Nine U.S. states had adult obesity rates above 35% in 2018, up from seven states at that level in 2017, an historic level of obesity in the U.S., according to the new State of Obesity report by Trust for America's Health. In 2012, no state had obesity rates over 35%. This alarming rise is even worse among Latinos. Data indicate that 47% of Latino adults and 25.8% of Latino children had obesity—the highest combined obesity rate among all racial/ethnic groups. "These latest data shout that our national obesity crisis is getting worse,” said John Auerbach of Trust for America's Health. “They tell us that almost 50 years into the upward curve of obesity rates we haven’t yet found the right mix of programs to stop the epidemic."
Alarming Rise in Obesity Rates
The State of ...
Has your doctor ever asked about faith or family? Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes and his colleagues are doing just that in a case study revolved around how medical professionals heal their patients. Their end goal? Treating people, especially those with chronic conditions, holistically. Check out Dr. Hughes and his team on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode Two, "Breaking Tradition"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on holistic health among Latino and all patients and providers
GUESTS: Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio; Dr. Alexis Ortiz, Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy UT Health San Antonio; Corina Zamora, Project Coordinator at IHPR at UT Health San Antonio; and Angelika Aguilar, ...
Latinos and blacks are more likely to be taken by ambulance to safety-net hospital emergency rooms, and not always the closest hospital, according to a new study. National guidelines require EMS transportation to the nearest suitable hospital. However, the study, led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, found large racial/ethnic differences for where emergency patients are taken. Latinos and blacks were more likely than whites to be taken to a safety-net hospital—one with a legal obligation or mission to give health care regardless of insurance status. This suggests "ambulance diversion" bias, where ambulances don't take certain patients to the nearest suitable hospital. "The cause for this observed pattern is unknown and needs to be further studied to ...
By Jennifer Thomas
San Antonio, Texas, Cancer Survivor I had just turned 39 when I reached over my shoulder to turn off a lamp, and in so doing, felt a funny “spot” on my breast. Having no history of cancer in my family, I can’t say that was my first thought. But since it WAS October—Breast Cancer Awareness Month—I did call my husband into the living room to see if he felt it as well. This was late January of 2006. Despite being told by everyone the spot was “probably nothing,” I got it checked out and was diagnosed with Stage 1 IDC, fast-growing (grade 3) by the first week of February. I don’t remember getting a second opinion, doing any research, or even asking what my options were. I just know that a week after being diagnosed, I was in surgery ...
When the Obama administration passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, one of its main goals was to expand healthcare insurance access, especially to uninsured, mid- to low-income Americans — a classification in which many Latinos find themselves. Since that time, the ACA provided millions of Americans with health insurance coverage, primarily through an expansion of Medicaid eligibility and subsidies for private coverage purchased through the legislation’s marketplaces. The ACA has expanded and improved coverage options for people without access to a job-based health plan, the law mostly left the employer market alone. "All racial groups have experienced substantial increases in their health insurance coverage," Algernon Austin, with the Center for Global Policy Solutions ...
A culture of health is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Is your community creating a Culture of Health? If so, apply for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize! The contest provides $25,000 to communities that unite neighborhood, school, and business partners to improve health for all residents.
Read about 2018 Winners
In 2018, two majority-Latino communities earned two of the four prize winners. RWJF chose San Antonio, Texas (63.6% Latino) and Cicero, Ill. (88.8% Latino) from about 200 applicants. Eatonville, Fla., and Klamath County, Ore., also won. Salud America!, our national network to promote Latino health equity and healthy change led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, is excited to be stationed at UT Health ...
By Cynthia Delgado
San Antonio, Texas, Cancer Survivor At age 43, I was living a life that consisted of routine exercise, healthy eating, and at the weight I had always wanted to be. I had been seeing a breast surgeon routinely every 3 months for at least 1-and-a-half years because I had fibrocystic breast. Mammograms were a part of my life since my early 20s because I always had lumps, i.e., cysts. The older I got, the more cysts would develop. They would grow very big and would be excruciating painful for a minimum of 10 minutes. Because I started getting anywhere from 5-10 cysts on each side, my OBGYN referred me to a specialist. It became routine for the specialist to aspirate them every 3 months, and they would pop up in different places. On May 15, 2015, I went for my ...
Early experiences can influence a person’s entire life. Specifically, stress due to adversity, poor nutrition, and exposure to environmental toxins can lead to biological changes, which make people more likely to experience physical and mental health problems later in life. Although individual interventions are important for addressing immediate needs, they alone will not advance health equity, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report provides science-driven recommendations to address the social, economic, environmental, and cultural determinants of health and early adversity. They say to advance health equity, decision-makers must address the systemic root causes of poor health and chronic ...
Latinas and black women may face increased risks of developing triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC), according to a study published in Cancer. These forms are often aggressive and do not respond to hormone therapy or targeted therapy. These latest findings solidify known cancer development disparities, which continue to grow amongst Latinos, other racial/ethnic minority groups, and young women.
Breast Cancer Inequities Dr. Lia Scott, of the Georgia State University School of Public Health, and her team studied all available diagnosed breast cancer cases from 2010 to 2014 using the U.S. Cancer Statistics database. It consists of a population-based surveillance system of cancer registries with numbers representing 99% of the U.S. population. "With the advent and ...
