Latinos are underrepresented in genetic studies, but did you know just how underrepresented they are? Whites make up 96% of participants in genome-wide association studies and next-generation genome sequencing, which make it harder for scientists to develop personalized therapies specifically for Latinos and other minority groups. A new report, Genes, Culture, and Medicines: Bridging Gaps in Treatment for Hispanic Americans from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, offers three main recommendations in response to this lack of diversity in genetic studies: Improve the Science. Fully implement federal research guidelines for inclusion of underrepresented groups in all study and grant applications, including pilot studies, and encourage non-federal granting bodies to do the ...
Working families led by blacks and Latinos are twice as likely as those headed by whites and Asians to be poor or low-income, according to a new report by the Working Families Project, the Washington Post reports. Less than 1 in 4 white working families earned less than 200 percent of the poverty level, which is $40,180 for a family of three, in 2013. More than 1 in 2 Latino families earned less. What's the reason? The report authors cited differences in jobs, wages (Hispanics tended to have low-paying jobs), education, family structure and benefits:
Also, more than half of low-income Hispanic families had at least one parent who did not complete high school. By contrast, just 16 percent of white workers were high school dropouts. Still, educational differences explain ...
Rebecca Adeigbe grew up in South Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley, a mostly Latino area that often lacks basic infrastructure—like streets and running water—and also is short on doctors and public health services. Adeigbe now works to improve health in this region and beyond. Adeigbe, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio (the team behind SaludToday), empowers people to take control of their health, and emboldens others to focus on health research and changes. “I’ve been increasingly attuned to high poverty and disease rates—and I enjoy working hard to make a real difference in improving health and quality of life,” Adeigbe said. Adeigbe got her big break into public health in 2010. As ...
Latinos and blacks are more likely to pick up a cigarette-smoking habit during their 20s, according to a new study, Science Daily reports. The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, looked at longitudinal data and found that, at age 18-and-a-half, 44% of whites, 27% of Latinos, and 18% of blacks smoked cigarettes. By age 29, the trend rose in Latinos and blacks (30% and 31%) and dropped in whites (40%). Study researchers said the findings can help guide interventions targeted to reduce cigarette smoking "at the right ages for the right socio-demographic groups," said Rebecca J. Evans-Polce, postdoctoral fellow at the Bennett Pierce Prevention Center. "In order to better understand why these disparities in substance use behavior exist, we need to look at how risk ...
The United States is expected to become a "majority-minority" by 2044, when no racial/ethnic group comprises more than half of the nation's residents, according to new Census data. Currently, whites comprise about 63% of the population. By 2060, that percentage will reduce to 44%, while other minority groups continue to rise in number. Latinos are expected to rise from 17.4% now to 28.6% in 2060. Blacks will rise from 13.2% to 14.3% and Asians 5.4% to 9.3% in the same span. Children are expected to reach "majority-minority" status even sooner in 2020. These numbers are shifting due to decreasing fertility among non-Latino whites, and increases in immigration, according to a Medical Daily report: "The New York Times reported that 2013 marked the first year in U.S. ...
Hot flashes and menopausal symptoms last up to 14 years—longer than the seven years that had been thought—and Hispanic and black women experience hot flashes for a considerably longer time than white women, according to a new study, Utah People's Post reports. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggests 80% of women experience hot flashes. Hot flashes, which come and go irregularly through the day, are very unpleasant, making the body produce more sweat and flushing the face. They have been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular problems. The earlier these menopausal symptoms appear, the longer they're likely to persist, according to the new study. The average duration was 7.4 years. Longer duration (Hispanics at 8.9 years and Blacks at 10.1 years) was ...
The number of Latino doctors declined 22% over the past 30 years, while the Latino population rose 243% in the same span, according to a new study. The study, from UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, used Census data to examine the Latino physician workforce from 1980 and 2010. Latino doctors declined from 135 to 105 per 100,000 Latinos from 1980 to 2010, a 22% drop. White doctors increased from 211 to 315 per 100,000 whites in the same period, a 49% rise. Study leaders said the Latino doctoral shortage negatively affects patients. “There is a shortage of health care professionals that, at minimum, have the language skills to communicate effectively with patients, provide quality care and avoid harmful outcomes for a growing majority of patients ...
U.S. Latinos are a vibrant, dynamic population. But they also struggle with high rates of obesity, certain cancers and other diseases—and they are the least-likely U.S. racial/ethnic group to have access to health care and preventive measures. With open enrollment set to close in just days for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act (#ACA), let’s use #SaludTues on Feb. 10, 2015, to chat on Twitter about strategies and resources on how to increase Latinos health coverage and access to care: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Why Should Latinos #GetCovered Today?”
DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (@RWJF_Live), Elianne ...
Latinos in the Southern U.S. contribute to their communities, but struggle with accessing healthcare, stigmatization and immigration challenges, according to a new report. The report, The State of Latinos in the Deep South: Being Visible by Piercing the Stigma Veil from the Latinos in the Deep South program of the Latino Commission on AIDS, documents how Latinos in this region are firmly rooted, local contributors who have been adversely impacted by HIV/AIDS, chronic diseases, and national and local policies. The report was led by Dr. Miriam Vega of the Latino Commission on AIDS. Vega, who also is a former grantee of Salud America!, a Latino childhod obesity research network led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, ...
