Healthy Latino Families & Schools

The purpose of this program is to provide programs to Latino students and their families that will promote healthier lives through nutritional and physical activities in keeping with their cultural heritage.

The Healthy Latino Families & Schools has two major components: evening sessions and school programs.

The program meets every Wednesday and the children participating in this program get the opportunity to participate as a family unit (one of the core traits in Hispanic culture) during the physical activity and classroom learning part of the sessions.

Throughout the sessions the participants were taught nutritional information with nutritionist Judy Andino. The families were also provided with the opportunity to learn different healthy Latino recipes through cooking demonstrations with Chef Arturo Napoles from Café el Sol. [Watch on YouTube here.]

Goals:

• To use culturally appropriate and family oriented methods to increase knowledge about nutrition and fitness and to sustain or increase healthy habits of participants for at least one year after enrollment in the program
• To integrate nutritional and physical activity into classroom curricula
• To increase opportunities for physical activities in the school
• To modify and, in some instances, change the school menus to reflect a culturally-sensitive and nutritional menu
• To develop a school-wide healthy campaign
• To reinforce school policies to reflect a stronger support to healthy lifestyles

Target Population: Students and their families in Bruce-Guadalupe Community School.

Partners:

• Chris Cronk - Principal Investigator, Medical College of Wisconsin
• Dr. Alfonso Martinez, Children's Hospital
• Jeanne Hewitt - Principal Investigator and Nurse Practitioner, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Julia Snethen - Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Funded by Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program