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Amelie Ramirez

I am director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio. I have spent 30 years directing research on human and organizational communication to reduce chronic disease, cancer, and obesity health disparities affecting Latinos.

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Articles by Amelie Ramirez

Mental Health Research: Programs with Promise


Latino kids PE class and affect on sadness

This is part of our Mental Health & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Physical activity is linked to mental health Several studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between physical activity and mental health among Latino children. The converse is also true. Jernigan, et al., in a study of preadolescents (46.8% Latino), found that greater negative emotional symptoms at the baseline interview predicted a significantly increased BMI at a 2-year follow-up for Latino students (p=.03).45 In a cross-sectional review of data from the Healthy Youth/Healthy Adults study, which included 1,870 Latino and non-Latino white adolescents (77% were Latino) ages 14-18 from Nueces County, Tex., Brosnahan et al. investigated whether there was a relationship between physical activity ...

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Mental Health Research: Issues Facing Latino Kids


Suicide rates among Latina students

This is part of our Mental Health & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Latina youth have a very high rate of thinking about suicide Latino females in grades 9-12 had the highest rate of suicidal ideation, at 25.6 percent, compared to 22.8 percent among their white peers, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health’s assessment of Latino mental health based on results from the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS), a self-report survey of high school students. The rate for Latino males of the same age group was much lower (12%), but it was still higher than that of white peers (11.5%). Latino females also reported the highest rate of suicide attempt (15.1% versus 9.8%), and Latino males reported a higher rate than their ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Future Research


RethinkDrink

This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Future research needs Further research could focus on differences in SSB consumption and the effect on obesity and health among Latino subgroups, as most studies that tease out results by racial/ethnic group focus on Mexican Americans. More research is also needed on the beverages available and promoted in early child care settings and how new federal, state, and (where they have regulatory authority) local regulations impact this in both licensed and unlicensed child care settings. Further research on the potential impact of SSB prices and taxes on Latinos, particularly youths, could be conducted. It will be important to evaluate the taxes implemented in Philadelphia, Cook County, Ill., and the ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Policy Implications


sugary drinks latina in store

This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Conclusions The large amount of added sugar consumed by Latino youths in the form of SSBs must be addressed, given the impact of this added sugar on obesity. Young people are exposed to a wide variety of SSB advertising and promotion, with exposure among Latinos disproportionately high, despite voluntary efforts by beverage companies to reduce marketing to children. Very few early childcare facilities report serving sugary drinks to children ages 0-5, but increased regulation can reduce serving of sugary drinks and increase promotion of water. A more sizable price increase on all SSBs could have a significant effect on consumption of SSBs and could improve weight12,30–33,36,38,49,67,77,92,112–115 ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Water


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This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Latino children consume less water than their peers Research based on national NHANES data (2005-06, 2007-08, and 2009-10) has shown that water intakes among U.S. children ages 4-13 are below recommended levels. Mexican-American children consumed less plain water than Non-Hispanic white children, on average, and children living in lower-income households were less likely to consume water as a beverage than those in high-income households.105 Studies have found that Hispanics are more likely to perceive tap water as unsafe and are less likely to drink tap water compared to Non-Hispanic whites.38,106–108 Recent NHANES data showed that over half (56%) of Mexican-American children consumed water from ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Pricing


sugary drink pricing research infographic

This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Sugary drink consumption is responsive to changes in pricing One recent systematic review concluded that a 10 percent increase in soft drink prices would lead to a 7.9 percent reduction in soft drink consumption.85 A second systematic review of studies published from January 2007 through March 2012 concluded that a 10 percent price increase for SSBs only would lead to an even larger—12.1 percent—reduction in SSB consumption, as some consumers would switch to diet, water and other lower-calorie options. Price increases on more narrowly defined categories of SSBs (e.g., regular carbonated soda) would lead to larger reductions in consumption in these categories.86 A recent randomized controlled trial ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Childcare Settings



This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Early childcare settings are diverse The National Household Education Survey reports that 60 percent of all U.S. children ages 5 and younger not yet enrolled in kindergarten were in some form of non-parental care at least once a week in.69 Among these children, 56 percent were cared for in a center such as a day care center, Head Start program, preschool, prekindergarten, or other early childhood programs. Children in full-time child care programs obtain typically half to three-fourths of their daily energy in these settings.70 The types of child care facilities and programs available in the U.S. vary considerably, including large and small child care centers, family day care homes, Head Start facilities, ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Marketing


latino sugary drink marketing

This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » Latino kids have rates of media exposure The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages TV watching among all children younger than 2.46 In 2014, a randomized obesity prevention trial investigated racial/ethnic trends in infant feeding and activity behaviors and their relation to future obesity risk among 863 parents (50% Latino) of 2-month-old infants.47 According to study investigators, parental adherence to the AAP’s TV-watching recommendation was low.48 Nearly 50 percent of all parents reported active TV-watching among their infants, with over 90 percent reporting that infants had exposure to TV throughout the day.47 For Latinos, 41 percent of infants took part in active TV watching for ...

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Sugary Drinks Research: Weight Gain


sugary drink pricing little girl

This is part of our Sugary Drinks & Latino Kids: A Research Review » More sugary drinks is linked to higher body weight Those who consume a greater amount of SSBs tend to have higher body weight than those who drink less.5 A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 studies, including prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials, associated SSB intake with risk of weight gain in children and adults.22 Similarly, a meta-analysis of 88 studies found a clear association between soft drink consumption and weight.23 By contrast, a recent systematic review of papers focused on regular soda consumption among children and adolescents and published between 2004 and 2014 did not find an association between regular soda consumption and weight among all age ...

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