, and inspire attendees to improve policy, and discussing the the built environment and more. latest advancements on Dr. Richard H. Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of childhood obesity at Amelie Ramirez the United States, spoke passionately about upping the the summit. investment in culturally sensitive obesity interventions. I know we made great strides in galvanizing a national Former NBA basketball player Sean Elliott and his effort to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic among wife, nutrition expert Claudia Zapata, talked about their Latinos. struggles and successes in building a healthy family. Now you know—and now we can work together to fight Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. exemplified how health- the epidemic! Lance Armstrong supports efforts to address child obesity In a pre-recorded video played at the Salud America! challenges of parenthood… Scientific Summit, champion cyclist and cancer survivor and trying to create great Lance Armstrong thanked program leaders and summit habits, encourage exercise, attendees for their much-needed work to reverse the encourage healthy lifestyles— childhood obesity epidemic. we know what this means,” Armstrong said. “We know that Armstrong, founder it prevents issues like cancer, and chairman of the issues like heart disease, and most Lance Armstrong importantly, it promotes a healthy Foundation to unite lifestyle and a high quality of life.” and empower people affected by cancer, said He lauded Salud America! Director Dr. childhood obesity hits Amelie G. Ramirez and the summit close to home for him. audience for conducting research and programs to reduce the epidemic. “As a parent myself and somebody “From all of us at the foundation,” he said, who deals with the “we thank you.” Photo from the Lance Armstrong Foundation Inaugural 4 Salud America! Scientific Summit Taking Action on Childhood Obesity Report Keynote Speaker: Dr. Richard H. Carmona Richard H. Carmona Reporters peppered U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard H. literacy so we can read the labels and understand what Carmona with questions on war, anthrax and infections at to buy, urban gardens, push carts of fresh fruit, early a press conference in fall 2002. teaching of health habits,” he said. “Eliminate obesogenic environments—very important.” But when asked to name the “biggest problem,” he stunned the crowd with his answer. Dr. Carmona, born to a low-income Puerto Rican family in New York City, experienced homelessness, hunger, and “I said, ‘Obesity.’ The room was dead silent. Nobody health disparities during his youth. knew what to ask me after that,” Dr. Carmona recalled. “I said, ‘We have an unprecedented response now, rightfully “I learned to swim in the Harlem River, which is why so, to having been attacked on 9/11…but the data I’ve I’m so healthy today, because I’ve been exposed to every given you says we have nine million children that are pathogen known to mankind,” he joked. overweight or obese…each one of those little children Continued on next page E is a time bomb waiting to explode prematurely with unprecedented chronic disease.’” Watch Video of Dr. Carmona’s Keynote Speech Childhood obesity, he said, was “the terror within.” View Dr. Carmona’s keynote speech, And, on Sept. 10, 2009, Dr. Carmona reiterated his which starts about stance in a keynote speech at the inaugural Salud America! one-fourth of the Scientific Summit and called for greater research and policy action to prevent obesity among Latino children. way through the video. “We need more innovation. Things like promotoras, health care extenders, smart shoppers, increasing health Inaugural 5 Salud America! Scientific Summit Taking Action on Childhood Obesity Report Keynote Speaker: Dr. Richard H. Carmona E Continued from previous page Dr. Carmona focused on prevention, preparedness, health disparities and global health in his four years as He dropped out of high school but enlisted in the U.S. surgeon general. Army in 1967 and served in Vietnam. He then attended “Seventy-five cents of every dollar spent is spent on Bronx Community College in New York and earned a chronic diseases, most of which are preventable,” he bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San said. “So if you’re running a business, and I told you Francisco, in 1977. He earned a medical degree from the 75 percent of your revenue is going out the window on University of California, San Francisco, in 1979. needless stuff, you wouldn’t be the CEO long if you Trained in surgery, Dr. Carmona joined the Tucson didn’t change it.” Medical Center and the University of Arizona to start and To prevent childhood obesity, Dr. Carmona urged direct Arizona’s first regional trauma care system. investment in culturally sensitive and literate public health He was nominated by the president and unanimously campaigns. confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the 17th For example, he says his New York barrio abuelitas Surgeon General in 2002. (neighborhood grandmothers) wouldn’t listen if they were Dr. Carmona’s first year as “doctor of the nation” was told to eat right and stop cooking high-fat foods. frustrating as he tried to push public health awareness and But if you tell abuelita that her grandchildren could suffer advancements. from diabetes and disease in the future, “she’s going to His famous press conference helped change that. move mountains to change what needs to be done,” he Calling childhood obesity “the terror within” grabbed said. media headlines—and prompted a call from the White Dr. Carmona said that Salud America! and its members House. play a big role in making change. “The press guy of course says, ‘Boss wants to know “With the research like that at the University of what you were thinking about when you said that,’” Texas, Dr. Ramirez’ leadership, Robert Wood Johnson Dr. Carmona recalled. “I said, ‘I was thinking about 9 Foundation’s leadership and support producing evidence- million kids who are gonna die early. I was thinking based practices that are culturally and linguistically about health disparities that are expressly in so-called appropriate,” he said, “we can make a difference and minority communities where obesity is disproportionately decrease health disparities, increase health and wellness, represented as is chronic disease. Is that not an important decrease the cost of care, and improve the quality and a problem as protecting other national interests?’” quantity of life.” Inaugural 6 Salud America! Scientific Summit Changing Policies Report Panel: Making Legislative Advances Three summit speakers went beyond raising awareness about childhood obesity and asked, “What can I do about it?” Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., B.S.E., who represents a predominantly Latino constituency, has authored bills that boost access to nutritious foods in schools and coordinate obesity prevention throughout Texas. When evidence showed that more children were entering kindergarten overweight, Sen. Lucio pushed a bill to establish a council charged with development of a statewide plan to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity and educational outreach. “I can think of no other form of prevention better than instilling healthy eating and activity habits in our youngest children,” he said. “My hope is that, in doing so, a healthy lifestyle will become the norm, rather than a goal to aspire to.” At the national level, Mildred Thompson, M.S.W., is helping turn the new RWJF Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity into the go-to organization to coordinate Texas Sen.

Load more

  23

Copy Link