Latinos in certain Chicago neighborhoods face worse physical and mental health and more food insecurity than nationwide, according to a new report, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. For the report, the Sinai Community Health Survey 2.0, researchers from the Sinai Urban Health Institute surveyed 1,900 residents in nine ethnically diverse Chicago neighborhoods, including Gage Park (92% Latino), Humboldt Park (89%) and South Lawndale (84%). Chicago is 29% Latino overall. “The data paint a stark and complex picture of health and wellness in many Chicago communities, varied by race, income and ethnicity,” said Dr. Sharon Homan, president of the Sinai Urban Health Institute, told the Sun-Times. “To develop meaningful interventions to improve health, we must first understand the ...
After Judy Regalado learned a close friend had died of colorectal cancer in her mid-30s, and after experiencing similar symptoms herself, she knew she had to get checked. But because the San Antonio area resident didn't have a family history or other risk factors, doctors asked her to wait until she turned 50 for a colonoscopy. They told her the symptoms could just be hemorrhoids, and referred her to a gynecologist instead. Judy still felt her symptoms could be something more serious. “I made an appointment with my primary care doctor and insisted on a colonoscopy, and I’m glad I did because I was diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer,” Judy said. “If I had not requested to have a colonoscopy, I would have been a statistic.” The colonoscopy caught Judy’s cancer ...
Linda Moreno and her San Antonio family provide a powerful example of the importance of family history and getting screened for colorectal cancer. One of six children, Moreno has a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach and thyroid cancer. But she had no family history of colorectal cancer. After two of her siblings were suddenly diagnosed with colorectal cancer within two months of each other, Moreno and her three other siblings rushed to get themselves screened. “It was a shock to see my brother and sister diagnosed with colorectal cancer,” Moreno said. “I had my first screening colonoscopy at the age of 33 due to my family history. They found and removed two polyps.” Moreno, a mother of two, is now diligent in keeping a ...
Lack of support can hinder Latino health. Recently, the St. Paul Foundation – a nonprofit community foundation based in St. Paul, MN (9.53% Latino population) – conducted a survey of more than 1,500 area residents to learn about their transportation, health care, and housing statuses. According to the Pioneer Press, the Foundation received a total of 400 completed surveys from respondents in Dakota County, 480 from Washington County and 430 from St. Paul, as well as another 230 from Ramsey County. Among the findings, the area has seen a large influx of Latinos since the year 2000. In Dakota County (6.44% Latino population), as an example, the Latino population has tripled in that time frame. In terms of transportation and transportation equity, the surveys determined ...
Latinos have been making great strides in education in recent years. The high school dropout rate is the lowest in history and more and more are attending two- and four-year colleges and universities. As the Latino population continues to grow, it can be expected that these trends will continue to grow more positively. At Eastern Shore Community College in Melfa, VA (2.3% Latino population), those effects have already been felt. Despite lagging overall attendance figures for the institution, Latino numbers have grown to historic numbers. The community college is now moving toward becoming a minority-serving institution, which is a designation awarded to colleges and universities in which white students make up less than 50% of the total enrollment. In order to reduce health ...
Determining the best way to reach Latinos has always been one of the biggest questions that health care workers always ask. Language barriers, trust issues, and cultural differences are just some of the barriers that often create inequities for many Latinos. At Mercer University in Macon, GA (3.14% Latino population), students launched a community health fair aimed at reaching Latinos in an effort to alleviate some of the lingering health concerns of the community. “Since the Hispanic population is growing a lot, we need more representation, more people that can help because that affects the whole community,” said Dr. Jose Pino, a professor of foreign languages and literature at Mercer University in an interview with WMAZ. “In some institutions they don't have bilingual ...
A new study reported by USA Today has confirmed some really bad news. Over the past four decades, colon and rectal cancers have increased dramatically and steadily, especially in young and middle-age adults. This could be even worse news for Latinos. According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Latino men and the third leading cause of cancer deaths among Latina women. Scientists have not pinpointed an exact cause, but they have theorized that the rising obesity rats and inactivity and poor diets have played a factor in this news. “Colorectal cancer had been thought a success story” because overall rates have fallen as screening has increased among older adults, said lead researcher Rebecca Siegel ...
For many Latinos, discussing mental health issues still retains a strong, negative stigma. Often times, a lack of access to mental health care resources means conditions go either untreated or undiagnosed. Language barriers also prevent many from expressing their symptoms and/or concerns to their doctors. In the city of Fresno, Calif. (48.54% Latino population), one group is looking to help remove some of these barriers. The Consejo Project, part of the Department of Social Work Education at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), trains social work students to serve Spanish-speaking children, teenagers, and youths and examine and work through the systemic barriers that limit the access of Latinos to mental and substance abuse services in the San Joaquin Valley. “We ...
To help decrease the increasing rates of obesity and ensure greater health for students in the Philippines, a congressman announced on Monday, March 13th, 2017 a Healthy Drinks bill for all public schools in the country. The act hopes to improve the diet of over 21 million students in the country where more than 46,000 public schools will have to limit, if not ban, the sales of soft drinks and energy drinks in schools. Ang Edukasyon, party-list Rep. Salvador Belaro explained to radio dzBB, that the World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged banning or limiting sugary drinks, and now that sugary beverages are so cheap in Filipino schools, it has become a popular drink of choice for students during recess time. However popular sugary drinks are for kids, they usually contain ...
