What Do Latinos Think about Preventative Care?


Doctor examining woman's neck with mole or birthmark using magnifying glass

Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death in Latinos.   Long-standing mistreatment of vulnerable populations have led to a higher exposure to risk factors for cancer, such as obesity, diabetes, and stress.  These risk factors are compounded by the non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) such as access to healthy foods, transportation, and health insurance that many Latinos face, making it difficult to seek healthcare, culminating in worse health outcomes.   Another big factor is driving worse health for Latinos – a lack of preventative care.   64% of Latinos skipped recommended health screenings, such as colonoscopies, pap smears, mammograms, and more, according to a news release about the second annual Wellness Matters Survey published by Aflac.  Let’s ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 12/6: Food Marketing Companies Add More to Black and Latinos’ Plates



Despite overall declines in ad spending and TV ad exposure since 2017, high-calorie, low-nutrient products, including candy, sugary drinks, snacks, and fast food, continue to be disproportionately advertised to Black and Latino consumers. US food companies are responsible for this ethnically targeted marketing, which worsens disparities in diet-related diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, to discuss the implications of ethnically targeted food and beverage marketing and how to hold companies accountable. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Food Marketing Companies Add More to Black and Latinos’ Plates TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues ...

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Young Latinos Have Higher Chance of Dying from Cancer than Whites, Study Finds



If you’re Latino between the ages of 15-29, then you're 75% more likely than whites to die of cancer, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Cancer Center, LatinPost reports. “This is a population that shouldn't be getting cancer and it's devastating when they do. Knowing that a disparity exists allows us to ask questions that can help ensure everyone receives the best possible care,” said study author Meryl Colton, a medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. What are the roots of this disparity? According to Colton, this disparity could be attributed to three factors: “disadvantages of the patient's socioeconomic level, the possibility that for genetic reasons a cancer might pose a greater danger for certain populations, and the ...

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Latino Health Disparities: Improving, But More Needs to be Done



The latest annual report on the nation’s health by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows Latinos are living longer than whites and blacks and health disparities are narrowing. Despite the latest improvements in health disparities, Latinos still have the highest incidence of high blood pressure and childhood obesity, The American Heart Association News (AHA) reports. “High blood pressure remains much more common among black Americans, and Hispanic children and teens are still more likely to be obese than their black, white and Asian counterparts.,” AHA said in a written statement. The CDC’s annual health report is a “snapshot” of the nation’s health “highlighting recent successes and challenges in fighting critical health problems in the United ...

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