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Catherine Wilson

Catherine Wilson is a digital content curator for Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. She is a graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland College Park, and hopes to utilize her skills to help people find their voices and inspire change in their communities.

Articles by Catherine Wilson

Study: Sugary Drink Taxes Linked to Decreased Obesity in Seattle


soda tax sugary drink tax shopper latina woman grocery store

Over the last several years, cities across the US have taxed sugary drinks to reduce the consumption of these beverages and prioritize the health of their communities.   In 2018, Seattle joined this wave of cities in placing a tax on sugary drinks.   At 1.75 cents per ounce, the tax was created to disincentivize the consumption and purchase of sugary drinks and improve community health.   But did it work?  A recent study published on the JAMA Network sought to answer this very question by comparing the health of children within the taxable area to those in neighboring areas.  This is what they found.  Sugary Drink Tax Studies  Studying the relationship between the sugary drink tax and health is nothing new.  In fact, previous studies on taxes have pointed to a ...

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Explore Your Mental Health with the All of Us Research Program



One in four U.S. adults were living with a mental health condition as of last year — that’s nearly 60 million people, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  Many questions remain about the rise of mental health issues.   That's why the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program has taken a special interest in mental health.  As part of the program’s mission to collect the health data of over 1 million Americans, the All of Us Research Program is learning more about the mental health backgrounds of participants, which could advance mental health research.   When signing up for the program, participants fill out mental health surveys.   Through these surveys researchers can study early mental illness risk ...

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Latinos to Feel More Heat Due to Bans on Protections for Outdoor Workers



With heat reaching record-breaking numbers every summer in some states, evidence points to our climate changing.  For instance, Florida saw its hottest year on record since 1895 when the surface temperatures reached 177 degrees in places. Heat indices rose to triple digits multiple days in a row in Texas, making 2023 the second-hottest summer on record.  In the wake of extreme heat, weather experts have advised people to limit their time outside when the sun is out, especially for the population’s most vulnerable people like seniors and children.  But what about those who can’t escape the heat?   Despite the weather, outdoor workers are braving the elements to provide a valuable service to support their families.   Many of these workers are Latino.  While ...

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Latinos Have Some of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the US



Latinos make up 18% of the American workforce and are the fastest growing working population in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, there is a lack of Latino representation in corporate leadership, and few occupy high paying jobs in lucrative industries like engineering, technology, and science. Due to systemic inequities stemming from generations of racism and oppression, many Latinos work labor-intensive jobs in industries such as agriculture, building and ground maintenance, and construction. These jobs are more physically demanding, putting stress on the body, and are performed outdoors, where workers are exposed to the elements and pollution. Working these jobs can endanger the health and safety of employees. Latino workers die on the job more than ...

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Webinar: What Does Your Health Story Say About You?



In March 2024, we invited organizations, leaders, and clinicians in The Alamo City to learn about the social determinants of health (SDOH) in San Antonio and how they could leverage the All of Us Research Program to promote health equity in research. This time, we are getting personal about your health by exploring the benefits of All of Us, including how you can get a free report about your genetic ancestry, your genetic traits (why you might love or hate cilantro), and risk for diseases. To learn more about your health story, watch our webinar, “What Does Your Health Story Say About You? Investing in Personal Health Through All of Us." Join us as we take a tour of the interactive All of Us Research Program portal and answer some of your burning questions about how the program can ...

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What Is Having Long COVID-19 Really Like?



It wasn’t too long ago that COVID-19 threw life into chaos. Businesses shut their doors. Food and supplies ran low. We were separated from our loved ones and trapped indoors. Hospitals dealt with rising demand. Lives were lost. Years have passed since the pandemic and we’ve tried to distance ourselves from a time when distillers halted production to make hand sanitizer, grocery stores had lanes, and smiles were hidden behind masks. However, some are still living with a constant reminder of that time. For those with Long COVID-19, time hasn’t healed the wounds of the past as they still try to recover from the physical, mental, and emotional traumas of the condition. That’s why Health Confianza — a Bexar County health literacy initiative housed at The University of Texas ...

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1 in 5 People on Transplant Waiting List are Latino



More than 100,000 people are waiting for a life-changing organ transplant in the US, according to the American Heart Association.  The stark reality is that nearly 23% of those on the transplant candidate waiting list are Latino — that’s one out of every five people.   In fact, 59% of all transplant candidates on the waiting list are Black, Latino, or Asian. These populations are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases, leading to the need for a transplant.   In 2023, Latinos received 8,540 of the over 46,000 transplants performed, including 580 hearts, according to the American Heart Association.   Despite the number of transplants performed and Latinos on the waiting list, organ donation remains low in the Latino community.  Latino Organ ...

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Free Virtual Program Aims to Teach a Patient-Centered Approach to Research



In recent years, researchers have made a larger effort to tap into previously underrepresented communities, such as communities of color, to create more inclusive research that benefits everyone.  But many people still have deep-rooted mistrust of research.  And not all researchers who work with these communities end up bringing the benefits of their research back to boost the health of those communities.   The PATIENTS Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is attempting to rewrite the narrative and give researchers, patients, caregivers, and others the tools to provide a continuous patient-centered approach to research.   The PATIENTS Professors Academy is a free, virtual training course centered around improving health equity and the health outcomes ...

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5 Big Accomplishments for the All of Us Research Program



For the last several years, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program has endeavored to collect the health data of over 1 million Americans to ensure healthcare works for all of us.  Are they close to 1 million participants?  How has it helped boost research?  Let’s look at five notable milestones the program has reached in its mission to build a health data network that looks like all of us.  1. Increasing the Diversity of Research Participation With help from local community partnerships, including UT Health San Antonio, across the country, over 790,000 people nationwide have decided to join the program’s expansive and inclusive research network, the program announced in a recent news release.  In addition, over 540,000 ...

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