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. On May 5, 2012, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) will team up to provide Hispanic media with an in-depth look at a health care issue that’s key to the Latino community. The panel discussion, “Reflection in the Mirror: Latino leaders inspire young Hispanics to see themselves in the health and health care field,” will address the importance of diversifying this country’s health and health care fields. Prominent Latinos will detail their respective journeys and the importance of having health professionals reflect the communities in which they ...
Community recreation centers that develop culturally tailored programs that invite Latino families inside can increase sustained use of the center for physical activity in this population at heightened risk for childhood obesity, according to a new study in Childhood Obesity. Living near community recreation centers (CRC) is associated with increases in adolescent and adult physical activity. However, the efficacy of efforts to increase use among Latino parents and children is unknown. So researchers, led by Dr. Shari Barkin, a Vanderbilt University researcher and grantee of Salud America!, compared 66 Latino parent–child pairs who had participated in a culturally tailored healthy lifestyle program at a community recreation center and completed a 12-month follow-up ...
The American Heart Association (AHA) has introduced a fresh, new look to its nationally recognized nutrition icon—the Heart-Check mark. More types of food can now be certified as heart-healthy, including fish and nuts, to help meet the AHA's goal of dramatically improving the nation's cardiovascular health. All shoppers need to do at the grocery store is look for the familiar Heart-Check mark to find foods that make the heart-healthy grade. “With these enhancements, the Heart-Check program will help consumers easily identify and choose even more heart-healthy foods for themselves and their families,” said Dr. Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and the vice chair of the American Heart Association nutrition committee. Foods such as salmon ...
Do encouraging, personalized messages, received on a regular basis, inspire women to exercise after they’ve been treated for breast cancer? To find out, the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio is enrolling Hispanic survivors of breast cancer for a 16-week clinical research exercise study conducted in South Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley to address this topic. Changed thinking that leads to self-confidence leads to changed behavior—that’s the idea behind the study. The study requires two visits to the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio's Regional Academic Health Center campus in Harlingen to answer questionnaires, do a complete physical fitness assessment and develop each woman’s individualized comprehensive ...
How do: Researchers contribute to policy changes for healthier cities? (Pg 1)
Hunger and obesity become the focus of a TV series? (Pg 3)
Latino tiendas differ in healthy food options? (Pg 4) Find the answers and more in the new Salud America! E-Newsletter. Also check out much more news, research and funding inside the E-newsletter, and discover the preliminary research results of a quartet of Salud America! grantees working in Latino after-school programs, community recreational centers and more. Salud America!, which is dedicated to preventing Latino childhood obesity, is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and is headquartered at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind ...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the report on selected nutrient intake and chronic health conditions among Mexican-American adults. The report, Trends in Nutrient Intakes and Chronic Health Conditions Among Mexican-American Adults, a 25-year Profile: United States, 1982–2006, in this time span, the percent kilocalories from total fat, saturated fat, and protein intake among Mexican-American adults decreased, while carbohydrate and mean total energy intake increased. During this same time period, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes among Mexican-American adults increased and the prevalence of high blood pressure remained stable. The overall prevalence of high total serum cholesterol among this group did not differ significantly from ...
LIVESTRONG has published the case study behind its successful Latino outreach campaign that seeks to close the gap in health disparities for Hispanics diagnosed with cancer. The case study on the campaign, Navigating the Cancer Experience: Reviewing the Impact of LIVESTRONG's Navigation Services, indicates that in 2010 more than 25,000 Latinos were served through LIVESTRONG's direct support, print or online resources at LIVESTRONGEspanol.org. Also, the number of Latino survivors accessing LIVESTRONG’s free, confidential navigation services increased by 40%. The campaign also received an honorable mention for Multicultural Marketing Campaign of the Year at the recent PRWeek Awards. "LIVESTRONG is honored to be recognized by PRWeek for our work on behalf of vulnerable and ...
Throughout the country, people are coming together with a shared vision, strong leadership, and commitment to making needed and lasting changes that broadly improve community vitality. This is happening in large urban settings and small rural ones; it's happening in places with tremendous resources and in places with few resources to draw from; it's happening in places with relatively few health challenges and in places where the challenges are many and daunting. One place is San Bernardino, Calif. In 2006, officials launched the San Bernardino Healthy Community Initiative. Since then, 17 of the county's 24 cities have launched their own healthy city initiatives, including features such as Safe Routes to School, community gardens, shared resources and more. Watch more about ...
More than 3,000 U.S. counties and the District of Columbia can compare how healthy their residents are and how long they live with the new 2012 County Health Rankings. The rankings, by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), are an annual check-up that highlights the healthiest and least healthy counties in every state, as well as those factors that influence health, outside of the doctor’s office. The rankings highlight the importance of critical factors such as education rates, income levels, and access to healthy foods, as well as access to medical care, in influencing how long and how well people live. Find the full rankings here. Find the county health calculator here. Healthier counties (those where people ...
