Between 2006 and 2008, the percentage of adults ages 50-75 who had undergone screening for colorectal cancer with a method recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force rose from 51.9 percent to 62.9 percent, according to new CDC figures published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. During the same time period, the percentage of women ages 50-74 who had received a mammogram in the previous 2 years declined slightly, from 81.5 percent to 81.1 percent. Adults ages 50-59, Hispanics, and persons with lower income, less than a high school education, and without health insurance were least likely to have been screened for colorectal cancer. Women ages 50-59, women with less than a high school education, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, women without health insurance, ...
A new study shows lighting up a cigarette changes a person's gene activity across the body, a possible clue as to why smoking affects overall health—from heart disease to combating infections, LiveScience reports. A research team from Australia and San Antonio, Texas, analyzed white blood cell samples of 1,240 mainly Mexican-American people, ages 16-94, who were participating in the San Antonio Family Heart Study. They found that the 297 self-identified smokers in the group were more likely to have unusual patterns of "gene expression" related to tumor development, inflammation, virus elimination, cell death and more. A gene is expressed when it codes for a protein that then instructs, or kick-starts, a process in the body. The study found cigarette smoke could alter the level ...
More than 22 million adults have not had screening tests for colon cancer, and more than 7 million women have not had a recent mammogram to screen for breast cancer as recommended, according to reports in a new monthly scientific publication called CDC Vital Signs. About a third of people are not getting colon cancer screening, which can detect the disease early when it is most treatable. This could be because they don't know they can get colon cancer, they don't have insurance or a doctor (a more likely case among Latinos), or their doctor hasn't recommended screening. Some women are not getting mammograms as recommended. About one of five women between the ages of 50 and 74 has not had a mammogram in the past two years. Latinas get screened at an even less frequent rate. The CDC ...
The LIVESTRONG English-Spanish Dictionary of Cancer Terms by Springbox, Ltd., is available online as a free app from iTunes. By downloading the dictionary app, individuals can find definitions for cancer-related terms in both English and Spanish, searching more than 6,000 definitions provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Users can switch views between languages to facilitate translation. No Internet access is required for use of the app, a joint project of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and ...
The "I Promise" video campaign, from The Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink, features video vignettes of people's personal commitment to ensuring that all children have the opportunities and supports to thrive, grow and succeed. Watch the videos here or learn more from the video below: "I Promise" Video Montage from PolicyLink on ...
New research funded by The California Endowment finds that African-American and Latino boys and young men are much more likely to experience poor health outcomes than white boys and young men. Most of these differences in health are directly related to the neighborhoods where they grow up. "This research shows that the health of African-American and Latino boys stems from their neighborhoods, their schools, their environments being unhealthy," said Robert Phillips of The California Endowment. "According to the research, place and policy clearly matter to the health of these boys and young men. If we truly want to address the health issues they face, California needs to put its support behind public policies and programs that advocate for comprehensive, community-based ...
Latinas, even if you've heard it before, please listen: Cancer screening can save your life. To see why, watch our new dramatic PSA where a Latino family with a history of breast cancer discusses the importance of getting a mammogram that can detect breast cancer early, when it's most treatable: Watch in Spanish here. Please leave a comment on how you liked the PSA. For cancer info, call ...
Newsweek has a new series that examining many aspects of Latino health barriers, including an article that looks into the Latino doctor shortage. The article has a great summary on the lack of Latino doctors:
By currently available census figures, 14.2 percent of the U.S. population is Latino, but they make up only about 6.4 percent of the students coming out of the country’s medical schools, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). That means there are roughly 3,000 Latino patients to each Latino physician. In comparison, for non-Latinos, the ratio is 335 patients to 1 doctor. That means that Latinos, who may not speak English as their first language and who may relate to medical professionals differently because of cultural reasons, are at risk of ...
An early childhood obesity prevention program developed by Public Health Solutions uses videos to help mothers, fathers, and other caregivers feed their babies a healthy diet from birth to age 2. The videos are available on DVD in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and French Creole/French. Watch the videos ...
