Town Hall Held On Healthier Lifestyles

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Santa Clara County officials held a town hall meeting in San Jose on Wednesday focused on promoting healthier lifestyles.

Speakers at the meeting included physicians and representatives from the county health department.

The event was held at CET, the Center for Employment Training, where Melissa Carrasco is the manager.

KCBS Mike Colgan Reporting:

"We are trying to plant the seed for the Latino community to make them more aware of health statistics and to also help promote healthy eating and a better life," she said.

Sandra Madrigal, Executive Director for Healthy Silicon Valley said there's a serious problem with childhood obesity, especially in the Latino community.

"We are looking at statistics for children that are ten years old right now," Madrigal said. "About 45 percent of boys that are Latino and 53 percent of girls that are Latinas will have a tendency to develop childhood obesity. And if they develop it before the age of 40, they actually shorten their lifespan between 12 and 14 years."

Latinos also have the lowest rate of health care coverage in the county, with only 6 out of 10 having a health insurance plan.

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