Immigration Stalls as U.S. Births Drive Latino Population Growth



The driver of Latino population growth has shifted from immigration to U.S. native-born births. In fact, the number of Latino immigrants in the U.S. reached a record 18.8 million in 2010, but has since stalled, while U.S. births alone accounted for 60% of Hispanic population growth, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. The share of foreign-born Hispanic was 35.5% in 2012, down from 40% earlier in the 2000s. The reason for the decline? The Pew report says: The slowdown in growth of the Hispanic foreign-born population coincides with a decline in Mexican migration to the U.S. Today, about as many people from Mexico are leaving the U.S. as entering, after four decades of explosive growth (Passel, Cohn and Gonzalez-Barrera, 2012). Many factors have ...

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San Antonio Breast Cancer Survivors Sought for Study of a Disease-Fighting Food Plan



Breast cancer survivors can now join a new study to learn how certain foods may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. The study, Rx for Better Breast Health, is funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure and led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez, professor and director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Breast cancer survivors who participate will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Each group will get different cancer nutrition tools, possibly six cooking demonstrations by Chef Iverson Brownell, who creates innovative culinary recipes that taste great and promote health (see his video). Call 210-562-6579 to see if you qualify. “We want to teach survivors the importance of a dietary plan full of foods with ...

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Report: Progress Made in Latino College Graduation Rates, Equity Gaps Remain



The gap in college graduation rates between Latinos and Whites across the United States dropped from 14% to 9% over the past two years, although data varied from state to state, according to a new report by Excelencia in Education. The report collected state-level data on student populations, educational attainment of adults, multiple comparative measures of equity gaps in degree attainment, the top five institutions enrolling and graduating Latinos, and examples of promising, evidence-based practices in each state for improving Latino college completion. Nationally, the top-five institutions awarding bachelor's degrees to Latinos were: Florida International University, University of Phoenix (online), The University of Texas at El Paso, The University of Texas - Pan American, ...

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Larissa Avilés Santa: From a 4th-Grade Science Lesson to a Career in Improving Latino Health



Check out this great profile of Latina public health research Dr. Larissa Avilés Santa. The profile, by CienciaPR, chronicles Avilés Santa's career development, from how she got interested in anatomy and endocrinology in 4th grade in elementary school, studied medicine and translational research in Puerto Rico, worked in heart disease prevention and diabetes clinical trials at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and joined the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in 2006. Now she is directing the largest-ever study on U.S. Latino health (the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos). Avilés Santa said the initial results from the large study indicate high risks for diabetes and heart disease among Latinos, creating new opportunities for ...

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Interactive Report: What Is Life Really Like along the U.S.-Mexico Border?



What does it mean to live along the U.S.-Mexico border? Why is the border where it is, and how does the fence work? How violent is Ciudad Juarez? What are the health and wellness concerns of people? The answers to these questions can be found in National Pubic Radio's new Borderland Broadcast Series, a catalog of Steve Inskeep's travels along the more than 2,000-mile border to photographically illustrate what it means to live along the binational borderline for Latinos in the United States and Mexico. Follow along with the interactive series or listen to series ...

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Report: Latino, Other Minority Kids Face Uphill Battle for Success



U.S. Latino, black, and American Indian children have greater obstacles to success than white and Asian children, according to a new report, NPR reports. The report, called Race for Results from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, explores the intersection of kids, race and opportunity. The report includes a score that compares how racial/ethnic children are progressing on 12 key milestones from birth to adulthood—such as math proficiency, high school graduation data, teen birth rates, employment prospects, family income and education levels, and poverty levels—at the national and state levels. The higher the score (up to 1,000), the better children fare. Asian children have the highest score at 776, followed by white children at 704. Among Latinos, only eight states had ...

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Why Do Latinos Struggle with Asthma?



Latinos are at high risk for asthma because prevalence, illness and deaths are strongly correlated with urban air quality, indoor allergens, lack of patient education and inadequate medical care, according to an American Lung Association report. Both asthma and allergies are caused by the body's immune response to environmental triggers, such that some allergens can also trigger asthma, according to Kaiser Permanente. Other irritants can trigger asthma, too, such as the flu. So what can Latinos do? To make an action plan, visit Kaiser Permanente's bilingual website. You can also check out Spanish-language resources from the American Lung Association: Breathe Well, Live Well is an adult asthma self-management education program led by an American Lung Association-trained ...

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Poll: Hispanic Moms Use Social Media, Mobile Technology…But Are Not All Alike



Hispanic moms are heavy users of social media and mobile technology, but there are differences in how they view themselves, according to a new poll, MediaPost reports. The poll, by BabyCenter (in English here or Spanish here), suggests that U.S. Hispanic women are a diverse group that can't be treated as a single market segment. The poll's key findings include: All Hispanic Moms are Not Alike—The poll shows four acculturation segments: complete acculturation (21%), high (40%), moderate (23%), and low (16%). Most completely-acculturated Hispanics view themselves as American, while most low-acculturated Hispanics view themselves as a Latino immigrant. Hispanic Moms are Social—Moderate, high, and completely acculturated Hispanic moms are using the same social media as the ...

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Profile: A Latina’s Upbringing Helps Her Focus on Improving Latino Health, Fitness



Unpaved roads. Lack of proper sewage. Inadequate water. Rose A. Treviño-Whitaker grew up among these third-world conditions that plague some colonias—mostly Latino unincorporated settlements in South Texas. That’s why she is dedicating her career to preventing disease and promoting public health as a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. She’s particularly interested in increasing physical activity. “Regardless of the neighborhood conditions I grew up in, I still led an active lifestyle. My sisters and I still went outside and had a great time playing soccer in the streets with the other neighborhood kids,” Treviño said. “It is hard to see that this is not the case anymore, in my old ...

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