Four new Spanish-language sets of research briefs, animated videos, and infographics explore causes of and solutions to Latino childhood obesity, as researched by Salud America!, a national prevention network at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Spanish materials, released in English earlier in 2016, address critical reasons why Latino children are more obese or overweight than their peers. The materials also feature evidence-based tactics working to reverse the epidemic.
Healthy Weight / Peso Saludable
One of four U.S. kids is already overweight or obese by age 2-5, with a higher rate among Latino kids (30%) than white kids (21%). How can Latino kids achieve a healthy weight by kindergarten? Reseña Tematica ...
Stomach cancer, once the nation’s top cancer killer, is now only 14th in U.S. cancer deaths. So you can relax, right? Well, among Latinos, stomach cancer rates are 73% higher in men and 50% higher in women compared to non-Latinos, and the decline in deaths from stomach cancer isn’t dropping as fast Latinos as it is for non-Latinos, according to the American Cancer Society. For Stomach Cancer Awareness Month starting in November, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, to tweet about the causes of and solutions to prevent and reduce this type of cancer among Latinos. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Giving Latinos No Stomach for Cancer”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: ...
Latino kids are more likely to start smoking and develop a daily habit than other kids, according to a new study, Reuters reports. The study, led by Sherine El-Toukhy of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, examined "smoking susceptibility," which precedes smoking behavior, of almost 144,000 non-smoking youth ages 9-21 from 1999 to 2014. Overall, the amount of smoking susceptibility rose from 21% to 23% over those 15 years. But smoking susceptibility varied by race/ethnicity: For Latino kids, it rose from 22% to 28%.
For white kids, it held steady at about 21%.
For black kids, it dropped from 21% to 17% in 2003, but rose back to 20% in 2014. Latino kids overall appeared to be as much as 67% more susceptible to smoking than white kids, ...
The next Open Enrollment cycle for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is about to get under way and millions of Americans are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase healthcare coverage through the Marketplace. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell anticipates 13.8 million people will be signing up for coverage before the end of Open Enrollment. “We’re confident that millions of Americans will choose to enroll when they learn that quality, affordable health insurance is within reach,” Burwell said in a press release. “We believe 13.8 million sign-ups during the upcoming Open Enrollment will help keep driving down the national uninsured rate, which is already the lowest in our nation’s history.” Since its inception, the ACA ...
What happens in a state where half of people are Latino, but only 5% of doctors are? It means not enough doctors with the cultural competency and understanding of the Latino community to adequately serve them—like in California right now. That is why the Latino Physicians of California professional group and others are urging increased representation of Latinos in the medical field, according to California Healthline. Complicating matters is that, in California: Latinos represent only 8% of nurses;
Latino represent only 4% of pharmacists;
More than one-third of current doctors are expected to retire within 10 years; and
Latinos make up a small percentage of graduating medical students. “If we are going to properly serve our current and future patient base, we ...
The human gut is a complex environment called a "microbiome." It is home to billions of bacteria and other microbes that help digest food. Research now shows that the gut might play a role in development of type 2 diabetes, which afflicts Latinos at a 66% higher rate than Whites. Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have received a five-year, nearly $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study if altering the gut microbiomes of Latinos can impact the treatment and prevention of diabetes, Yahoo! News reports. The human gut microbiome represents a promising target for dietary changes and treatments aimed at combating type 2 diabetes—particularly in the Latino Latino population that disproportionately develops the disease, said Dr. Robert ...
When it comes to smoking, there's good and bad news for Latinos. The good: Researchers have long known that Latinos adults overall are less likely to smoke cigarettes than their white or black peers. The bad: New data now shows that one particular group of U.S. Latinos is more likely than all others to smoke. Nearly 29% of Puerto Ricans smoke cigarettes compared to 20% of Cuban Americans and 19% of Mexican Americans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Heart Association reports. In Puerto Rico, smoking rates are much lower than in the U.S. Only 11% of all Puerto Ricans on the island smoke. Of the 5.4 million Puerto Ricans living stateside, many live in poor-quality housing and have low-income jobs. “Financial and ...
Latinos deserve to live in a culture of health. That's why SaludToday, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, works hard to promote Latino health awareness, stories, and solutions. Today we're excited to be nominated as Best Health Advocate Reaching Latino(a)s through Through Social Media by LATISM (Latinos in Social Media). LATISM is a nonprofit that empowers Latinos through tech innovation and social media. SaludToday is nominated with two great organizations (@MinorityHealth and @CuidadodeSalud). We will present our work at #LATISM16 on Oct. 20, 2016, in Florida. Vote for us here! “We believe SaludToday is helping to influence individual and collective health knowledge, improve attitudes and promote healthy behaviors and a culture of health, which may ultimately lead to ...
Mental health inequities are a key problem that many Latinos face in their overall health care. In California (38.18% Latino population), steps have been taken to help alleviate some of these problems with the passing of a new law that will take effect on January 1, 2017. In past years, many health centers in rural parts of the state were unable to bill Medi-Cal, the government health program for low-income Californians, for services; the new law reverses that decision. Without proper treatment, mental health conditions can worsen and make day-to-day life hard. Latinos are less likely to seek mental health treatment. A 2001 Surgeon General’s report found that only 20% of Latinos with symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns. Only 10% contact a mental ...
