The USDA is proposing stronger nutrition standards for school meals to give kids the right balance of nutrients for healthy and appealing meals. The new plan for stronger nutrition standards for school meals includes incrementally reducing sodium, a limit on added sugars (for the first time), and emphasizing whole grain products, while continuing to serve fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. USDA wants your feedback on its proposed changes. May 2023 Update: 438 Salud America! members submitted a model comment and were among over 74,000 people overall to comment on USDA’s proposed school meal nutrition changes. The model comment was created by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio in partnership with UnidosUS! After a one-month time extension, the USDA closed the public ...
Did you know that our health is influenced by many non-medical factors? That’s right. The conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age – known as non-medical drivers of health – can greatly help or harm our health. As a result, more healthcare facilities are screening patients for non-medical drivers of health through written questionnaires or verbal questions. Screenings can cover a variety of topics, such as mental and financial health and access to healthy food, transportation, and affordable medication. Non-medical drivers of health screenings can help medical providers better understand and address patients’ social needs, which can be beneficial for overlooked patients who face health differences, such as Latinos. If patients screen positive for ...
As the US Latino population continues to grow, so does the number of Latinas. Today, the Latina population has grown at a faster rate than Latino men, with 24% of Latinas making up the total population (compared to a 22% growth for Latino men). With this increase also comes more Latinas in higher education. Latinas have experienced a 52% rise in college degree attainment at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) from 2015 to 2020, according to a new report from Excelencia in Education. In 2020, Latinas earned over 300,000 degrees at HSIs (growth of 52%) compared to 188,000 degrees earned by Latino men at HSIs (growth of 44%). Let’s dive into the growth and numbers of Latinas in higher education.
Latina College Enrollment & HSIs
As of Fall 2020, almost half (48%) of ...
When people donate biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s. So why don't some people donate? Find the answers at UT Health San Antonio's Zoom webinar — “Importance of Biospecimens” — at 10 a.m. CT on April 5, 2023. The webinar features experts from UT Health San Antonio, Genentech, and leaders and participants in the All of Us Research Program discussing how to increase biospecimen donation and point to donation opportunities. This is a part of a webinar of a series, "Let's Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San ...
Latinos face a variety of inequities that contribute to poor health, including disproportionate rates of police brutality, housing instability, and financial hardship. These inequities are rooted in racially biased systems and structures that foster the unequal treatment of Latinos and other people of color. News institutions play a powerful role in shaping conversations around racial/ethnic equity, but a new study by the Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) in collaboration with UnidosUS shows that Latinos are underrepresented in news coverage on this topic. Let’s explore the implications of Latinos being underrepresented in racial/ethnic equity news, and how to best showcase the contributions, challenges, and needs of Latinos among policymakers, racial equity advocates, and ...
Water is used a lot in healthcare, and in a lot of different ways. For example, water is used in sinks, faucets, ice machines, drains, toilets, and therapy pools. While water is needed in healthcare settings, certain germs, especially some bacteria, can grow on wet surfaces. If you get harmful germs from water and wet surfaces on your hands, they can spread to other surfaces, devices, and people that you touch. These germs can cause illness in some people, like in patients with weakened immune systems. Additionally, if medical instruments and equipment, like devices or central lines, get wet, they can start growing bacteria. That bacteria can then get into a patient’s blood, or other parts of their body, and make them sick.
Why Do Germs Grow on Wet Surfaces?
Although tap ...
Nutritious food is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle for children. However, a February 2023 CDC report shows that many children ages 1-5 are not eating fruits and vegetables daily and are regularly drinking sugary beverages. “In 20 states, more than one half of children did not eat a vegetable daily during the preceding week. In 40 states and the District of Columbia, more than one half of children drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once during the preceding week,” according to the CDC. Let’s dive deeper and find out the state of diets among Latinos and all children, the role of healthy food access, and how we can create healthier food environments for children.
The State of Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
The new CDC report paints a grim ...
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of paid sick leave (PSL) policies in the workforce. Unfortunately, 21% of America’s working population still does not have access to PSL three years after the initial COVID-19 outbreak, according to Change Lab Solutions. Here’s why PSL continues to be so important, and how advocates can work toward achieving local, state, and national PSL policies that promote the health of Latinos and all people.
What Does Paid Sick Leave Look Like in America?
Shockingly, the US is one of only three high-income countries in the world without any form of national paid sick leave, according to Change Lab Solutions. The need for PSL for all Americans is stronger than ever, especially as government leaders end various pandemic-era public ...
A nutritious diet is essential for good health. But many overlooked populations, such as Latinos, struggle to access and afford healthy food. To help, we need to know where to start. Fortunately, a new tool, the Food [Fairness] Opportunity Map, highlights healthy food access issues across the country to show where improving access would make the greatest impact. “Together, we can build community health through improving food [fairness], but only if we first understand where that work is most needed. That’s why we launched the Food [Fairness] Opportunity Map,” according to the creators of the map, Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), a national nonprofit organization focused on health fairness, and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Mapping Food Fairness and ...
