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Cliff Despres

Cliff Despres, who has more than a decade of experience in journalism and public relations, is communications director for Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio.


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Articles by Cliff Despres

En Español: Best Physical Activities for Kids (from Soccer to Wii Tennis)


latino boy playing soccer futbol gettign physical activity kids

What's the best way for kids to meet physical activity guidelines? Running? Jumping? Sports? Active video games? A new list, the Youth Compendium of Physical Activities, is now out in Spanish and English to shed light on 196 youth physical activities and the estimated energy expenditure for each. This exploration of youth activity—from running to soccer to cycling to Wii Sports—offers parents, teachers, coaches, healthcare workers, and researchers better insight into which physical activities contribute to a healthier lifestyle, thanks to the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR). "It can be used by a wide variety of people—from researchers and health care professionals to teachers, coaches, and fitness professionals—and in a variety of ...

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Coronavirus Causing Horrific Job Loss, Stress for Latinos


coronavirus job loss stress latino families surveys

U.S. Latinos already bear an extraordinary burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths and health and social inequities. Now job loss and stress are piling up for Latinos, according to new surveys. What about Latino Job Status, Finances amid Coronavirus? The financial toll of the coronavirus outbreak has hit Latino Americans especially hard, according to a Pew Research Center survey on May 5, 2020. Here are some key survey findings: 61% of Latinos report they or someone in their household experienced a job or wage loss due to coronavirus. Only 38% of white adults report the same. These shares were up from 49% and 29%, respectively, in a March 2020 survey. 70% of Latinos report they did not have emergency funds to cover three months of expenses. This compares to 47% of whites. ...

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Dad, Daughter Create ‘La Loteria’ Bingo to Help Families Stay Healthy amid COVID-19


La Loteria bingo game cards for coronavirus covid-19

Use La Loteria to talk about health with your family amid COVID-19! La Loteria, a traditional game in Latino families, is a version of Bingo using pictures on cards instead of numbers. The National Alliance for Hispanic Health has created COVID-19 Bingo (La Loteria). The family game has pictures of social distancing, hand-washing, video calls, physical activity, healthy food, faith, hope, and more. "My daughter and I were playing La Loteria and we thought it might be a great way to help other kids understand COVID-19," said Edgar Gil Rico of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. "So it became a family project resulting in a new version of Bingo (La Loteria) with tips for parents to use the game to discuss COVID-19 and what families can do to stay well and healthy." La ...

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Julie Moser: What Happens When a Military Spouse Gets Breast Cancer?


Julie Moser breast cancer survivor BFFs - collage

By Julie Moser Military Spouse, Breast Cancer Advocate Founder, Executive Director, PWATX October 28, 2013, is a date that will always be one that will be remembered without thinking about it. You know, like a birth date or wedding anniversary. October 28, 2013, is the day I became a survivor. When the doctor said the words: “You have cancer." On the early morning of my husband’s third deployment send-off, I noticed a brown line under my left breast after a shower. It looked like I had burned my skin with a curling iron. My husband said that it probably wasn’t a big deal as long as I didn’t feel any lumps. I didn’t tell him I felt something but told him that I would get it checked out later in the day with my primary care physician. My doctor found three ...

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Share Stories of Latinos Who Changed Their Hearts and Got the COVID-19 Vaccine!


Latino COVID-19 Vaccine Change of Heart Heroes

COVID-19 takes a big toll on Latinos. To help move Latinos from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine confidence, Salud America! is uplifting the stories of real Latinos who overcame misinformation, got the COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson), reconnected with family, and are helping end the pandemic and variants like Delta and Omicron. Share these “change of heart” heroes in English or Spanish! Update 10/26/22: Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, featured the heroes at the COVID-19 Equity Evidence Academy from the RADx-UP program in September 2022! Rosa Herrera Rosa Herrera read on Facebook that the COVID-19 vaccine would inject her with a microchip. What changed her heart? After doing research and learning that ...

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10 Steps to Boost Mental Health Services for Latino Immigrants amid DACA, COVID-19


How to Provide Mental Health Services to Latino Immigrants amid Changes to DACA, COVID-19

Life as a Latino immigrant is stressful. Migration is difficult. Changing immigration rules make it hard to get health-promoting assets. Fear of deportation and family separation add anxiety. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening social and environmental inequities. Who is looking out for the mental health of Latino immigrants? Informed Immigrant, Immigrants Rising, and FWD.us have a 10-step guide to help mental health care providers respond to the distress of immigrants whose status is in flux due to ongoing changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, amid coronavirus. "In addition to managing the stress and uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there are around 700,000 immigrant youth who may also be worried and distressed ...

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Neighbors Create Mutual Aid Network to Help Neighbors with Groceries, Care


mutual aid grocery delivery for neighbors amid covid-19 coronavirus

How is your neighbor doing during the coronavirus pandemic? In the Boston area, Anna Kaplan, Jessie Norriss, Sophia Grogan, Miriam Priven, Hannah Freedman, and other neighbors saw their neighbors lose jobs, with no money for bills or groceries. They saw college students and non-English speakers get no support. They each wanted to help their neighbors. So, together, they helped create Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS), an on-the-fly mix of multilingual online documents, Google maps, social media, and text-message threads where neighbors can offer to help, and/or ask for help with grocery deliveries, filing for unemployment, emotional support, and more. Since March 12, 2020, MAMAS has connected over 1,000 neighbors to each other and raised over $90,000 to meet ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 4/28: How to Ensure Diversity in Research during Coronavirus


Latino scientist microscope clinical trial study research

Fewer than 5% of Latinos participate in federal clinical trials. That gives researchers less chance to find treatments that work for this population. Latinos suffer a heavier burden of coronavirus, obesity, and certain cancers. How are we going to make sure new treatments─such as a COVID-19 vaccine─work as well for Latinos and other people of color? Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, to discuss how to ensure diversity and inclusion of people of color in research amid the COVID-19 pandemic! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How to Ensure Diversity in Research during Coronavirus TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, April 28, 2020 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS); League of ...

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Fizz Win: Soda Tax Revenue Turns into Emergency Grocery Vouchers amid Coronavirus


soda tax grocery store voucher coronavirus pandemic

A soda tax aims to reduce sugary drink consumption and boost public health. In a new twist, Seattle is using soda tax revenues to give emergency $800 grocery vouchers for 6,250 families amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Next City reports. City leaders mailed a $400 voucher in March 2020 for families to buy groceries at Safeway. They will send a second $400 voucher this month. Mayor Jenny Durkan called this rapid-response to coronavirus "remarkable." “As schools and child care facilities close, we need to do everything we can to support families and ensure they can put food on the table,” Durkan said, Next City reports. Sugary drinks do not contribute to good health, especially among Latinos, according to a Salud America! research review. Let's examine how soda ...

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