More Cancer Research Needed Across Hispanic Ancestry Groups



A new study hoped to learn more from the data about the health risks, such as smoking, on cancer diagnoses in the Latino community. More than 16,000 Latinos participated in the study, and 4% reported instances of some type of cancer. Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Latinos, yet researchers still know little about how specific risk factors affect Latinos across ancestry groups. The researchers, part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, did not find a significant relationship between smoking and cancer prevalence among Latinos. However, it is the belief of the researchers that the lack of a connection can be due to the “cross-sectional nature” of the study. The authors believe that more research is needed to determine the risk ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/16/16, 1pmET: “WHY Women’s Heart Health Matters!”



Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for Latina women in the U.S. with nearly 21,000 deaths occurring annually among Latino women In fact, studies show Latina women are prone to developing heart disease 10 years earlier than non-Hispanic white women! What can be done to prevent this? Join our “WHY Women’s Heart Health Matters” #SaludTues Tweetchat on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 12pm CST (1 p.m. eastern) to learn more important facts about heart health. Share your resources, stories, and tips for preventing heart disease in the Latino community. The chat is co-hosted by Salud Today, The Heart Truth, and The Women’s Heart Alliance (a partnership of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at ...

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Vaping Could Harm Unborn Babies



New data suggests using e-cigarettes during pregnancy may be as harmful as using tobacco products, DW reports. Researchers at New York University Langone presented results from animal experiments that suggests that vaping while being pregnant may harm the fetus. For the experiment, researchers exposed pregnant mice to e-cigarette vapors and compared them to pregnant mice that were not exposed to alternative tobacco products. "The young animals [exposed] showed genetic changes in the cortex of the frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for cognition, planning and motivation," according to Judy Zelikoff, toxicologist and lead researcher at NYU Langone "Of course mice are not humans," Zelikoff accepted. "These are only animal models. But if I was pregnant, I would definitely ...

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Study: Children with Step-Siblings Are More Likely to Be Aggressive



Children with step or half siblings are more likely to behave aggressively towards other children (over 30% of Latino children are in complex family situations), Latinos Health reports. Researchers at the University of Michigan studied over 6,000 young children (under 5) and asked the biological mother of each child “about frequency of things such as temper tantrums, physical aggression, shows of anger, and destruction of personal property.” The study concluded that when children live in complex family situations they tend to be 10% more aggressive towards other children than their peers who don’t’ live with half or step siblings. “While this link does not establish causation, the findings add nuance to the prior scientific conversation on family and development, which ...

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Eva Rodriguez: An Èxito! Grad With a Passion for Latino Health



Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2016. Eva Rodriguez New York City, New York Like her lovely Mexican guanengo blouse, Eva isn’t afraid to “display” her cultural ties and her desire to help people wherever she goes. That already includes a school health program and family planning program in New York, which built up her a desire to study reproductive health, reduce stigma, and start an open dialog in the Latino community. We believe Eva has the capability of tackling Latino cancer health disparities and helping them with social services, youth development, and more. "[Éxito!] made the idea of a DrPH more plausible," said ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/16/16: “Why Women’s Heart Health Matters!”



Studies show Latinas are prone to developing heart disease 10 years earlier than non-Latina whites. What can be done to prevent this? Join our “Why Women’s Heart Health Matters” #SaludTues Tweetchat on at 12pm CST (1 p.m. EST) Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, to learn more important facts about heart health and share tips and stories for preventing heart disease in the Latino community. The chat is hosted by Salud Today and co-hosted by The Heart Truth and The Women’s Heart Alliance (a partnership of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital /Weill Cornell Medical Center). WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “WHY Women’s Heart Health Matters” TIME/DATE: Noon CST ...

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Study Finds Latinos Have Lower Risk of Coronary Heart Disease



Latinos, Asians and African Americans have a lower risk of coronary heart disease than whites, according to a 10-year study of more than 1.3 million Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California. "Racial and ethnic differences in diabetes, cardiovascular-disease risk factors and their outcomes, especially in blacks, are well-documented, but population health estimates are often confounded by differences in access to high-quality health care," said Jamal S. Rana, lead author of the study. Rana adds “we were able to evaluate ethnic differences in risk of future coronary heart disease within a diverse population, which included not only black, but also large Asian and Latino populations, with uniform access to care in an integrated health care delivery system.” The study ...

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Latino Electorate is Younger and More Vibrant



A lot of political experts predict Latino voters will decide who will be the next president of the United States. In November 2016 Latino millennials (44%)  will account for nearly half of all Latino eligible voters projected for 2016, according to Pew Research Center. Data shows the median age of the 35 million U.S. born Latinos is only 19. “Latino youth will be the main driver of growth among Latino eligible voters over the next two decades. Between 2012 and 2016, about 3.2 million young U.S.-citizen Latinos will have advanced to adulthood and become eligible to vote,” Pew Research said in a written statement. According to Pew the number of eligible Latino voters has climbed from 5 percent in 1986 to 11.4 percent in ...

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Patricia Medina-Ramirez: An Èxito! Grad With a Passion for Cancer Research



Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2016. Patricia Medina-Ramirez Tampa, Florida Just as her Guida instrument represents her roots in the Dominican Republic, Patricia Medina-Ramirez is dedicated to learning about the culture and the community she works in. Cultural competency is key for her as she begins to focus on Latino health issues, such as her work exploring the experience of Latino cancer survivors. Despite moving from the Dominican Republic at age 15, Patricia was the first member in her family to pursue a graduate education, and potentially a doctoral degree. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences, with a minor in Public Health, from the University of ...

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