Local Collaborative Secures National Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
New Program Will Study Obesity, Promote Healthy Eating Habits in Young Latino Population CHAPEL HILL- The Orange County Partnership for Young Children working in collaboration with the FPG Child Development Institute at UNC- Chapel Hill has received a two year grant for $75,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Salud America! project. The funding will support local research on childhood obesity in the Latino community. Information will be gathered from newly recruited families as well as families that are currently taking part in the Growing Healthy Kids community garden program.

The Salud America! grant will fund ongoing research on the effect that gardening and increased availability of fresh produce has on childhood obesity in Latino children. The Growing Healthy Kids program, part of the wider Healthy Kids Initiative, currently engages 60 percent of local Latino families through three gardens in Carrboro. The program will be recruiting new families and will provide guidance in creating, planting, and harvesting a garden plot, as well as preparing healthy meals with fresh produce. The lead researcher for the grant will be Dr. Dina Castro of the FPG Child Development Institute. “This grant and the current Growing Healthy Kids program allows us to more closely follow how hands-on experiences with fresh fruits and vegetables affect young children,” said Dr. Castro. “We will see whether there are direct improvements in the child’s health or are the improvements seen in a more cognitive sense, including better knowledge of the produce and how that knowledge leads to a healthier, more active lifestyle in the long term.”

A total of 20 grants were awarded nationally through the Salud America! program. The grant will begin in early July along with recruitment of new families for the gardens. “It is an honor to receive this support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and to work with FPG, both leaders in advancing children’s health and opportunities.” said Margaret Samuels, Executive Director of the Partnership Orange County Partnership for Young Children. “This program will promote a better understanding of the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in children’s lives.” For more information on the Salud America! program visit www.salud-america.org. For more information on the Healthy Kids Initiative, including the Growing Healthy Kids program, visit www.orangesmartstart.org.