Articles by Cliff Despres

Awards for Our Ongoing Push for Latino Health Solutions!

June 19, 2017

quitxt selfie group shot smoking tobacco

We feel a special motivation to communicate on this blog and on social media to spotlight the causes of unhealthy weight and disease among Latino families. That way, we can help pave way for culturally relevant solutions. We're excited to announce our efforts have won three Digital Health Awards from the Health Information Resource Center. The Center is a national clearinghouse for professionals who work in consumer health fields that recognizes the world's best digital health resources. Merit, Website, Salud America! advocacy website (now salud-america.org). Merit, Facebook, @SaludAmerica on Facebook Merit, Twitter, @SaludAmerica on Twitter Salud America! is led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San ...

Salud America! and Univision Partner to Promote Healthy Changes for Families

June 15, 2017

latina mom grocery store kid lettuce fresh produce

We believe in grassroots changes that help families have healthy lives. That's why we at Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio are proud to partner with Univision for a campaign to promote healthy change in San Antonio. The campaign will periodically feature our heroes of change on Univision 41's afternoon news and mid-day digital broadcasts, Edicion Digital. These San Antonio heroes of change, who we call Salud Heroes, are adding fruits and veggies to corner stores, creating community gardens, launching fitness programs in parks, and promoting water over sugary drinks. Our first Univision 41 segment in May 2017 featured the amazing Baby Cafe in San Antonio, which provides support and peer networking for Latina and all moms who breastfeed their babies. The hashtag ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 6/20: How Swimming Can Change Lives

June 15, 2017

Drowning is the No. 2 cause of death for toddlers. Many others suffer submersion injuries that may cause major brain injuries, especially among minority children. Why is this? Many Latino and other minority children can't swim and lack access to swimming lessons and pools, which can cause a fear of water. This, in turn, can increase their risk of drowning and lessen their chances of participating in beneficial physical activity in water, from swimming to underwater handstands to water skiing and tubing. Latino children need access to places to learn to swim, which also has been proven to increase children’s confidence, motor skills, and academic achievement. Let's use #SaludTues on June 20, 2017, to tweet about how great swimming is and how to improve Latino kid’s access ...

Study: Latino Kids Less Likely to Get CPR from Parents, Bystanders

June 13, 2017

Latino and black children are less likely to get CPR with breaths, which lowers their survival chances, according to a new study, American Heart Association News reports. Study leaders examined records of 3,900 kids who had cardiac arrest at home or in public. A little more than half had not received CPR from parents or bystanders. Bystanders administered CPR 56% of the time for white kids, but only 43% for Latino kids and 39% for black kids. Minority kids were more likely to get just compression-only CPR than conventional CPR (with breaths). Study authors say the results make it "critical that health care professionals step up their CPR education efforts in Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods." "While a lot of the public health efforts have focused on Hands-Only ...

Three Amazing Ways to Save the Summer for Kids!

June 12, 2017

three summer salud heroes swim central fruti rescue linear park greenway

Summertime means fun time for kids. Well...it's supposed to. For Latino kids, it can also lessen already minimal opportunities to get healthy food or access safe places to play, according to Salud America! research. That's why we are spotlighting three heroes who are saving summer for Latino families! Melissa & Mary Rescuing Fruit for San Antonio Families Many families in San Antonio (63% Latino) live in food deserts. Ironically, there are lots of fruit trees in people's yards—but fruit often falls and rots. UTSA grad students Melissa Federspill and Mary Minor saw this waste. They wanted to harvest fruit trees to share with families. So they mapped local fruit trees online. They met with neighbors. They recruited volunteers to pick trees. And they contacted ...

Community Members + Researchers = Increased Latino Well-Being

June 9, 2017

Uniting the Latino community together with university researchers will—in theory—increase the well-being of this at-risk population. That's the idea behind the new Latinx Community-University Research Coalition of Indiana. The coalition seeks to bring together Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) faculty and staff, policy leaders, and community leaders to promote research and programmatic collaborations that are respectful of the needs, cultural identity and interests of the Latino population while removing barriers, according to a news release. Indiana's Latino population has grown from 1.8% in 1990 to 3.5% in 2000, to 6.0% in 2010. The number already had increased further to 6.7% by 2015. "We are all interested in increasing research ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 6/13: The Truth about E-Cigs

June 8, 2017

Man smoking an e-cigarette as he drives a car

A rising number of middle and high school kids, especially Latinos, are smoking electronic cigarettes, according to a National Institutes of Health report. What are real dangers behind e-cigs and similar products? Can these hook kids into smoking cigarettes? This is a critical question given that Latino kids are 67% more likely than their White peers to start smoking and develop a daily habit, according to a study. Let’s use #SaludTues on June 13, 2017, to tweet how e-cigs and other products affect the health of Latino teens and minority populations. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The Truth About E-cigs and Tobacco Products and Their Impact on Latinos” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, June 13, 2017 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues ...

Walking Toward Equity

June 8, 2017

By Emilie Bahr America Walks The car was once seen in this country as the ultimate vehicle of freedom. It was a symbol of unfettered access and mobility that could take an occupant wherever he or she wanted to go in a manner that was glamorous, convenient and fast. Yet roughly 100 years after our automotive experiment began, the thing that was once an expression of status and a tool in attaining the American Dream is losing some of its luster—while walkable communities are experiencing a comeback. This subtle yet meaningful paradigm shift is taking shape in a context in which the unintended effects of our car dependency have become undeniable. These include soaring rates of obesity and chronic disease; communities isolated from access to such essential needs as jobs, ...

Salud America! Wins International Marketing and Communications Awards

June 7, 2017

mobile social media tablet communication

We at Salud America! care about improving Latino health. That’s why we're excited to announce we have won three Communicator Awards for our efforts to promote awareness of and solutions to Latino health issues! 2017 Communicator Award of Excellence, Content & Marketing Campaign—Branded Social Campaign, Salud America! Latino Health Campaign 2017 Communicator Award of Distinction, Website (Health), Salud America! 2017 Communicator Award of Distinction, Copy or Writing for Websites, Salud America! Communicator Awards, presented by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, honor international marketing and communications that "transcends innovation and craft" and made a "lasting impact." Salud America! is led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, professor and director ...

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Cliff Despres

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