Young Latinos face many barriers when it comes to mental health support and resources. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has highlighted ongoing projects and resources that contribute to decreasing the disparities that plague the Latino youth mental health crisis. “Evidence indicates that Hispanic and Latino youth have pressing mental health needs and are not receiving adequate mental health care,” according to Dr. Joshua A. Gordon, NIMH director, in a blog. Let’s explore the Latino youth mental health crisis and what resources can help.
Latino Youth Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected youth from minority communities and worsened the disparities experienced by these communities. Factors like discrimination, ...
Researchers at UT Health San Antonio are launching a five-year, $15.5-million study to investigate why the region’s older Mexican Americans experience a high rate of dementia. The project, the San Antonio Mind and Heart Study, is led by UT Health San Antonio’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases with funding from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging. Let’s dive deeper Latinos, dementia, and the goals of this study.
A Continuation of Important Data
The new dementia study is an is an extension of the San Antonio Heart Study, conducted at UT Health San Antonio between 1979 and 2006 led Dr. Helen P. Hazuda. Researchers, led by Dr. Claudia L. Satizabal, associate professor of population health ...
About half of Latinos who enroll in a four-year college do not end up graduating, according to a new analysis from ¡Excelencia in Education! Latinos’ college graduation rate (52%) also is lower than their White peers (65%). How can we increase Latino college graduation rates? Let’s dive into to the numbers and explore how to close the Latino education gap, and better support Latino students.
Latino College Graduation by the Numbers
28% of Latino adults (age 25 and older) currently have an associate degree or higher, compared to 48% of non-Latino White adults. To better understand that gap, the new analysis from ¡Excelencia in Education! highlights 4 measures that track degree completion: 1. Graduation Rate: Total percentage of students who ...
The Susan G. Komen Foundation is working to discover cures for breast cancer faster with ShareForCures. ShareForCures is a breast cancer research registry that connects researchers with information from people who have or had breast cancer. “The goal of ShareForCures is to focus on research that will have the most significant impact for people affected by breast cancer,” according to the registry website. Here’s how you or someone you know can participate in ShareForCures!
Join ShareForCures
Individuals interested in participating in the registry can start by creating a free MyKomen + Health account and complete the ShareForCures registration. Participants are asked to complete informed consent and medical release forms. “Information that could ...
As Latino individuals become more acculturated to the English language and U.S. culture, their cigarette use tends to rise, according to a study on cigarette consumption behaviors among the Latino community. The National Institute on Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD) -supported research found that this trend occurs particularly among Latino men, and that cigarette consumption also varies based on educational attainment. Let’s dive into what the numbers look like for Latino smokers and what these study results mean for smoking prevention in this population.
Latinos and Language Acculturation
Acculturation is defined as “the process of two cultures blending, generally seen when an immigrant or minority culture acclimates with the dominant culture.” For ...
A cool breeze hits Carlos Olivas III’s face and suddenly the smells of fresh, warm coffee and donuts hits his nose. He enjoys a short, tranquil moment at a bakery as part of his daily routine alongside his father, Carlos Olivas Jr., also known as Charlie. Carlos is a full-time caregiver for Charlie, who is living with Alzheimer’s in Sacramento. Carlos saw what caregiving looked like from a young age. He watched his mother and father care for his grandmother and, later, his father care for his ailing mother. “My dad was the caregiver for my mom, who was dealing with breast cancer, diabetes, and congenital heart failure. In 2008, she passed. Reflecting back, that was the first time, the real hero,” Carlos said. “He set the stage as a male caregiver, without knowing ...
Cancer patients with unmet needs for support – in areas from finances to emotions – are more likely to experience worse clinical outcomes, according to a new study led by Dr. Frank Penedo of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. Who are the cancer patients at highest risk for having unmet needs? Latinos, Blacks, and people who experience anxiety, depression, pain, poor physical function, and low health-related quality-of-life scores. "Our findings offer strong evidence that unmet supportive care needs are associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes, particularly higher risk for ED visits and hospitalizations," Dr. Penedo said, according to a news release. Let’s dive into unmet needs and what they mean for Latino cancer ...
As a child in Puerto Rico, Alberto Martin dreamed of playing professional soccer. He knew that becoming a soccer pro meant lots of hard work, practice, and willpower to get better even when you’re tired and want to give up. Today, Martin is using those lessons to become a different kind of pro – a doctor. Martin is a second-year medical student at the Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and an intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. He is motivated to share his story to demonstrate how following your dream – on the soccer field or the doctor’s office – can be reality. “Stories and information you get, they just become such a powerful source of drive or inspiration. Because you want to see you, ...
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month or Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to highlight mental health and wellness of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), including Latinos. Several barriers, factors, and experiences contribute to the mental and overall health of BIPOC communities. With this in mind, let’s explore ways to advocate for change and help others! “When we reach out for help, we not only begin to heal ourselves, but we heal our communities,” according to Mental Health America.
Why is Mental Health Important?
Each BIPOC population in the United States is diverse in their own way. For instance, the US Latino population includes origins and heritages from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, South, and Central ...
