Latino Health Center Receives Grant Aimed at Combating Obesity

The National Council of La Raza-Cal State Long Beach Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training has been awarded a $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop classes and programs aimed at combating obesity in the Latino community.

According to the research center, seven research fellowships and full-tuition scholarships will be provided each year to graduate students who will be trained to conduct community-based research on childhood obesity prevention within the Latino community. Project officials hope to bolster the number of Latino graduate students with masters degrees in nutrition and public health.

“Within the five-year grant time frame, we will be able to develop and integrate a graduate certificate in Latino nutrition, chronic disease and childhood obesity to our university's larger curricular fabric,'' said principal investigator, Britt Rios-Ellis.

According to Gail Frank, CSULB nutrition professor, “Our health science and nutrition graduates will join a legion of new leaders to improve the well-being of our Latino population.

It is such a privilege to be recognized for our approach and to obtain strong federal funding from USDA to continue our programs.''