Our @SaludAmerica (formerly @SaludToday) health social media handle was honored to be nominated for the Best Health channel to reach people through Tech Innovation and Social Media award from LATISM, a nonprofit group that empowers people through tech innovation and social media. Although we didn't win (congrats to our friends at the American Heart Association!), we love being part of a huge push to improve health. During the LATISM conference, our social media coordinator, Carlos Valenzuela of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center, was honored to speak on behalf of IHPR Director Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez about how we’re using using our social media accounts and digital communications via Salud America! to raise awareness of childhood ...
In 2009 Douglas Johnson, the new principal at Mountlake Terrace Elementary School in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., realized the enormity of physical inactivity and obesity in his community. Many kids lack safe, quality opportunities for physical activity, which heightens their risk for obesity and disease. Safe biking opportunities provide one avenue to improve the situation. Johnson and other leaders at Mountlake Terrace started taking advantage of existing opportunities offered by local cycling clubs. Soon, they began creating their opportunities and helped bring new bikes, helmets, and a brand-new bike trail to the school to expand students’ ability to get the physical activity they need to stay healthy.
Kids Aren't Playing Enough
In 2009 Douglas Johnson, the new principal ...
It’s the time of the year when we’re feeling grateful for being healthy, having a loving family and a job, but do you know gratitude can also keep your heart healthy? A study led by Paul Mills, professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine recruited 186 men and women who suffered from heart disease “either through years of sustained high blood pressure or as a result of a heart attack or even an infection of the heart itself.” During the study, Mills asked each participant to fill out a questionnaire to rate how grateful they were for the people, places or things in their lives. “We found that more gratitude in these patients was associated with better mood, better sleep, less fatigue and lower levels of ...
A coalition formed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) resulted in a 40% increases in colorectal screening rates over four years. The program is now being looked at as a possible pilot for other communities to boost their cancer screening rates. A report headed by Dr. Steven Itzkowitz, a professor of medicine/oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), now provides a framework for how communities might learn from a program to increase screening rates and ensure access for all people. “The increased screening rates from 2003 to 2012 translates to an additional 833,000 New Yorkers who have undergone screening colonoscopy and represents an important public health intervention,” said Dr. Itzkowitz. “By making ...
Bishop Jose Torres, a father of three girls who plays volleyball in his spare time, was concerned about the lack of health awareness among his congregation in Severn, a suburb of Annapolis, MD. He wanted to do something about it. So with a few dedicated partners, he created a Health Festival for his community. For over five years, the Health Festival has provided much-needed health information and services to hundreds in the community and has even saved a few lives.
Concern Over a Community's Health
Located in Severn, a suburb of the city of Annapolis, MD (16.8% Latino), the Heritage Community Church has a sizeable Latino population. Bishop Jose Torres and the rest of the Church leadership were concerned about the health and health literacy of their congregation ...
A vaccine can't prevent disease unless people use it. In Texas, a largely Latino state, only 39% of girls and 15% of boys ages 13-17 complete the three-dose HPV vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer and other problems. Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina has a plan to change that. Parra-Medina, a health researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, received a new $1.2 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to develop an professional education and community outreach program to increase awareness and uptake of the HPV vaccine among children in South Texas. She and her team will train local health care providers to deliver accurate HPV vaccine ...
We love to spend time with family and friends—hence Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays for people in the U.S. Many families combine the traditional Thanksgiving dishes like turkey and pecan pie with popular specialties such as tamales, pozole and empanadas. Unfortunately, diabetes and cardiovascular disease affect the community in big numbers and for this reason is important that we make healthy choices this holiday season. Join #SaludTues this Tuesday, Nov.24, 1 pm ET, we’ll be sharing healthy recipes and ideas to have a muy healthy Thanksgiving dinner. WHAT: #SaludTuesTweetchat: “Thanksgiving Muy Healthy”
DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
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Can bullying affect children's weight, health, and future? Duke Medicine researchers recently reported from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (UNC), that students who bullied their peers were twice as likely to display symptoms of bulimia, such as bingeing and purging. Findings from a database with more than two decades of health information on participants enrolled at age 9 reported that children who were victims of bullying were generally at risk for eating disorders, but reports also showed that children that were the bullies also had the highest prevalence of anorexia symptoms (22.8% vs. 5.6 % of those not involved in bullying.) Kids who are overweight may also be at a higher risk for being bullied or being the child who feels insecure and bullies other ...
You may have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and a new research from Cardiff University finds a direct link between kids who eat a quality breakfast and their educational attainment. The landmark study reveals that students who ate breakfast were twice as likely to have higher academic outcomes. The study looked at 5,000 students ages 9 to 11 years of age from more than 100 primary schools. Researchers examined the longitudinal effects of the link between breakfast consumption and educational outcomes. The study also showed significant differences of educational performance between students who ate sweets or crisps versus students who ate fruit and vegetables, revealing that eating sweets for breakfast had no positive impact on educational ...
