UT Health Science Center at San Antonio researcher Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez "has impacted the health and lives of thousands of South Texans" through her 30 years of health education, promotion and research in and with Latino communities, according to a health/prevention profile article in the San Antonio Business Journal. Dr. Ramirez currently targets Latino health issues as director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the Health Science Center. The IHPR is the research team behind national research networks on Latino cancer (Redes En Acción) and Latino child obesity (Salud America!). Dr. Ramirez, in the article, says prevention is the key to improving health:
“We’re not just doing research for the purpose of doing research,” says Ramirez. “We are doing ...
This summer, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) is focusing attention on the topic of cancer health disparities. The NCI works to reduce the unequal burden of cancer incidence and mortality in our society by supporting research to identify and understand the factors that contribute to disparities. NCI also funds studies to develop and disseminate culturally appropriate interventions. Go here for details on disparities and related research, support, statistics, training opportunities and ...
A community health worker (CHW) helps patients—in San Antonio, that typically means Latino patients—navigate the complex world of cancer care, according to a San Antonio Express-News article about CHWs.
The article focuses on Guadalupe Cornejo, a CHW at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Cornejo is partialy supported through the IHPR's Latino cancer research network, Redes En Acción, via a partnership with LIVESTRONG. Cornejo's job includes answering questions, helping patients make appointments and apply for services and, when necessary, acting as a liaison between patients and the medical system.
“Research has shown that this population is more likely to fall through the cracks when it ...
Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Twelve states now have obesity rates above 30% (vs. only one four years ago). Racial/ethnic minorities continue to have the highest overall obesity rates: Latino adult obesity rates topped 35% in four states (Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas) and at least 30% in 23 states.
Black adult obesity rates topped 40% in 15 states, 35% in 35 states, and 30% in 42 states and D.C.
Meanwhile, white adult obesity rates topped 30% in just four states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and no ...
Watch this video to see an exciting public health model that has great potential in the effort to curb childhood obesity and reduce the disparities that exist between poor children and the general population. The Campaign for Healthy Kids video spotlights the Tennessee Coordinated School Health program, a public health model developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide a platform for improving health policies and practices in schools and communities. The program’s coordinator works in schools to ensure they meet best practices for nutrition and physical activity, such as reducing junk food sold in K-12 schools. In the video, see examples of two schools with Coordinated School Health programs—one that is large and relatively affluent and the other, which ...
Watch a new video that features teachers, principals and staff members talking about the Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) program in Abilene, Texas. Here's a little about the program from the Texas Hunger Initiative Blog:
BIC aims to take breakfast from school cafeterias and serve it in classrooms to ensure that every student starts the school day with a healthy meal. Many students often miss out on breakfast because they arrive at school late or are afraid of the social stigma that accompanies eating breakfast in the school cafeteria. According to the most recent data, only 56% of eligible Texas students participate in the free breakfast program. Here's the ...
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: Nancy Barrand Many children don’t get the recommended daily allowance of play they need to stay healthy. School recess is the number one opportunity to make sure kids are physically active. Playworks, a program that protects and promotes recess and physical activity throughout the school day, supplies trained, full-time staff to more than 100,000 students every day. These “recess rock stars,” as the organization calls them, teach new and classic games at low-income urban schools in 20 cities around the country, including Latino communities in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, N.M., Houston and ...
Hispanic and Latino youth face unique issues when it comes to the obesity epidemic. Among the concerns is that food and beverage companies appear to aggressively market to Hispanic youth. Examples include a recent report that many fast-food companies target Hispanic kids via Spanish-language TV and radio, and companies like McDonald's "meencanta.com" website use Internet gaming to target Hispanics. That’s why PreventObesity.net is partnering with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to offer a webinar look at this trend, specifically studying how proposed food marketing principles recently unveiled by the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies could affect Hispanic youth. The free ...
A new TV spot from SABalance.com, the City of San Antonio's initiative to encourage healthy lifestyles, urges residents to "Find Your Balance" and develop good eating and exercise habits. The bilingual spot prominently features active Latinos and beautiful San Antonio cityscapes. Watch in English here or below: Watch in Spanish here or ...
