Eric Moreno is a Content Curator with the Salud America! program at UT Health San Antonio. He specializes in covering the topics of health equity and family and social support. He holds a BA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MA from Gonzaga University.
Regardless of weight, physical activity is associated with positive health outcomes and physical inactivity with negative health outcomes. To reduce health disparities among Latinos, we need to redefine the role of physical activity for lifelong health, starting with New Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions, challenges, and goals, can help you be more active! This looks different on everybody and on every body. For some, it may mean starting a walking plan, while for others it may mean playing with their kids more. Maybe you want to join Zumba classes with a group or maybe you want to pool-walk by yourself. Join #SaludTues on January 3, 2017, at 1 p.m. EST to tweet about how we can use resolutions and challenges to be more physically active to stay our healthiest. WHAT: ...
Mental health is one of the most important issue in all of healthcare. Anxiety and depression are just two of the more common mental health issues that affect millions of people. In recent years, Latino mental health has become an issue focused on my health agencies across the country. A new study has found that certain policies may be exacerbating Latino mental health concerns American Latinos living in states with more “exclusionary” immigration policies report higher rates of “psychological distress” than those living in states with more liberal immigration laws. “Obviously, not all immigrants are Latinos, nor are all Latinos immigrants,” said a research team led by Mark Hatzenbuehler of Columbia University in the journal Social Science and Medicine. In order to ...
Many minorities, including Latinos, are disproportionately affected by diabetes. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that almost 13% of all Latinos have the disease compared to just over 9% of the overall U.S. population. Latinos are also more likely to experience complications from the disease and, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health, they have a higher death rate from diabetes, as well. However, having support from peers can help Latinos cope with and live with the disease. A study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine looked at how well interventions work in the Latino community when a person with diabetes gets support from someone who understands the disease. In ...
For the first time in over 20 years, the U.S. has seen a drop in overall life expectancy, further confirmation of a decline in health in different racial populations. Latino life expectancy remained about the same from 2014 to 2015. “This is a big deal,” said Philip Morgan, a demographer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in an interview with NPR. “There’s not a better indicator of well-being than life expectancy." "The fact that it is leveling off in the U.S. is a striking finding.” Latinos are the nation’s largest racial and ethnic minority group. As a population they are expected to grow from 1 in 6 people today to 1 in 4 by 2035 and 1 in 3 by 2060. As Latinos are becoming a growing “force” in all facets of life, the life expectancy of ...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced over $50 million in funding for 75 health centers across 23 states. These community-based organizations offer “comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services.” “We expect this competitive New Access Point funding to provide health care to more than 240,000 additional patients,” said Dr. Mary Wakefield, Acting Deputy Secretary at HHS in a press release. “These new health center sites will contribute significantly to the health of families and communities across the nation.” In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved. The health ...
One of the main ways that scientists measure the overall health and well-being of a nation is by tracking the rate at which its citizens die and how long they are expected to live. For the first time in over 20 years, the U.S. has seen a drop in overall life expectancy. “This is a big deal,” said Philip Morgan, a demographer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in an interview with NPR. “There’s not a better indicator of well-being than life expectancy. The fact that it is leveling off in the U.S. is a striking finding.” Latinos are the nation’s largest racial and ethnic minority group. As a population they are expected to grow from 1 in 6 people today to 1 in 4 by 2035 and 1 in 3 by 2060. As Latinos are becoming a growing “force” in all facets of life, ...
Do you live in one of the countries healthiest cities? More and more cities are recognizing the importance building a culture of health for their citizens. Many have added built environment features, such as improved walkways and bike lanes for people to add more activity into their daily lives. Increasing access to green spaces, such as public parks, as well as free exercise programs have also become some of the initiatives undertaken by cities across the country. Latinos, especially Latino kids, in underserved communities have limited options for physical activity, which is part of the reason they are more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers. Condé Nast Traveler magazine has compiled a list of the country’s healthiest cities which they determined by factors such ...
The deadline to obtain health coverage by January 1 has been extended through December 19. Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace is currently underway. On Friday, Dec. 16, President Barack Obama announced that more than 670,000 people signed up before the Dec. 15 deadline; due to this overwhelming response, the deadline has been extended. “Millions of Americans have already signed up for coverage and tens of thousands more are in the process of getting coverage today,” said Health Insurance Marketplace CEO Kevin Counihan. “As we did last year, because of extraordinary volume of consumers contacting our call center or visiting HealthCare.gov, we are extending the deadline to sign-up for January 1 coverage until 11:59pm PST December 19.” In order to ...
Financial stress has been linked to numerous negative health concerns. The stress felt from financial pressure can affect appetites and sleep patterns and greatly impact overall physical and mental well-being. One of the most pressing financial stressors people deal with stems from paying for housing. IN rural areas, the difficulties of finding affordable housing is often exacerbated. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently invested over $74 million to build and preserve affordable rural rental housing for families across the country. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved. “[The] USDA's multi-family housing program has ...
