Despite the heaviest spending on healthcare, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations. Sadly, this historic trend has worsened over time and disproportionately impacts women of color. The reasons for America’s maternal health crisis is multi-faceted, but a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs survey highlights one potential reason for this worsening health trend – mistreatment of women by healthcare workers during pregnancy and delivery care. Let’s explore the survey results and how mistreatment during maternity care affects Latinas and all women.
Mistreatment During Maternity Care for Women of Color
The survey, which included data from 2,402 women, found that 1 in 5 women (20%) experienced ...
Implications of the lack of quality maternal healthcare in the United States are well documented. Pre-term birth rates are rising, maternal mental health is suffering, and maternal mortality remains high, especially in women of color. Women living in rural areas are hit even harder by these implications, as indicated by a new March of Dimes report on maternity care deserts. Let’s explore just how much living in a rural area matters when it comes to maternal health, and how we can work to improve maternity care in underserved rural areas.
Maternity Care Deserts in Rural Texas Counties
Maternity care deserts make up 36% of all US counties, according a 2022 March of Dimes report. These maternity care deserts contribute to the US having the highest maternal mortality rate ...
Summer heat waves are increasingly more severe due to climate change, making it important to ensure children’s safety amid rising temperatures. While essentials like sunscreen, hats, and shade are important, one of the most crucial steps is keeping children hydrated. Let’s dive into hydration and other ways to help families stay safe this summer!
1. Drink Water
The Institute of Medicine recommends that children ages 4 to 8 drink about 2 quarts of water a day, with the amount going up as they get older. Teenage boys should drink 3.5 quarts of water a day, and teenage girls 2.4 quarts a day. How much more water should children drink amid the summer heat? “There is no exact calculation for figuring out how much water is enough as kids run around faster ...
June 16, 2023 was a big win for low-income Texas families. Gov. Greg Abbot signed House Bill 12, which extends Medicaid health coverage for Texas mothers from just 60 days after giving birth to a full year. This new bill, which is expected to take effect by the end of 2023, has massive potential to improve newborn and maternal health outcomes for Latinas and all mothers statewide. Here are several big-as-Texas reasons to celebrate the signing of House Bill 12!
Improved Access to Prenatal and Postpartum Care
Half of women having babies in Texas get their healthcare coverage through Medicaid, according to data gathered by March of Dimes. Many of these women are low-income Latinas who may not be able to afford another healthcare coverage option. Going without health ...
Latino families with children are still experiencing COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions to their childcare arrangements, according to a new data analysis from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families (NRCHCF). Childcare disruptions are defined as the inability of any children in a household to attend a care arrangement because of closure, lack of availability or affordability, or safety concerns. From summer 2021 to summer 2022, these childcare disruptions remained prevalent among Latino households with children younger than 12, particularly those with children younger than 5, according to the NRCHCF analysis. Let’s explore these disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and how it continues to impact Latino families today.
The State ...
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program provides temporary support to help people and families afford food. But SNAP benefits are often under fire. After Trump-era efforts to curb SNAP benefits and the recent expiration of COVID-era SNAP increases, some lawmakers are pushing to add more work requirements to qualify for eligibility. Under the House’s proposed expansion of work requirements to parents and caregivers, as many as four million children could go hungry. “Millions of low-income households, people of color, and their families rely on basic supports to access health care, feed themselves, afford childcare, and survive financial and health insecurity,” according to a UnidosUs blog. “Cuts to these programs, or additional ...
The USDA is proposing to make online food shopping an option for families in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Up to now, WIC participants had to use vouchers or electronic benefits cards (EBT) at the store. With the proposed changes, participants could shop online for groceries – a move that aims to improve the WIC shopping experience while increasing equity and access to nutritious foods for WIC participants, thus positively impacting nutrition security. May 2023 Update: 329 Salud America! members submitted a model comment and were among over 1,600 people overall to USDA’s proposed changes to enable WIC participants to shop online for food. The model comment was created by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio in ...
In November 2022, the USDA proposed science-backed changes to improve nutrition and promote and support breastfeeding in the food packages of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). USDA sought comments on its proposal through Feb. 21, 2023. As of today, 15,238 people submitted comments on the proposed WIC food package update, including over 135 comments in English and Spanish from a comment campaign by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio in partnership with UnidosUs! See all comments here.
Why are the Proposed WIC Changes Needed for Latinos?
Many Latinos face both food and nutrition insecurity. Of Latino low-income households, 69.4% were food secure, 18.8% were food insecure, and 11.8% were very low food security, according to ...
The CDC recently revised Body Mass Index (BMI) charts for children to help healthcare providers better track growth in children and identify “severe obesity.” Before the update, BMI charts for children did not go above 37. The revised charts extend to a BMI of 60 to account for the rise of severe obesity in children ages 2-20, according to the CDC. Now clinicians can more easily see whether a child’s BMI falls within the range of underweight, ideal weight, overweight, obese, or severely obese, based on a percentile measured against other children of the same age and gender, according to CNBC and healthline.com. A BMI higher than 95% of kids of the same age and gender is defined as obese. Severe obesity is a BMI 120% higher than the 95th percentile, ...
