Hispanic Communications Network Selected by USDA to Cooperate in a Nutrition Education Campaign
Washington, DC – The Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) announced today its selection for a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create a national nutrition education campaign targeting Hispanics. The goal of the campaign will be to increase the Spanish-speaking public’s knowledge of both the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid food guidance system.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the cooperative agreement with HCN, noting, "The high healthcare costs resulting from poor dietary practices underscore the importance of nutrition education to encourage the adoption of healthier lifestyles. Over the last year the public has embraced MyPyramid, which provides personalized guidance on how to live longer and healthier lives. Today, I'm pleased to make the first selections under this new and innovative program that builds on the success of MyPyramid."
The cooperative agreement award to HCN was one of three new Nutrition Education and Promotion Program (NEPP) public-private partnerships announced. Each cooperative agreement will link science-based dietary guidance to the nutrition needs of consumers, facilitate nutrition policy coordination, and promote nutrition education. USDA will work cooperatively with the selected partners to implement their proposed multi-year, multi-dimensional nutrition promotion and education campaigns. These agreements do not involve the use of Federal funds.
HCN will make available select sponsorships to corporations and foundations seeking to reach Hispanic markets with high quality nutrition programming. These sponsorships will conform with the terms and conditions of the NEPP cooperative agreement. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Jennifer Elena at (202) 360-4129.
The campaign will include Spanish-language public service announcements and messages in newspapers, radio and TV stations, high profile Internet portals, and special events in select communities.
Carlos Alcazar, President of HCN, commented, “Language barriers often prevent Latino families from having access to vital health information. We are delighted to partner with USDA to create a campaign that will leverage the importance and prominence of MyPyramid. This partnership will help to educate Hispanics in creative, innovative ways on important nutrition messages that encourage individuals to make better food choices and improve their physical activity behaviors.”
Currently, Hispanics represent the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority in the Nation. While the number of overweight and obese children is on the rise among all population groups in the United States, Hispanic children are nearly twice as likely to be overweight as non-Hispanic children, according to a 2002 study conducted by Falcon and Shoop. This health disparity is linked to both poor nutrition and a lack of exercise among Hispanic youth.
For more information on the Nutrition Education Promotion Program, visit http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/coops/index.html, and for information on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid, visit http://www.MyPyramid.gov
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About the Hispanic Communications Network (www.hcnmedia.com)
The Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) is the largest educational and informational media company targeting U.S. Hispanics. Utilizing an existing radio network, in 2005, HCN expanded into television, publishing and the web. The company has over 200 radio affiliates across the U.S., reaching an audience of 616,500 active listeners per average quarter hour (AQH), and a weekly cume of over 4.7 million. HCN's newspaper columns are distributed to over 100 Spanish-language newspapers with a weekly circulation of more than 4.3 million. HCN also produces customized, fully-integrated media campaigns for major government agencies, private foundations, corporate clients, public relations and advertising agencies. HCN’s educational campaigns strategically combine media and community outreach to inform and spur audiences to action in collaboration with its partner non-profit, the Self-Reliance Foundation.
