Spreading the word about how to build a culture of health for Latinos is a dire need. That's why we at SaludToday are excited to be nominated as Best Health Advocate reaching Latino(a)s through Tech Innovation and Social Media by LATISM (Latinos in Social Media), a nonprofit group that aims to empower Latinos through tech innovation and social media, and Toyota. SaludToday is a national Latino health campaign and the social media handle for Dr. Amelie Ramirez's Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, including its national projects on Latino childhood obesity (Salud America!) and cancer prevention (Redes). SaludToday curates stories about peer models who’ve made healthy behavior changes, recent health news, useful resources, and ...
When you’re 27 years old the last thing that crosses your mind are mammograms, breast self-examination and breast cancer. “My doctor had said I was too young to have a mammogram, so when I finally heard the breast cancer diagnosis after tests on my “cyst,” my whole body went numb. I didn’t have time for cancer; I was getting married. On December 5, 1997,” Tanya Enriquez says. Her honeymoon turned into a visit to the hospital to have 20 lymph nodes removed, and an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Soon after her diagnosis Tanya met Marta Zuniga, a stage III breast cancer patient and later met Susan Coll, the three were known as the Three Muskateers. “We had a bond that not many shared. We were all under 30 and had breast cancer. We would talk, laugh, and go out to lunch, ...
For Bea Vasquez, cancer was not something new. Breast cancer took her grandmother away when she was a teenager. Because of her family history and her work with the American Cancer Society, Bea schedule mammograms every September. “In 1998, I was so busy at work that I didn’t get a mammogram until the following March. After a second mammogram and a sonogram, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she says. The tumor was very small, so no chemotherapy was required, but to be safe she decided to have radiation. “I know it may sound as if I was really informed, and I was. I was cancer-free, but what I wasn’t free of was fear. Fear of dying and leaving my daughter and mother behind. I gave this and all other worries to the Lord.” Today, Bea enjoys traveling and grows her own ...
Technology is a promising way to help Latino smokers quit, given the dire health and cancer consequences of smoking and Latinos' adoption of new technologies and media. What technologies are working? Let’s use #SaludTues on Oct. 20, 2015, to tweet information, resources, and tips that can uncover the ways technology can help Latinos kick the habit now (and for good!): WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Quitting Smoking with the Help of Technology”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOST: The CDC (@CDCTobaccoFree)
SPECIAL GUEST: The American Lung Association (@LungAssociation) We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we explore: How much do Latinos ...
Latinas are more likely to receive poor treatment regardless of tumor type, Latina Magazine reports. The study, published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, “looked at data from 100,000 American women, including their demographics, stage of disease, tumor grade and size, treatment and health insurance status.” According to the study, 20 to 40 percent of Latinas were more likely to receive “substandard care.“ Latinas have a 30 to 40 percent higher chance to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and “were more likely to have large tumors.” Researchers aren’t sure why there’s a gap in quality of treatment Latinas receive, but believe socioeconomic factors play a role as well as language ...
According to the latest Nielsen's Hispanic Consumer Report, Latinos are living longer and have more disposable income than in the past. The report shows: Hispanics have lower mortality rates in seven out of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.
In the first few years after immigrating to the U.S., Hispanics also tend to have lower smoking rates, better diet and better general health. This is translating to Hispanics living longer and having healthier, more active lives.
Today Hispanic-Americans life expectancy is 83.5 years compared to 78.7 for non-Hispanic Whites. This means more buying and viewing power, for longer. The report also found 40 percent of Latinos over the age of 50 live in multi-generational households compared to just over a fifth of the general U.S. ...
Getting a breast cancer diagnosis could be a shocking experience, especially when your doctor confirms your fears and tells you, you have breast cancer. “ I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You have breast cancer. We need to set up an appointment with a surgeon as soon as possible.” I asked the doctor to proceed with whatever arrangements would be necessary. I called my husband at work. I could tell by his voice he was in shock. That evening we informed our four children,” Gloria Diaz says. The day after, Gloria, accompanied by her daughter visited her doctor and was given two options: a mastectomy or lumpectomy. “I was scared and confused. A mastectomy meant I would have my entire right breast removed along with a large number of lymph nodes, and if everything came ...
Smoking is a tough opponent to beat. Quitxt is a new free service that turns your mobile phone into a personal coach to help you quit smoking, using interactive and entertaining text messages, online support, hip-hop music, and videos designed for South Texas young adults by researchers at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The service’s text messages help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, finding things to do instead of smoking, handling stress, using nicotine replacement if needed, and more. To join, text “iquit” to 57682. “Text-message applications have scientifically proven to roughly double one’s odds of quitting smoking, so we developed Quitxt specifically for young adult Latinos to capitalize on their heavy usage of texting to help them ...
All children under 19 years old will be eligible for the state’s health insurance in California (Medi-Cal), Univision Noticias reports. The law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will potentially benefit 200,000 undocumented children who currently have access to a limited state health insurance. “In the middle of the national conversation on immigration, sometimes negative, we congratulate Governor and the legislature for recognizing the contributions of undocumented Californians and their human right to health access,” Daniel Zingale, vice president of The California Endowment told Univision. Currently, most undocumented migrants have limited access to the state’s version of Medicaid (Medi-Cal). The new law will give full health benefits to undocumented children in ...
