Bacteria in floodwaters and ample breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes are just a few of the public health threats plaguing coastal Texas after Hurricane Harvey. But there's a scarier—and unseen—health enemy lurking. Stress. That's why state leaders created the Hurricane Harvey Task Force on School Mental Health Supports. The task force, the first of its kind in Texas, will respond to mental health issues in schools impacted by Hurricane Harvey, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. “Our state leaders are absolutely right that addressing the trauma created by Hurricane Harvey must be an integral part of the state’s strategy for recovering from the storm," said Josette Saxton, director of mental health ...
Cancer takes an undeniable physical toll on a person's body. But emerging research show cancer has a strong impact on a person's mind, too. About 40% of adult cancer patients were diagnosed with depression at the University Hospital Cancer Care Center in Newark, N.J. (36% Latino population), according to a new study by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital, Healio reports. This is extremely important for Latinos, who suffer tremendous mental health issues.
Latinos, Cancer, and Depression Latino kids and adults are far more likely than their peers to have mental health issues, according to a Salud America! research review. These issues often go unaddressed, undiagnosed, and often untreated. When instances of serious physical illness are added, the ...
Did you know that 40% of Latino children are overweight or obese, compared to 32% of all U.S. children? With the Fall holidays bringing kids out of school and closer to candy and sweets, this is a critical time to make sure they have safe and healthy spaces to play, trick or treat, and achieve a healthy weight! Let’s use #SaludTues on Oct. 31, 2017, to share how what we can do for Latino and all families to improve health and stay safe during the Fall holiday season! WHAT: #SaludTuesTweetchat: Fall into Healthy & Safe Holidays
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: SafeRoutes (@SafeRoutesNow) and others We’ll open the floor to your stories, tips and experiences, as we ...
Salud America! Guest Blogger
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Alvord Unified School District (64% Latino) is giving students more opportunities to get active and eat healthier in Riverside, Calif. Now they're getting national recognition for their health and wellness efforts. Eight of Alvord Unified's schools earned a place on the 2017 list of America’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Wells Middle School earned the highest level of recognition. How’d they do it? They got support from district leaders, parents, teachers, and the entire community. “We were able to provide parent education courses with topics that included the importance of breakfast, meal planning, understanding food labels, saving money on food and healthy ...
Sadly, Latino parents are less engaged in their child's education. So what happened when a program helped Latino dads read books together with their young kids? The Latino dads' parenting skills jumped 30%. The Latino children's language development and school readiness jumped 30%, too. These amazing results come from a New York University study that engaged 126 low-income, Spanish-speaking fathers and their Head Start children in shared book reading and a parent training over eight weeks. "Our study finds that it is possible to engage fathers from low-income communities in parenting interventions, which benefits both the fathers and their children,” said study leader Dr. Anil Chacko of NYU Steinhardt.
Gaps in Latino Child Literacy
Preliteracy gaps are seen in Latino ...
A dozen new research centers will tackle Latino and minority health problems thanks to $82 million for the next five years from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Latinos suffer worse rates of obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers and diseases. Why? They face cultural and language barriers, lack of access to resources, and a drastic lack of health care coverage. With this new round of funding, the NIMHD will create 12 "Centers of Excellence" to investigate preventable diseases like heart disease and diabetes, along with exposure to substance use disorder, violence, and trauma, which disproportionately affect minorities. “We need strong collaborations and research based upon asking the right questions in specific areas,” said Dr. ...
You can share the best—or worst—places to bike in San Antonio, thanks to a new bilingual crowdsourced map. The Open Ciclismo map, launched in October 2017 in English and Spanish by the local online news source the Rivard Report and Bike San Antonio, enables people to identify biking problems, issues, and solutions across San Antonio (63.7% Latino). You can report a public dangerous intersection, suggest a bicycling improvement, or share safe places to ride. Just indicate the location, add a description, and upload or share a video. "By crowdsourcing this data and riders’ experiences, we aim to create up-to-date awareness of hotspots for cycling safety, crime, and infrastructure improvements—holding city officials accountable for safe cycling and pedestrian life in San ...
Rosalie Aguilar grew up watching her grandfather in his water treatment lab, purging pollutants to produce cleaner drinking water in Mexico. Her grandmother helped Latino reporters cover World War II stories. Aguilar’s successful grandparents gave her a desire to make a big difference to give Latinos a better chance to live a healthy, disease-free life. She’s doing just that as Project Coordinator of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, a national program that creates content to inspire people to drive community change for the health of Latino and all kids. “My childhood experiences have led me to a career trying to help others and improve the health of Latino children and families,” Aguilar said. “That is what motivates me.” Aguilar first joined Dr. Amelie ...
More than 17 million U.S. kids and adults, including a rising number of Latinos, have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). So what exactly is ADHD? Who gets ADHD? How can you tell if your child has this mental condition? How is it treated? We at Salud America! are excited to share some answers during ADHD Awareness Month in October.
What is ADHD?
ADHD is a brain disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, according to the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). Yes, everybody can have difficulty sitting still or paying attention. We make rash, impulsive decisions on occasion. But for others, these behaviors are so pervasive and persistent that they interfere ...
