Texas school districts are suspending young students at alarming and disproportionate rates, according to a new report by Texans Care for Children. The report identified 64,773 in-school suspensions and 36,475 out-of-school suspensions of pre-K through second-grade students in Texas in 2015-2016. Students who are black, male, or in special education or foster care were disproportionately suspended. Taking preschoolers out of class denies them valuable learning time and spurs negative thoughts about school and how they fit in. Suspended students are more likely to have poor grades, continue misbehaving, and drop out of school, which harms lifelong mental and physical health. Latino kids especially risk not getting the social support they need for healthy development and disease ...
You have spoken up big-time for healthy physical activity! In fact, Salud America! network members provided 73% (203) of the 278 public comments made during the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' comment period to help shape the next edition of its Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Public comments will be considered alongside a new report released by the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. The guidelines haven’t been updated since 2008. "Salud America! members' big participation in the public comment period will likely play an important role in ensuring the equity in the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! and leader of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health ...
Capri Sun or 100% juice. Milk or flavored milk. The drink you put in your child's lunch can make or break a healthy lunch. In fact, drink choice is linked to the overall dietary quality of the food packed in lunches by parents for their preschoolers (ages 3-5), according to a new study led by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut. What does this mean for Latino preschoolers and the health of their lunches?
Latino Kids and Sugary Drinks
Latino infants are twice as likely to be fed sugary drinks than their non-Latino peers. They are also more likely to have had a sugary drink by age 2 (74%) than their white peers (45%), according to a Salud America! research review. Ads that push sugary drinks are a problem. Latino preschoolers saw 23% ...
Latinos are sorely underrepresented in clinical research and the healthcare workforce, said a minority health leader. Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, called this issue a "crisis" during the recent National Hispanic Medical Association conference in March 2018, Medpage Today reports. He also covered these issues at UT Health San Antonio's Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos in February 2018.
Latinos & Clinical Research
Latinos face many health disparities in cancer. They tend to have low access to healthy food, physical activity, and social support services, according to Salud America! research. Yet they don't often join clinical trials, Perez-Stable said. "There hasn't been a single [prostate] ...
In this webinar, Salud Hero Kymberly Lacrosse who works with Latino youth to help bring healthy changes to their community shared her personal story as well as experiences working with Jóvenes SANOS. If you missed the webinar be sure to see check it out here. Every child, teen, or young adult, needs someone they can count on to guide them in the right direction. For many, mentorship and opportunities for leadership can go a long way, even changing one's life course trajectory. Despite the great importance of these opportunities many Latino youth lack mentorship and report a feeling of "disconnectedness." Nearly 15% of Latino youth are reported to be disconnected from opportunities, leading to less education, unemployment, and increased rates of childhood poverty, ...
Most early childcare providers deal with children who have experienced or will experience neglect, poverty, or other traumatic events that can harm long-term health. But not all providers know how to best help these children. Fortunately, a new report from Child Trends and the National Center for Children in Poverty, is giving childcare providers guidance in dealing with children of trauma.
How Early Childhood Trauma Affects Kids
Trauma is a sad fact of life for many children. Whether its child abuse or witnessing domestic violence, trauma can impair a child's body and brain development. It also can hinder learning and the ability to develop healthy relationships across the lifespan. Latino kids exposed to many traumatic events are at higher risk for obesity, asthma, heart ...
Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training has been named a "Program to Watch" in a new report by Excelencia in Education. Éxito!, led by Salud America! director Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio, recruits 25 Latino students and health professionals annually for a culturally tailored curriculum to promote pursuit of a doctoral degree and cancer research career. Excelencia, which promotes Latinos in higher education, created its "Programs to Watch" report to highlight innovative or up-and-coming programs. The report features Éxito! and 18 other programs from multiple states. The report lauded Éxito! for its cultural competency, service to Latino students, concrete metrics, and elements of a strong story. "Excelencia hopes that by bringing ...
Leah Carrillo knows the value of hard work, thanks to diligent parents and plenty of sweat and tears on her family ranch in Leakey, Texas. Carrillo is working hard today to prevent disease in San Antonio. Currently a master’s-degree student at UT San Antonio, Carrillo already is actively supporting research projects to prevent cancer, obesity, and manage diabetes. She wants to continue working hard to increase the health of her community by translating her growing knowledge and skills into effective, accessible health programs. To further her training and education, Carrillo applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. The program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio with support from the National Cancer Institute, recruits 25 ...
Discrimination. Micro-aggressions. Going back to college with kids. With a mother who overcame these hurdles as an immigrant to the U.S. from Honduras, Alejandra Mendez learned resilience. Now Mendez always looks for opportunities for success, rather than possible barriers. Her optimism has enabled her to help people similar to her mother, conducting research on the impact of racial discrimination, and volunteering to help uninsured clinic patients. Mendez recently earned her master’s degree in public health in health behavior and health education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Under the guidance of her preceptor, Mendez conducted research on how racial discrimination affects health throughout the life course and adverse birth outcomes. Prior to her ...
