News

December 15, 2020

Lorena Montoya, like thousands of El Pasoans facing financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been relying on the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank to help feed her family.

September 7, 2020

Have you been packing on the pounds over the last several months? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. 

Dubbed the “Quarantine 15,” the weight gain many have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic is a nationwide phenomenon.

August 29, 2020

The little boy struggled to finish the race, running well behind the others. So, race organizer Gabriela Gallegos sent a couple of volunteers to run with him. The boy finished the race with a huge smile on his face.

July 19, 2019

El Paso – El Paso County has broken new ground as the first county in the country to establish a Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to increase access to healthy and affordable food. In December of 2018, El Paso County allocated $500,000 of the County Economic Development Impact Fund to start the initiative. With this investment, the County will offer grants and low-interest loans to develop and expand healthy food retail and infrastructure in high-need areas of El Paso County.

July 1, 2019

We have all heard the news – obesity has reached epidemic levels. You or someone you know is likely to suffer from this complex, chronic disease.

That is right – obesity is a disease. It is not a lack of willpower. It is not caused by laziness. In fact, it is not caused by food or a lack of exercise. Obesity is caused by an inability of the body to regulate energy balance (calories in, calories out, or both).

March 4, 2019

Successful prevention or treatment of obesity is fraught with many difficulties, including challenges in having open patient-clinician conversations and overcoming stigma.

These difficulties are further heightened because obesity is often considered to have a simple cause, when in fact it is a complex disease with a multifactorial etiology.

December 20, 2018

El Paso – One in four kids in El Paso County lives in a food-insecure home – a home where there is not enough money to consistently purchase healthy food. In response, the County of El Paso just took a major step to make healthy, affordable food easier to buy. 

December 17, 2018

“The Executive Committee consists of a diverse group of talented, creative leaders dedicated to the advancement of the field of obesity,” said Whigham, associate professor in UTEP’s Department of Public Health Sciences. “It’s an honor to serve with them.

October 9, 2018

This article was first published on the ConscienHealth on June 10, 2018 by Leah Whigham PhD, FTOS.

October 6, 2018

The Paso del Norte Institute for Healthy Living (IHL) at The University of Texas at El Paso is recruiting 1,250 individuals (20 years or older and not a full-time student) for a study on the impact public transportation has on the health and mobility of El Pasoans.