Latinas, Get Yourself a Life-Saving Gift This Holiday Season



Latinas, here's a reminder to get yourself a holiday gift that can save your life—your annual mammogram, which can detect breast cancer early, when it's most treatable. Watch a true-to-life public service announcement here or below to see why, despite busy lives and a bustling holiday season, Latinas ages 40 and older should set aside time to take care of their own health and get their mammogram: This PSA is brought to you by Redes En Acción, the national Lation cancer research network, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Please tell us what you ...

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Bilingual Booklet Helps Patients Understand Clinical Trials as Treatment Options



The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's new bilingual booklet, Knowing All Your Treatment Options/Conozca Todas Sus Opciones de Tratamiento, aims to help patients understand clinical trials as one of the treatment choices they may want to consider. There is also a Healthcare Question Guide inside the back cover of the booklet for patients and family members to take with them to their doctor appointments. To access this booklet and others on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Web site, please visit www.LLS.org/freematerials, or you can order hard copies of the booklet by calling 1-800-955-4572 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST. Information specialists can answer general questions about blood cancers and help patients form additional questions to ask their doctor specific to their ...

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Apply for ‘Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training’



Are you a Latino master's student or master's-level professional in Texas? You are invited to apply by Feb. 18, 2011, for Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, a new training program to encourage Latino master’s students and master’s professionals to pursue a doctoral degree in a Latino health disparity research field and/or cancer control research career. Éxito! is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Éxito! consists of: A 5-day Summer Institute in June 2011 that offers teaching, tools and resources Paid Internships (Starting in 2012) Doctoral Application Support Awards (Starting in 2012) Doctoral Biannual Retreats (Starting in 2014) "We believe that Éxito! can increase ethnic diversity in the ...

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VIDEO: Dr. Ramirez Tackles Latino Cancer Challenges at Symposium


Amelie Ramirez

Watch a podcast featuring Dr. Amelie Ramirez! Ramirez is leader of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!. She discusses the cancer challenges and solutions among Hispanics during the 33rd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Dec. 11, 2010. Dr. Ramirez, who also led a panel at the symposium, also talks about the importance of genetic testing for breast cancer among Latinas, as well as statewide and national communications programs. The podcast was done by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). To see more podcasts from the symposium, go ...

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CDC: Too Many Cancers Spotted Too Late (Including Cervical Cancer Among Latinas)



Although screening tests are widely available, many cancers aren't diagnosed until the disease is well-advanced and, therefore, less treatable, a new U.S. government report finds, HealthDay reports. Almost one-half of colorectal cancers and cervical cancers and one-third of breast cancers in the U.S. are detected at a late stage, according to the report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report also found that Latinas ages 50-79 have the highest rates of late-stage cervical cancer. Yet, if caught early, these three cancers have very high survival rates. "People need to be aware of what they need to have done medically and follow-up with their providers," said report co-author Dr. Lisa Richardson, associate director for science in CDC's Division of Cancer ...

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Family Ties, Healthy Habits Give Latinos Longer Lives



Researchers say Mexican immigrants who exercise regularly, eat wholesome foods and live in tight-knit communities illustrate why Latinos live longer on average than non-Hispanic whites and blacks, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. That lifestyle may extend their lifespan, according to a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last month. It found Latinos in the U.S. live on average 80.6 years, compared with 78.1 years for non-Hispanic whites and 72.9 for non-Hispanic blacks. Experts call it the "Latino health paradox." People usually live longer if they have high incomes, high education levels and greater access to health care. Latinos are on average poorer, less educated and less likely to visit doctors than most Americans -- yet they live longer. The CDC ...

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Think of Nutrition When Donating Food This Holiday Season



The holidays bring more requests for food donations to help needy families at this time of the year, so ensuring the health of donated food is important, given the growth of obesity nationwide. “Providing healthier foods is important not only for our own families, but also for those who receive donated foods over the holidays,” said Dr. Sue Cunningham, assistant professor and program coordinator of the Dietetics and Nutrition Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Here are some tips for healthy holiday food donations from Dr. Cunningham and Dr. Carmen Roman-Shriver, director of the aforementioned Dietetics and Nutrition Program: Consider foods that are dense in nutrients, such as canned or dry beans or lentils, whole-grain pasta, rice, ...

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Check Out the Latest in Health Disparities Videos, News & Funding



Check out the latest in health disparities—from cancer awareness videos to new Latino training programs—in the latest E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, which runs SaludToday. View the IHPR E-newsletter to see these items: Video: Latino cancer research network expands with $5.6M grant (Pg 1) Story: An “Insider” Training Program for Latino Cancer Researchers (Pg 3) PSA Wins Award: WATCH – Latinas & Mammograms (Pg 4) Story: San Antonio Goes Smoke-Free (Pg 5) Story: Lance Armstrong Visits Patients, Latino Cancer Researchers (Pg 8) Find much more on local and national health disparities-related news, funding, resources and events by visiting the IHPR's Web ...

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‘Fatalism’ a Reason Latinas Don’t Get Cancer Screening



"Fatalism," a belief that life's events are predetermined, may be one reason why Latinas have some of the lowest cancer screening rates in the U.S., new research suggests. Hispanic women are much more likely than white women to believe that cancer is not preventable, and that death is inevitable in those diagnosed with cancer, the researchers found in the study, scheduled for publication in the online edition of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Researchers identified a statistically significant link between fatalism and reduced use of cancer screening services. Further studies are needed to learn more about this association, the authors noted. "Improving our understanding of the importance of fatalism in explaining underutilization of cancer screening services among ...

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