MANA, A National Latina Organization, was in attendance at the Girl Scouts Research Institute briefing on their new report entitled: The New Normal? What Girls Say About Healthy Living, held in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2006. Panelists included Kathy Cloninger, CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA; Dominique Dawes, Olympic Gold Medalist; Dr. Lilan Cheung, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health; Judy Schoenberg, Senior Researcher, Girl Scout Institute; and Nicole Trumble, Girl Scout, high school senior from Monkton, Maryland.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Latina girls are the second most overweight group of children in the United States. Being overweight increases the risk of other health problems such as Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, and arthritis. These diseases used to be diagnosed almost exclusively in adults.

Alma Morales Riojas, President and CEO of MANA, inquired exclusively on statistics found on young Latinas. The findings are that Mexican-American adolescents ages 12-19 (23 percent) are more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic White children (14 percent) and that Mexican-American children ages 6-11 are more likely to be overweight (22 percent) than non-Hispanic Black children (20 percent) and non-Hispanic White children (14 percent). The Girl Scouts study also shows that young Latinas are the least physically active, most prone to vending machines, eat more fast food, and are less likely to participate in sports than non-Hispanic White children and non-Hispanic Black children.

“These findings are of great concern to our young girls” says Alma Morales Riojas. “We must do everything we can to promote a healthy-body image and tackle childhood obesity.”

For more information on The New Normal? in English or Spanish, please visit www.girlscouts.org.

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MANA, A National Latina Organization, is a nonprofit, advocacy organization headquartered in the nation's capital, Washington, D. C. With chapters across the country, it is the oldest National Latina membership organization in the United States. MANA, whose mission is to empower Latinas through leadership development, community service, and advocacy, envisions a national community of informed Latina activists working to improve the quality of life for all Hispanics. MANA also has the only national young Latina's mentoring program for girls 11 to 17, "HERMANITAS®" which brings over 100 girls to Washington DC to a summer institute that includes a briefing at the White House and a visit to the girls' Congressional representatives Information on MANA can be obtained at the web site: www.hermana.org or send an e-mail to hermana2@aol.com