If we want our children to go to university, we have to help them be healthy,” says mom and long-time parent activist Reyna Torres. Knowing Torres was active in her community, Aventuras para Niños—part of a public-health program called Latino California Five-a-Day—asked her to join their San Diego campaign against childhood obesity.

After Aventuras’ training as promotoras (health advocates), Torres and other parents are making changes throughout the community to improve their kids’ food choices and get them exercising.

Key strategies include

• Surveying parents: The promotoras talked with other parents about what they wanted in the community and the local park.
  
  
• Support from Aventuras: Aventuras pays the promotoras 15 hours a week, though Torres says she often works more. They also provided training and explained how to get grants.
  
  
• Rewarding healthy eating: Parents talk to kids at local schools about healthy eating and give out stickers when kids eat fruits and vegetables first.
  
  
• Encouraging healthy shopping: Parents came up with the idea for a card that would give parents their tenth pound of produce free at local stores—and got a grant from Latino California Five-a-Day to fund it, says Blanca Melendrez, the organization’s director.
  
  “We wanted to (make) it easier to buy fruits and vegetables,” adds Torres. “We spoke with store managers about childhood obesity. (Now) I see children reminding their parents to buy grapes.”
  
  
• Getting kids moving: Parents painted the school playground with games that teach conflict-resolution and sharing. They also lead kids at recess in activities like the crab walk, parachutes, and dancing—and now these children are teaching the games to other kids, says Torres.
  
  
• Creating healthy kids’ menus: “We asked many restaurants to offer healthier food for kids, at more reasonable prices,” says Torres. “(We) got 30 restaurants to do this.”
  
  Nutrition experts “(looked) over the new menus,” adds Nadia Campbell, Aventuras Para Niños project director.
  
  
• Improving parks: The group of parents asked school officials to help them get city funds to fix a local park. “We had photos of the places that needed repairs,” says Torres. “We also got signatures from residents.” The city gave them a grant for $436,000 for drinking fountains, picnic tables, and cleaning up graffiti.
  
  “Torres was so amazing because she doesn’t speak any English, but she got a grant from city council,” says Melendrez.
  
  
• Talking with other parents: Promotoras visited other parents every week with tips for cooking healthier meals and getting more exercise. “We’d find out what they had that promoted healthy eating and activity,” says Campbell. “We’d work out if parents could take turns watching the kids outside when moms are making dinner. We’d ask, ‘Are there rules about homework and TV? Are the parents setting good healthy eating models?’”
  
  Being a promotora “fills me with great pleasure,” says Torres, “and makes me see that I have many abilities. It helped me make changes to my own family—we eat better and keep active. Sometimes I feel nothing will succeed, but we do it!”

Contact: Aventuras Para Niños, 619-840-0035

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin

• The California Endowment offers two reports on physical education in California schools:
  
  Physical Education Matters discusses PE and strategies for change.
  
  Failing Fitness finds California students get very little physical activity during most PE classes, particularly in elementary schools and schools in disadvantaged communities. Includes policy recommendations.
  
  
• Obesity Report Card, from the University of Baltimore, gives California (the 36th "most obese" state) an A for its legislation to improve nutrition in schools. Online at http://www.ubalt.edu/

Updated 6-09

• Roadmap to Improving Food and Physical Activity Environments, from Healthy Eating, Active
  Communities, offers strategies for improving children's food choices and activity levels in schools, afterschool programs, neighborhoods, health care, and marketing.

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