#SaludTues Tweetchat 6/5: Improving Men’s Health in Communities of Color


Doctor measuring blood pressure

Why is men’s health so important for Latino and other men of color? Men die at higher rates than women from the top 10 causes of death and are the victims of over 92% of workplace deaths. Women are also more likely to visit the doctor for annual examinations and preventive services than men. Latino men live five years less than Latinas. They face high incidence and mortality rates due to prostate cancer, are more likely to be smokers, and are more likely to have undiagnosed mental health issues. These issues need our attention. So, for National Men’s Health Month in June, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, to tweet about the state of men’s health and emerging strategies to improve men’s healthcare! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat─Improving Men’s ...

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The Crisis and Stigma of Mental Health among Latinas


latino-kid mental health

More than 1 in 4 Latina high-schoolers have thought about committing suicide. Suicide attempts among Latina teenagers are at a higher rate than their non-Hispanic White female and Hispanic male peers, according to a Salud America! research review. That’s why it is important to explore the reasons why─and what to do about it. Latinas and Mental Health In the Latino community, mental health problems often are not spoken about. There is a stigma attached to it. Or people just don’t know enough about it, according to an article. That’s especially true for Latinas. “The expectations of what makes a ‘good’ Latina are often rooted in propriety and maintaining appearances, specifically when it involves something as personal as mental health or illness,” wrote Liz ...

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Salud America! Wins International Communications Awards



We at Salud America! care about helping people drive healthy change for Latino and all families. That’s why we're excited to announce we have won four Communicator Awards for our efforts to promote awareness of and solutions to Latino child and family health issues! 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Websites, General Activism for Websites, Salud America! 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Features, Copy or Writing for Websites, Salud America! 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Video, Education for Online Video, Salud America! Latinos & Early Childhood Development Video 2018 Communicator Award of Distinction, Video, Education for Online Video, Salud America! Latinos & Early Childhood Development Video Communicator Awards, presented by the ...

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Report: Every 65 Seconds, Someone Develops Alzheimer’s Disease


Report: Every 65 Seconds, Someone Develops Alzheimer’s Disease- getting involved

More than 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, a number expected to rise to 14 million by 2050, according to a March 2018 report by the Alzheimer’s Association. There is one new Alzheimer’s case every 65 seconds. Sadly, U.S. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than whites, studies show. Preventing Alzheimer’s is critical as the young Latino population ages. “The number of Hispanic elders with Alzheimer's and related dementias could increase more than six-fold, from fewer than 200,000 today to as many as 1.3 million by 2050,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s Disease in Latinos In the U.S., two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women. Latinas are at higher risk than ...

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Study: Latino Teens Drink More Sports Drinks


latino kid shopping sugary drinks sports drinks

Harvard researchers found a small but significant increase in the weekly consumption of high-carbohydrate sports drinks among teens, especially Latino teens, the Chicago Tribune reports. Researchers compared data from two national surveys in 2010 and 2015. In 2015, more than 57% of the more than 22,000 high school students surveyed reported drinking at least one sports drink in the prior week. That's up from 56% in 2010, according to the Tribune. Latino and black youth drank more sports drinks than white youth, too. This is bad news, especially after historic declines in children's consumption of sugary drinks overall. "[Sports] drinks shown in advertisements being consumed by impossibly fit athletes and named for fruits like mango, kiwi, and blackberry are aggressively ...

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How Menu Labeling Will Impact Latino and All Families


calorie menu count

After seven long years, the FDA’s rules for menu labeling have finally taken effect. This is big news for Latino families in particular. These families face less access to healthy food options and struggle with higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and certain diseases than non-Latinos, according to a Salud America! research review. Menu labeling can help Latino and all families make healthier eating choices through clear, easy-to-use nutrition information at the point of ordering. So how did we get here, and how will menu labeling affect families? How’d We Get Menu Labeling? The FDA first proposed menu labeling rules in 2011. After years of tweaking, menu labeling rules had to overcome one final hurdle in 2017. FDA sought public comments on a possible one-year-delay of ...

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Study: Latinos Less Likely to Get Mental Health Care, Causing Missed Work



Latinos and blacks are less likely than whites to get the mental health services they need, and more likely to miss work as a result, according to a new study. The study, published by California-based Rand Corporation, found a relationship between untreated mental health problems and multiple absences from work. This has a big economic toll on Latino and black individuals and families, as multiple work absences usually mean lost pay or even lost jobs, reports California Healthline. The data shows that mental health problems caused 12% of blacks and 9.4% of Latino to miss four or more days of work a year, both higher rates than whites (7.9%). “This could have important repercussions for black [and Latino] Californians’ ability to earn income and stay employed in the face of ...

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Report: Low-Income Latina and Women of Color Face Highest Risk of Eviction


Sad evicted mother with child worried relocating house

Latina and black women who are living in poverty face much higher risk of eviction than other racial groups, according to a new report. The new report, from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, examined court records and found that 2.3 million people were evicted from their homes in 2016. That’s 6,300 people evicted each day. “[The data] demonstrate widespread housing insecurity in both urban and rural locales around the country,” wrote Catherine Lizette Gonzalez of Colorlines. Latinos and Risk of Eviction Other recent studies from the Eviction Lab and researcher Matthew Desmond have found that Black and Latino women with low-incomes were evicted at alarmingly higher rates than other racial groups due to factors such as having children, low wages ...

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Texas Town Uses Free School Dinner to Energize Student Minds, Bodies



Tired. Unhappy. Unenergetic. Students were showing these emotions over the school day and into afterschool activities in Robstown ISD, a 97% Latino school district in this small gulf coast town in South Texas. Superintendent Maria Vidaurri wanted to find out why. Turns out, they were hungry. "Students needing to stay [after school for tutoring, sports, events] were tired, frustrated, and energy levels low," Vidaurri said. "The last time they ate was at lunch, which is usually at 10:15 a.m. to 12 p.m." Vidaurri wanted to give these students the energy they needed for the school day and after school. She also wanted to give support to local Latino families who often struggle to put food on the table. She also wanted to encourage school attendance, as two of every three ...

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