Study: U.S. Immigration Increases Smoking Among Latinos, Asians



U.S. immigration may result in increased smoking in Latinos and Asians, according to a new study reported by Science World Report. The study, led by Rice University, found that Latino immigrant men’s smoking prevalence was more than twice that of women’s (29.5 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively). Smoking prevalence among Asian immigrant men was more than four times that of Asian immigrant women (30.4 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively). For smoking frequency, Asian men on average smoked 2.5 more cigarettes per day than Asian women, compared with 1.5 more cigarettes per day that Latino men smoked than Latino women. The study also found that smoking increases with duration of U.S. residence among Asian immigrants (both prevalence and frequency) and among Latino immigrants ...

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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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CVS is Quitting Cigarettes…Can You Quit, Too?



CVS pharmacies have decided to stop selling cigarettes, according to several media reports. Will you quit, too? A free automated self-help “Stop Smoking” website is available in both English and Spanish to give Latinos various resources and tools to quit and track their quit progress. Visit the website in English or Spanish. The website is part of a study led by Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute. The study is a collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Participants’ smoking status will be evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months. This project has a very strict ...

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Rankings: U.S. Obesity Levels Off; Hawaii, Vermont among Healthiest States



U.S. Obesity leveled off since last year, the first time since 1998 that obesity rates have not worsened, according to the new United Health Foundation’s 2013 America’s Health Rankings, an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by state basis. Here are the key nationwide health trends from last year to this year: Smoking rates dropped from 21.2% of the adult population to 19.6%. Physical inactivity dropped from 26.2% of the adult population to 22.9%. Obesity remained about the same, about 27% of the adult population. At the state level, Hawaii has taken the title of healthiest state. The state scored well along most measures particularly for having low rates of uninsured individuals, high rates of childhood immunization, and low rates of ...

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New Spanish-Language Anti-Smoking Website



About 5 million U.S. Latinos smoke, and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Latino men and second-leading cause among Latina women, according to federal data. To address this important public health issue, the National Cancer Institute developed http://espanol.smokefree.gov/, a website created specifically for Spanish speakers who want to quit smoking or know someone who does. Resources include interactive checklists and quizzes, advice on how to help a loved one quit, and real-time support and ...

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Tips from Latino Ex-Smokers



Mariano, a Hispanic living in Illinois, started smoking at 15. At age 47, Mariano woke up one morning feeling sick and dizzy. He was sweating a lot. He went to the doctor, who told him his blood pressure was extremely high. He was hospitalized that day. Three days later, he had open heart surgery to replace blocked blood vessels in his heart. "I smoked my last cigarette the day I was told I needed heart surgery," he said. He hasn't smoked since. "I was given a second chance to live." Mariano, who loves to cook and noticed that he has more energy since he quit smoking, is part of a new effort from the CDC and the National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) to raise awareness among Latinos about the dangers of tobacco use and second-hand smoke. The campaign, Tips from Smokers, ...

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New Quit-Smoking Hotline in Spanish



The New Mexico Department of Health has launched a new Spanish-language help line, 1-855-DEJELO-YA, to help New Mexicans to quit smoking. The service, called DejeloYa, is free to all participants and includes coaching to quit; a personalized quit plan; free nicotine patches, lozenges, or gum; and optional text messaging support. A Spanish-language website augments the phone ...

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Video: What Do Latino Students Think about Smoking?



A new video highlights Latino students and their views on not smoking. The videos, available in English and Spanish, were done by a Latino group, Manantial de Salud, a federally funded grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in the Dove Springs neighborhood of Austin, ...

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Latinos, Looking for Help to Quit Smoking? Try This Study



A new study is testing whether an automated self-help "Stop Smoking" website—available in both English and Spanish with various resources and tools to track quit progress—can help smokers quit at higher rates than trying to quit on their own. Visit the website in English or Spanish to enroll in this no-cost study. The study, led by Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute, is a collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Upon enrollment, researchers will randomly assign participants to one of two methods to quit: Immediate no-cost access to the UCSF "Stop Smoking" ...

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