While U.S. obesity rates appear to have leveled off, Hispanics and Blacks have strikingly higher obesity rates than their White and Asian peers, Bloomberg reports. The good news is that overall adult obesity is not rising. About one-third of American adults (about 78 million people) are obese, about the same number as across the last decade, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report was led by researcher Dr. Cynthia L. Ogden. But racial/ethnic disparities in obesity rates continue to be alarming. About 43 percent of Hispanics and 48 percent of blacks are obese, compared with 33 percent of whites and 11 percent of Asians, Bloomberg reports. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director the Salud ...
Latinos comprise about 17% of the U.S. population. By 2050, they are expected to rise to 30%. Given this growth, Latinos have a critical role to play in helping build a "green economy"—one that centers on environmental health and sustainable business, according to a report by Green for All published on Latina Lista. Here are some examples: Gabriel Mandujano founded Wash Cycle Laundry, a Pittsburgh company that shrinks the environmental footprint of the laundry business and provides job opportunities for local workers.
Diana Teran started La Tuana Tortillas, a Tucson, Ariz., company that provides healthy food options with its natural, vegan, sustainable tortillas.
Luis Perales founded Tierra y Libertad Organization and is working with local leaders in Tucson on a Barrio ...
The El Monte City School District, Calif., are educating students on making healthier food and exercise choices. The district, which has been spotlighted in a new video by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, designates a lead teacher at each campus as a "wellness champion" who helps teachers include wellness as part of their daily curriculum. They also made healthier school lunch menus, using more whole grains and lean proteins. They make foods themselves to control sodium levels. El Monte has about a 69% Latino ...
You're invited to join a Twitter Chat with two top researchers who will focus on disparities in breast cancer among minorities. The chat, from 4-5 p.m. central on Oct. 7, 2013, is co-hosted by Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR). Two researchers will head the event: Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will address breast cancer among Latinas, particularly why they tend to suffer more late-stage disease.
Dr. Christopher Li, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is an epidemiologist studying breast cancer outcomes and survivorship. Ask questions and follow live on Twitter using the hashtag #BCDisparities. You also can follow the chat via the ...
To raise the awareness of colorectal and cervical cancers and increase prevention and early detection among Latinos, the University Health System (UHS) in San Antonio, Texas, has produced several public service announcements (PSAs) in both Spanish and English as part of its A Su Salud San Antonio campaign. The PSAs are being aired across the region and are now on the UHS YouTube page. Here is one of the cervical cancer PSAs in English and another in Spanish. Here is one of the colorectal cancer PSAs in English and another in ...
Check out this new video by NBC Latino's Dr. Joseph Sirven, who describes the Latino childhood obesity epidemic and ways families can reverse it through physical activity and healthier food. Sirven is professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology and was past director of education for Mayo Clinic ...
Lack of Spanish-language health information is the missing link in Hispanic patient care, according to a new study by Univision Communications. The new study targets the "patient journey." Patients typically go through a journey from being aware of health issues that could affect them, all the way to treating a diagnosed health problem. This journey differs for Hispanics. Awareness is the first step to overcoming a health issue, and involves being aware that you may be at risk. Hispanics can become more aware if patients or caregivers, primarily the mother in the Hispanic family, is educated about risks. This study found that awareness could be raised in Hispanics if TVs were used for education, because this is the primary source of information for most Hispanic families. Once ...
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows program is seeking candidates for six fellowships at the nexus of health science, policy and politics in Washington, D.C. The fellowships, each for up to $165,000, are outstanding opportunities for exceptional mid-career health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health and health care policy promoting the health of the nation. Fellows participate in the policy process at the federal level and use that leadership experience to improve health, health care and health policy. The proposal deadline is Nov. 13, 2013. See more information ...
"You are what you drink—and when you drink water, you drink up." That's the tagline for a new campaign that urges parents, families, and public and private agencies to drink water more often. The campaign, a collaboration of Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), PHA Chair First Lady Michelle Obama, and many public/private sector stakeholders, has developed a website, social media pages, videos, and is inviting people to take photos of themselves raising a glass of water on Instagram (#DrinkH2O). They are on Twitter @URH20. Watch the campaign's video in English or ...
