Callie's passion is spreading awareness of public health issues through various communication channels. Her work helps mitigate health disparities while promoting positive, healthy changes in communities.
The average US pre-term birth rate has risen to a 15-year high of 10.5%, according to a recent March of Dimes report. This finding further highlights the maternal health crisis in the US, where mothers, especially those of color, struggle to access maternal healthcare and are vulnerable to preventable pregnancy-related deaths, including those caused by COVID-19. How does the high pre-term birth rate impact Latinas and their babies? And what can we do to help? What is Pre-term Birth?
Pre-term birth occurs when a baby is born before 37 weeks of gestation. Babies need about 40 weeks in the womb to develop before birth, according to March of Dimes. About one out of every 10 births in the US is premature, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Black and American Indian/Alaskan ...
We all want the best for our children. While the thought of enrolling your child in a clinical trial may sound scary, but there are plenty of benefits to trial participation. Some of these benefits include diagnosing, preventing, treating, and sometimes even curing childhood diseases. However, there are some potential risks to trial participation, too. Here’s everything you need to know about enrolling your child in a clinical trial.
What is a Clinical Trial?
Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat different diseases. There are different kinds of clinical trials with different intended purposes. There are also four phases of clinical trials that each help scientists answer different ...
Hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes are where people come for care, so there is a high chance some patients will have an infection. When a person has an infection, their immune system may be weakened, making them more vulnerable to developing other infections or illnesses. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the things we do in healthcare that can put patients at greater risk of infection. For example, if a patient needs an IV, there’s a risk for infection if germs on their skin are pushed into their body by the needle, or if germs on the needle or another piece of equipment get into their body. In healthcare, we are more concerned about some germs than others based on: The amount of them in the environment.
If they can cause an outbreak in a healthcare ...
Rapamycin is a medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as an immunosuppressant drug, making it helpful in preventing rejection in organ transplantation. The medication has also been tested in prior studies — like clinical trials, which help researchers learn how to better slow, manage, and treat diseases — as a treatment for cancer and to evaluate its effects on physical and cognitive function and immune health. Now, researchers at UT Health San Antonio are recruiting participants for a study to evaluate Rapamycin’s effects on heart function, heart muscle stiffening, and circulation. Participants will be compensated up to $300 for study completion, which involves five study visits over the course of about two months.
Who Can Participate in the Rapamycin ...
Clinical trials are the most safe, rigorous way of testing for new and more effective disease treatments. Although Latinos comprise 18.9% of the US population, they make up just 10% of participants in clinical trials run by the National Cancer Institute and 4% of drug trials run by the FDA. This massive underrepresentation of Latinos in clinical trials makes it hard for researchers to develop new treatments for this group, which suffers a heavy burden of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases. Further, diseases present differently in Latinos than White populations – who traditionally make up most clinical trial participants. For example, Latinos on average present symptoms of Alzheimer’s approximately seven years earlier than other racial and ethnic groups, and are ...
It’s easy to take breathing for granted. But we should know exactly what the respiratory system is and how it can play a role in germs spreading in healthcare. This part of the body can be separated into two parts: the upper airway, including the mouth, nose, throat, and windpipe, and the lower airway, including the lungs.
Germs in The Upper and Lower Airways
Many germs live in the upper airway. Like with the skin and the digestive system, most of the germs that are commonly found in the nose, mouth, throat, and windpipe keep those parts of the body healthy. But sometimes those germs can cause harm when they get into the lungs. This can happen when they’re breathed in and get past the lungs’ natural defenses, or because something we do in healthcare, like ...
We’re all busy with the hustle and bustle of life. It’s tempting to grab fast food or buy ready-to-eat food to avoid cooking after a long day. But choosing those ultra-processed foods may cost you more than the money in your wallet. We already know that processed food is bad for your health, but an August 2022 study in The BMJ suggests that consuming ultra-processed food may increase risk for a serious disease – colorectal cancer. Let’s unpack these study results and what they mean for Latinos.
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Ultra-processed foods – industrial ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat formulations made of little or no whole foods – now contribute 57% of total daily calories consumed by American adults, according to the study. These foods are usually rich ...
Infection control keeps germs from spreading and making people sick. Infection control actions are based on recognizing the risks for germs to spread. But what is that risk? We know that germs are found in certain places, and need a way, or a pathway, to spread to other places and people. They also need the opportunity to spread. That’s where “risk” is, and where you can keep germs from spreading with infection control actions.
Identifying Risk
You, your patients, and the environment can be pathways for germs to spread. Understanding how germs spread and where they live and thrive can help you understand “Standard Precautions,” which are infection control actions you perform every day for all patients to keep germs from spreading. For example, an important part ...
US food and beverage companies disproportionately target Black and Latino consumers with advertising for high-calorie, low-nutrient products, including candy, sugary drinks, and snacks, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health at the University of Connecticut. This targeted advertising has been a problem for years and is consistent with findings from other studies and reports, including the recent US Access to Nutrition Index 2022. The millions of dollars companies spend on targeted marketing contributes to inequities in diet-related diseases in communities of color, including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. “Companies express how much they respect the culture and concerns of Black and Hispanic communities, but at the same time, they appear ...
