Report: Latino Families Are Resilient, Tightly Knit, Stable



Already the largest and still-growing U.S. racial/ethnic minority, Latinos are a diverse people with distinct differences in origin, language use, and family characteristics. But what are the true Latino family dynamics? New research has confirmed what many already knew about Latino families: they are tightly-knit, resilient, and generally stable, according to a new report by the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families. The report, La Familia: Latino Families Strong and Stable, Despite Limited Resources, is among the first to give the complete “breakdown” of Latino households, examining data about mothers, fathers, and children. It indicates, after analyzing data available through 2010, that "Latino families have many of the traits children need to ...

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New Report Sheds Light on Latino Family Dynamics


Walking Physical Activity and Exercise

There are often preconceived notions in regards to Latinos and their family dynamics. Already the country’s largest racial/ethnic minority group, which is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, Latinos represent a diverse group of people with distinct differences depending on where they are from and the language they use. New research has confirmed what many already knew about Latino families: they are tightly-knit, resilient, and generally stable. The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families has recently released a new brief series entitled “La Familia: Latino Families Strong and Stable, Despite Limited Resources.” The series is one of the first ever to give the complete “breakdown” of Latino households, examining data about mothers, ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/28: Let’s Talk Eating Disorders!


latina hispanic woman mental health eating disorders

Did you know this week is National Eating Disorders Awareness week? An increasing amount of Latino and other minority populations deal with "disordered eating"—restrained, compulsive or binge eating and an associated loss of control—in different ways depending on their culture. Let’s use #SaludTues on Feb. 28, 2017, to tweet about #EatingDisorders, their impact on Latinos, and info, resources, and tips how to promote healthy eating patterns for all! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Let’s Talk #EatingDisorders” DATE/TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: @EDCoalition We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we explore: What are some signs of ...

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Researchers Create Screening Tools for Mental Health Issues for Latino Kids


Bullying bullied, sad child sitting on a window

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently identified a “culturally sensitive” set of tools that can be applied by pediatricians to help them screen Latino patients for mental health symptoms. Anxiety, depression, and aggression are some of the mental health issues that plague many Latinos and often go undiagnosed and untreated. The tools, which are freely available, and take less than 10 minutes to use are in Spanish and can help assess a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems among Latino kids. The investigators from Johns Hopkins encourage primary care pediatricians to consider utilizing four mental health screening tools: he Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC)-17-question version, the PSC-35-question version, the pictorial PSC-35, and the Strengths and ...

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Strict Immigration Policies Affect Latino Mental Health



Mental health is one of the most important issue in all of healthcare. Anxiety and depression are just two of the more common mental health issues that affect millions of people. In recent years, Latino mental health has become an issue focused on my health agencies across the country. A new study has found that certain policies may be exacerbating Latino mental health concerns American Latinos living in states with more “exclusionary” immigration policies report higher rates of “psychological distress” than those living in states with more liberal immigration laws. “Obviously, not all immigrants are Latinos, nor are all Latinos immigrants,” said a research team led by Mark Hatzenbuehler of Columbia University in the journal Social Science and Medicine. In order to ...

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Predatory Lenders Lead to Financial Hardship/Stress for Latinos



Stress is a leading cause for health concern for many Americans, including large numbers of Latinos. One of the greatest stressors plaguing Latino families has to do with finances. In an effort to alleviate financial issues, more and more people – including Latinos – are turning to payday loans, the Center for American Progress reports. According to the Pew Charitable Trust, nearly 12 million people each year turn to payday loans. These quick fix infusions of money regularly lead to the person receiving the loan going into hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars of additional debt furthering stress. According to the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Latinos are more likely than the general population to use a payday loan. In order to reduce health disparities, it is ...

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How Stress Can Hurt Healthy Eating Efforts



Can stress negate the benefits of a healthy diet? Our lifestyle can influence our health and the power of stress can hurt change our bodies in a myriad of ways. According to recent research, stress can ultra metabolism, making the body become inflamed no matter if you are eating healthy foods or unhealthy foods. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, researcher, and director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at the Ohio State University told NPR  the more healthful meal was no better in terms of its impact on inflammation. The stress that was causing the inflammation in the bodies of the women studied was not life-threatening, but more about feeling in control. Inflammation in the body over long periods of time are linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, some ...

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New Poll Shows Work Can Be Hazardous to Your Health


construction worker

A new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that many employers do not do enough to reduce the stress of their employees. Of the working adults who say they’ve experienced a great deal of stress in the past 12 months, the vast majority (85%) report that efforts to reduce stress in the workplace are fair or poor. Compared to the general population, Latinos are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as exercising and spending time with friends and family, to manage stress. Unfortunately, stress is still a major health concern for Latinos, as more than half report they are worried about stress in their daily lives. Overall, 43% of working adults reported that their job negatively affects their stress ...

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Pokemon Go and Mental Health



By now you’re most likely aware of Pokémon Go, an app that was more popular than Twitter for a time. Pokémon Go is a GPS-based augmented reality gaming app that forces players to go out and explore the outdoors in order to "catch 'em all" (Pokemon creatures). According to mental health experts, this gaming app can help individuals with depression by forcing them to go out of their home and do physical activity and interact with other individuals and friends. "The developers behind Pokémon Go didn't mean to create a mental health gaming app," psychologist John M. Grobol wrote for his site, PsychCentral. "But they've done so, and the effects seem to be largely positive." A 2018 study found that 33% of Pokémon Go players reported changes in social behavior since they ...

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