Those who sign up for the text4baby service, which sends bilingual health tips to mothers and expectant mothers, from Sept. 1-30, 2012, will be entered to win a year's supply of baby products. The contest coincides with National Infant Mortality Awareness Month in September and aims to demonstrate the importance of women’s health and connect more mothers to health information. Text4baby, which is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, is a free mobile service that sends critical health information to expectant and new moms timed to their pregnancy or baby’s development. Messages were developed by government and non-profit health experts like the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and cover nutrition, immunization, and birth ...
Spanish-speaking Latinos, have you been affected by cancer? If so, you're invited to take a new survey about how to improve cancer-related services from LIVESTRONG. LIVESTRONG, which is currently reaching out to Latinos to offer information about the Spanish services available to those being affected by cancer, hopes survey respondents will identify what additional or future actions need to be taken to improve the cancer community. Find out more information in Spanish or take the survey ...
Latinas are less physically active than Latino men and are less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than other population groups. This inactivity may lead to obesity and associated conditions like diabetes and heart disease. To improve Latinas’ health, a new five-year, $3.48 million study will use promotoras—trained community health workers—to lead culturally appropriate group education and exercise sessions for Latinas in community centers in South Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley, says study leader Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) in the School of Medicine of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Participants also will get newsletters and telephone counseling. The effort, ...
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced that it is investing $9.5 million in new funding for its Forward Promise initiative, aimed at improving the health and success of young men of color. The centerpiece of the announcement is a new call for proposals that seeks innovative, community-based projects working to strengthen health, education, and employment outcomes for middle school- and high school-aged boys and young men of color. “To build a strong and prosperous future for our nation, it is critical that we expand opportunities for boys and young men of color to grow up healthy, get a good ...
Increased medical costs, gasoline, diet products, plus-size clothing—it isn't cheap to be obese, according to a new infographic by Top-Nursing-Programs.com, via ...
U.S. adults rate "not enough exercise" at the top of the list of top health problems for children in their communities, according to the sixth annual survey of top health concerns conducted by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Other top overall health concerns include childhood obesity, smoking, drug abuse and bullying. Hispanic adults were more likely to rate childhood obesity first, followed by "not enough exercise." Hispanics also rated drug abuse higher than smoking and tobacco use. Hispanic and black adults both identified sexually transmitted infections as a greater concern for kids in their communities than did white adults. Despite these differences, Hispanic, black and white adults agreed that "not enough ...
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. SaludToday Guest Blogger: Dr. Jennifer Harris
Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity Obesity continues to hit the Latino community the hardest. About 39% of Hispanic adults are overweight compared with 33% of non-Hispanic whites. As obesity increases, so does the risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and congestive heart failure. Food marketers see the Latino community as an important target because it is a large, young and growing segment that is sure to yield lots of future sales. The barrage of food marketing to Latinos—particularly when the pitch is for unhealthy cereals, fast foods and sugary ...
Spending your free time plopped in front of the TV or computer? New research shows you may be able to lower your chances of heart disease by using just a small amount of that free time on simple physical activity such as brisk walking, riding a bike or even gardening or housework, according to a new video from the American Heart Association (AHA). The research found that middle-aged adults who were more active in their leisure time had lower levels of internal indicators of inflammation of the arteries. People with less inflammation tend to have lower risk of heart disease. Almost half of study participants met the AHA's recommendations for cardiovascular health (two-and-a-half hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week). However, this rose to 83% later in the study as ...
As the percentage of Latinos among U.S. children ages 18 or younger surges (rising from 17% in 1998 to 22% today to a projected 30% by 2025), Mexican-American children ages 2-19 have strikingly higher obesity rates than their white counterparts. Evidence-based, culturally adapted approaches are critically needed to spur policy changes and reverse the obesity epidemic among Latino children. In response, Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children has developed an online network of nearly 2,000 Latino childhood obesity researchers, academics, community leaders, etc. The network is led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The ...
