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.
Latinos and Blacks together comprise 55% of coronavirus cases, nearly double their U.S. population makeup, according to new CDC data. Overall, Latinos were 33% of COVID-19 cases and Blacks were 22% in an analysis of 1.3 million lab-confirmed coronavirus cases reported to CDC during January 22-May 30, 2020. These are much higher rates than Latinos and Black representation in the U.S. population (18% and 13%). The new CDC data reinforce the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Latinos amid worsening historical inequities. "As protests against systemic racism in policing take place nationwide following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, the pandemic continues to show similar discrepancies in healthcare and economics," Forbes reports on the CDC ...
55,564 people—including members of Salud America!—submitted public comments to help shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A federal advisory committee will consider the public comments, collected from March 2019 to June 2020, as they create a scientific report to inform the new dietary guidelines. Our members made over 250 comments to add water to the MyPlate/MiPlato graphic, reduce added sugars, and promote dietary equity. The USDA and HHS will use the scientific report and comments to draft the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. But don't worry if you missed commenting! USDA and HHS will open a new comment period for the advisory committee's scientific report around July 15, 2020. "We're excited that so many people spoke up for equitable ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, won a "silver award" for promoting health from the Spring 2020 Digital Health Awards! Digital Health Awards are given each spring and fall to recognize the world’s best digital health resources. The awards are given by the Health Information Resource Center. The Center is a national clearinghouse for professionals who work in consumer health fields. Here are the Salud America! award recipients: Silver, Spring 2020 Digital Health Awards, Web-Based Digital Health—Digital Content Curation, Salud America! Health Website, featuring the work of Dr. Ramirez and digital content curators Josh McCormack, Amanda Merck, and Pramod Sukumaran. Dr. Ramirez ...
Systemic racism makes it harder for Latinos and other people of color to get healthcare, housing, transportation, education, employment, healthy food, safe treatment by police, and more. We need solutions to end racial/ethnic injustice. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, to discuss how to address racial/ethnic injustice and discuss clear, measurable strategies and actions to combat racial/ethnic disparities in housing, public health, education, and more! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Addressing Racial/Ethnic Injustice
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, June 16, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS), America’s Promise Alliance (@AmericasPromise), CommonHealth Action ...
Cancer patients who get COVID-19 have a 13% risk of dying, much higher than the 6% death rate of coronavirus in the general population, according to a study published in The Lancet. But the reasons for bigger risk aren't what researchers expected. Pregnant women or people with autoimmune diseases or blood cancers are, surprisingly, not more susceptible to severe coronavirus, USA Today reports. Instead, people with cancer and the general population have the same basic reasons for severe coronavirus outcomes. These include older age, smoking, and underlying health problems like diabetes and obesity, according to the new study. This suggests cancer still poses a greater danger than the virus. "Many cancer treatments do not weaken the immune system to a level that it could not ...
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 ...
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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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 ...
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 ...
