Reaching Vulnerable Populations: Latinos and Hunger

1. Reaching Vulnerable Populations: Latinos and Hunger National Hunger Free Communities Summit February 25, 2012 Alejandra Gepp, MA. in Ed.HR Associate Director, Institute for Hispanic Health

2. Overview of Presentation • Overview of NCLR and IHH • Latinos in the USA • Latinos and Hunger • Underlying Factors • Pathways to Food Secure Households • NCLR’s Health and Nutrition Programs

3. The National Council of La Raza • NCLR is the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. • NCLR is headquartered in Washington, DC, with regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and San Antonio. • NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas—assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health.

4. The Changing American Family Latinos are a young, thriving population in the United States. • There are 50 million Hispanics in the United States, representing one in six Americans. • More than half (56%) of the U.S. population growth between 2000-2010 is attributable to Hispanics. • One in three Hispanics (34%) is under the age of 18.

5. The Changing American Family Latino children represent a significant part of America’s future. • Latino children currently account for nearly one in four (23%) children in the U.S. • They make up more than half the child population in New Mexico (58%) and California (51%) • There are five times as many Latinos under the age of 15 than there are over 65.

6. The Changing American Family Many Latino Households are of “mixed status.” Though 91% of Latino children are citizens, more than half (58%) hail from immigrant-headed households.

7. Latino and Hunger While trends show that Latinos experience disproportionately high levels of food insecurity, in 2008, Latinos became the hungriest community in the country.

8. Latino Hunger More than one in four (26.2%) Latino households are food insecure, representing 3.7million households.

9. Latino Hunger Nearly one-third (30.6%) of Latino households is going hungry.

10. Factors of Latino Hunger The #1 Barrier to Good Nutrition is Limited Income and Resources • More Latino families live in poverty and have lower incomes than other communities. • Latinos are more likely to live in persistent poverty. • Latinos spend less on food, but it’s proportionally more of their income.

11. Factors of Latino Hunger Food Assistance is Critical to Affordability In Comer Bien, all families brought up food and nutrition assistance as an important component of affording food and eating healthfully. • In 2008, Latinos represented (42.1%) of WIC participants. • Cited broadly as the most accessible and popular program. • Hispanics participate in school meals at comparable levels as Whites. • Represent about one-third of the kids who receive free meals. • SNAP participation rates are lower, but the program is still cited as important. • Just over half (55%) of children eligible for SNAP participated when living in noncitizen households.

12. NCLR’s Health and Nutrition Work • NCLR’s Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation works through policy analysis and advocacy at the federal level to ensure equitableaccess to health care and the resources needed to have good health for those who work and live in the United States. • NCLR’s Institute for Hispanic Health develops and implements science-based, linguistically appropriate health interventions to increase knowledge, influence positive behavior changes, and improved lifestyle choices among Latinos.

13. Model Programs • On the program side, NCLR has tested and evaluated pilot projects—SelecciónSana, Vida Saludable(Healthy Selection, Healthy Life) and Niños en Forma, ComunidadSaludable(Fit Children, Healthy Community)—to better equip low-income, Spanish-speaking Latinos with the resources necessary to improve their food choices and engage in physical activity. • On the policy front, NCLR has conducted activities focused on shaping policy through advocacy work that increases awareness of Hispanic nutrition issues and identifiesmechanisms to promote nutrition by improving access to resources, including federal assistance programs.

14. Selección Sana, vidaSaludable • Promotores de salud(Community Health Workers)-driven program. • Trained promotores in three sites on how to conduct an environmental scan and how families can integrate better nutrition into their lives. • Conducted an environmental scan of health food choices and places to do physical activity in the community served. • Integrated nutrition concepts during educational sessions with community members. • Conducted cooking demonstrations with community members.

15. Niños en Forma, Comunidad Saludable • IHH partnered with the Asociación de SaludPrimariaand the Universidad del Turabo, in Puerto Rico, to conduct a pilot project among 30 Puerto Rican youth. • Developed the Niños en Forma, ComunidadSaludablecurriculum. • Recruited and trained 14 youth promotores.

16. Comer Bien • Conducted interviews with an advisory cabinet of community leaders to identify the most pressing nutritional issues faced by Latinos. • Produced a videobankingproject—Comer Bien: The Challenges of Nourishing Latino Children and Families—that included interviews with families and children suffering from the effects of hunger and obesity. These videos will be used to educate broad audiences and personalize the Latino experience. • Created a book of personal stories entitled Comer Bien: The Challenges of Nourishing Latino Children and Families, examining the first-hand account of Latino nutrition experiences. www.nclr.org/comerbien

17. GETTING TO SOLUTIONS

18. NCLR Recommends We must address the total environment to solve the problem of Latino hunger. • Raise Awareness of Latino Hunger • Make Healthy Food More Accessible • Make Healthy Food More Affordable • Build Community Infrastructure • Address Poverty and Economic Hardship

19. Three Areas of Action

20. Promising Policies for Latinos Today

21. For More Information • Check out NCLR’s resources on Nutrition at: www.nclr.org/nutrition www.nclr.org/comerbien • Join our “Health and Nutrition List” • Contact: Alejandra Gepp Associate Director, Institute for Hispanic Health 202-776-1818 agepp@nclr.org Jennifer Ng’andu Deputy Director, Health Policy Project (202) 785-1760 jngandu@nclr.org Twitter Handle: @CanDoNgandu