The HPV vaccine can prevent certain cancer types. Watch a new video by Dr. Eduardo Azziz of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to find out why it's important for Latinos to get the ...
Read MoreOnly 58% of Latinas in South Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley start the three-dose HPV vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer, compared to 65% across the U.S., studies show. That's why researchers are testing strategies to improve HPV vaccination rates. The Immunization Partnership recently brought together several experts for a community forum to offer some of the latest solutions. For example, one study is using promotoras (trained community health workers in the Latina community) and student peer educators to engage mothers and daughters in South Texas about the HPV vaccine. This project is directed by Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Watch this video for ...
Read MoreTo 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 ...
Read MoreCervical cancer is most frequently diagnosed in Latinas, and black women tend to have lower 5-year survival rates and die more often than any other race, according to a news report in the Chicago Defender. However, the disease is preventable. Here are six ways the article lists to reduce your cervical cancer risk: 1. Get a regular Pap smear. 2. Follow up on abnormal Pap smears. 3. If you are sexually active, use a condom. 4. Limit the amount of sexual partners you have. 5. Quit smoking or avoid secondhand smoke. 6. Get the HPV vaccine. Regarding the HPV vaccine, according to the article: "Two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, have been approved for use in girls and young women to help prevent cervical cancer. Gardasil immunizes against certain strains of HPV which cause 70% of cervical ...
Read MoreThe HPV vaccine cut the rate of infections of strains of the human papillomavirus, which causes nearly all cervical cancers, by 56% in teens and young adults, according to a new study in the Journal of Infectious Disease, NBC Latino reports. The finding has special relevance for Latinas, who have the highest rates of HPV-associated cervical cancer. Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, told NBC Latino that the study was "good news" but that work continues to be needed to promote the vaccine and its three-dose series to prevent cervical cancer among Latinos. She said only 40% of girls in the predominantly Latino region of South Texas receive the vaccine, falling far short of the federal ...
Read MoreCervical cancer is the most preventable of all female cancers. However, Hispanic women have the highest rates of cervical cancer in the United States. Of every 100,000 U.S. women, about 11 Hispanic women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, compared to only seven non-Hispanic women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The good news is that cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination. CDC recommends girls and boys receive the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12, which can help prevent cervical and other cancers in men and women caused by HPV, a virus so common that nearly every person who is sexually active will be infected with HPV in their lifetime. CDC also recommends adult women see their doctor regularly for a Pap test and any necessary follow-up ...
Read MoreFind the latest in Latino health—from fighting Latina cervical cancer to innovative ways to tackle Latino childhood obesity—in the new E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The IHPR E-newsletter has these stories: Story and Video: Preventing Cervical Cancer in South Texas (Pg 1) Story: How an “Exercise Avoider” Became an “Exercise Promoter” (Pg 2) Story: The Importance of Latino Biospecimens (Pg 2) Story: 20 Studies Tackle Latino Childhood Obesity (Pg 3) Story: Who is Promotora of the Year? (Pg 4) Videos: “Feeding Minds” Series Addresses Hunger, Obesity in Texas (Pg 6) The E-newsletter is jam-packed with even more info on the latest local and national health ...
Read MoreDr. Deborah Parra-Medina, a professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is promoting the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in South Texas. Her project, Entre Madre e Hija, trains peer educators to provide outreach and education about HPV—the virus that causes cervical cancer—and navigation support to both mothers and daughters (ages 11-17) who decide to receive the HPV vaccine. The peer educators have reached more than 1,800 women so far. “Our outreach efforts have been very successful,” Dr. Parra-Medina said. “We have found many young girls that have initiated the vaccine but have not completed the three-dose series. As a result, our efforts now include a focus on increasing compliance with the 3 dose ...
Read MoreTwo University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio researchers today were awarded a total of $4.7 million by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). These awards for cancer prevention, along with $2.9 million to University Health System, make San Antonio the largest recipient of funds in this CPRIT funding cycle—28% the $26.3 million awarded. Dr. Cynthia Mojica, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center, will use a $2 million award to partner with federally qualified health center CentroMed and community organizations to offer breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening to San Antonio residents otherwise unable to afford them. “This grant allows us to ...
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