As technology has evolved, so has the way we receive, view, and disseminate information. With the invention of the smart phone and devices like tablets, access to the outside world can be done with the touch of a button. But, as convenient as it is to unlock a phone and type something into the search engine or open an app is, we can’t help but wonder what kind of effect staring at a screen for hours on end is having on our health? The average American between the ages of 16 and 64 spends over seven hours a day online, according to an article by AllConnect. This amount of time is well over the two-hour recommended screen time for adults.
Screen Time by the Numbers
65.7% of the world population is online. During the third quarter of 2023, people spent an ...
Nearly half of healthcare workers say they often feel burned out. That is why CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently launched the Impact Wellbeing Guide: Taking Action to Improve Healthcare Worker Wellbeing. “The role of healthcare workers in taking care of all of us is absolutely vital to our society, to our economy, and to our culture. But our healthcare workforce needs to feel supported, too,” said Dr. John Howard, NIOSH director, in press release. Let’s explore the guide, its six action steps, and how it can benefit Latino healthcare workers!
What is the Impact Wellbeing Guide?
NIOSH and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation designed the Impact Wellbeing Guide to help hospital leaders and executives accelerate or supplement ...
Latino and Black students have the greatest risk of withdrawing from post-secondary education programs, according to a recent survey by the Lumina-Gallup State of Higher Education.
This finding comes at a time when institutions offering bachelor’s degrees are seeing a significant drop in enrollment — a situation exacerbated by COVID-19.
Over the last decade, college enrollment has declined by 7.4%, which is the equivalent of 1.5 million students, according to Best Colleges.
The biggest decline – 900,000 students – came during the pandemic years of fall 2019 and fall 2023.
While the enrollment of students such as Latinos and Blacks has somewhat improved, they are also considered to be more likely to leave. Survey Results on College Withdrawal
In fall 2023, Gallup surveyed ...
Social media has become a part of everyday life and routine, especially for young Latinos. While social media can offer supportive communities and educational resources, it can also bring harmful impacts and habits. Nearly half of Latino parents are “extremely concerned” over the potential harmful impact that heavy social media use can have on their pre-teen children’s mental health, according to new data from the Brookings Institution. “The Latino community is particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges as a result of social media use,” according to Brookings report. Let’s dig deeper into what the data says and how it affects Latinos.
Young Latinos and Social Media
The Brookings Institution survey, led by the Omidyar Network, ...
Did you know 12.1% of men are in fair or poor health? Similarly, the average life expectancy of men in the United States is almost 5 years less than women (76.2 compared to 81). November is National Men’s Health Awareness Month, highlighting the importance of men’s physical and mental health while encouraging support for men facing prostate, testicular, and other cancers. In November (and beyond), here are some ways you can support men’s health!
Latino Men’s Health
Latino men face many health differences when it comes to physical and mental health. For example, while national suicide rates decreased, the rates went up 6% for Latino men, according to a 2022 article from Texas Public Radio. Machismo and other forms of stigma can play a large part ...
November is National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM)! NFCM is an opportunity to recognize family caregivers across the country and “raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers,” according to the Administration for Community Living. This year, Mental Health America has shared new resources for both caregivers and employers. “We know caregivers need support in balancing their personal and professional obligations, and employers need resources to better support their caregivers on staff,” according to Mental Health America. Let’s dive deeper into these educational tools and find out how they can benefit Latino and all caregivers.
Latinos and Caregiving
41.8 million Americans provided unpaid care to an ...
We know that Latinos are impacted by Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other health conditions like Parkinson’s disease. That is why it’s important to have support and resources for those who are impacted, as well as their families and caregivers. Let’s explore various support groups from the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio!
Support for Those with Lewy Body Dementia
The Biggs Institute hosts an in-person support group, Living Together with Lewy: Support group for Individuals Living with Lewy Body Dementia and their Care Partners. Lewy Body Dementia is the second-most common form of dementia, behind Alzheimer’s. It results in irreversible cognitive decline and movement problems like Parkinson's ...
One of the many factors that contributes to the differences within mental health in the Latino community is lack of accurate and relevant resources. With this need in mind, Mental Health America (MHA) has launched a Spanish Mental Health Resource Center complete with Spanish-language resources and tools. Let's examine what these resources have to offer and why materials like these are important for Latinos.
Spanish Mental Health Resource Center
Fostering mental health awareness and support for all is crucial. “Language [hurdles] can make communicating with providers difficult, or even impossible, particularly when a person is seeking counseling for sensitive or uniquely personal issues,” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “These ...
Mental Health America (MHA) has published the Selfies, Social, & Screens: Navigating Virtual Spaces for Youth toolkit to help younger people’s technology habits. “Parents, caretakers, and household members act as the main influence on a child’s use of technology,” said Schroeder Stribling, President and CEO of Mental Health America. Let’s examine youth mental health, the helpful resources that this toolkit contains, and how you and others you know can benefit from it.
How Technology Use Impacts Mental Health
Virtual habits and activity can have a large impact on the mental health of young people. “Children and teens are dealing with the intense emotions of growing up in a digital age where much of their lives are spent online,” according to ...
