Maria Huerta, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 32 years old. “You cannot imagine how your life can change in the snap of a finger. Well, mine did. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993. At the time I was caring for her I would say to myself, “Oh God, what would I do?” Little did I know I would go through it myself when I was diagnosed a year later at age 32,” Maria says. While she was taking a shower Maria discovered a lump and immediately told her mother and daughter. “At the time I was hurting financially and prayed to God that if it needed immediate attention to please provide the money so I could have it taken care of.” A few days later Maria was surprised by her employer with an envelope with money for her treatment. “I was devastated ...
According to a report by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), the average U.S. Latino worker earns less than white counterparts. Latinos are behind the majority white population on several important economic factors, such as employment and income. Latinos represent 17% of the total U.S. population and are the largest ethnic group in the nation. The report noted that the median income for Latino households is $42,500, nearly $18,000 less than non-Latino whites. Foreign-born Latinos have an even lower median household income with $34,600. “It’s important to know where we are as a Latino community and what we need to do to continue in the right direction,” said CHC Chairwoman Linda Sanchez. “We are making progress in some areas … but in ...
Bonnie Y. Modugno, MS, RD, a nutrition consultant, and Shari Portnoy, MPH, RD, CFT, a registered dietitian both give nutritional advice and practices to help make student living healthier for K-12 students and college students alike. The site gives college students advice on how to stay healthy during the year when most college students harbor bad eating habits and often times heavy drinking occurs. By taking advantage of college intramural sports, and on-campus athletic trainers, and using resources on the site like, my food record, students can learn how to balance a healthy diet with exercise for a healthier mind and create healthy habits. Advice for k-12 students is also provided with resources like the EatWell plate, to help guide portion sizes and fun games from the USDA and ...
According to finding recently published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, young Latinos living in rural areas face discrimination when they try to obtain health care services. This could be a contributing factor in disparities in Latino health outcomes.
Nearly 40% of the 349 young, adult Latinos (between the ages of 18-25) living in rural Oregon interviewed said they had experienced discrimination. This discrimination included being prevented access to services, being “hassled,” or being made to feel inferior in some way. Nearly 45% of foreign-born Latinos reported discrimination compared to nearly 32% of U.S.-born Latinos. The researchers’ goal was to better understand the role discrimination, or perceived discrimination, pays in the access Latinos have to ...
Latino kids are marketed to about candy and junk food especially during fall and Halloween celebrations like Dia de los Muertos. These sugary beverages and sweets do not produce a culture of health and well being, but are tempting during the holidays. Latino kids are more at risk for diabetes and obesity. What can we do? Let’s use #SaludTues to tweet information, resources, and tips that can help Latinos kids and moms reduce their risk of sugar and it’s dangers. Follow #SaludTues to join the conversation. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Fall Celebrations & Candy Alternatives”
DATE: Tuesday, October 27, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: Center for Science in the Public Interest CSPI ...
Spreading the word about how to build a culture of health for Latinos is a dire need. That's why we at SaludToday are excited to be nominated as Best Health Advocate reaching Latino(a)s through Tech Innovation and Social Media by LATISM (Latinos in Social Media), a nonprofit group that aims to empower Latinos through tech innovation and social media, and Toyota. SaludToday is a national Latino health campaign and the social media handle for Dr. Amelie Ramirez's Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, including its national projects on Latino childhood obesity (Salud America!) and cancer prevention (Redes). SaludToday curates stories about peer models who’ve made healthy behavior changes, recent health news, useful resources, and ...
A conference was held in October at the Milken Institute of Public Health on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to address the high burden of health problems that affect Latinos in the area. Compared to white adults, Latinos suffer higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. “Latino populations are marginalized for many reasons,” said Dr. Mark Edberg, director of the Avance Center, one of the conferences contributors. “They don’t always have good access to healthy food. A single parent may have to work two or three jobs and not have a lot of time to cook.” At the conference, researchers, practitioners, and advocates shared new research and information as well as community perspectives that could be used to help break down ...
Sarah Cantril started the Huerto de la Familia program to focus on boosting health equity by helping Latino families live healthier lives in Eugene, Ore. In trying a new approach to bring health information to Latino families, Julia Ridgeway-Diaz and other officials with Huerto de la Familia decided to start an annual health fair, called Dia de Salud (Health Day). This free, culturally tailored annual health fair brings Latino families together to receive free eye exams, blood tests, and other health services that would normally be unavailable to their community.
What role do Latinos play in their health?
Huerto de la Familia has been assisting Latino immigrant and migrant families in Eugene, Ore. (7.8% Latino), since 1999, when Sarah Cantril formed the organization from a ...
When you’re 27 years old the last thing that crosses your mind are mammograms, breast self-examination and breast cancer. “My doctor had said I was too young to have a mammogram, so when I finally heard the breast cancer diagnosis after tests on my “cyst,” my whole body went numb. I didn’t have time for cancer; I was getting married. On December 5, 1997,” Tanya Enriquez says. Her honeymoon turned into a visit to the hospital to have 20 lymph nodes removed, and an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Soon after her diagnosis Tanya met Marta Zuniga, a stage III breast cancer patient and later met Susan Coll, the three were known as the Three Muskateers. “We had a bond that not many shared. We were all under 30 and had breast cancer. We would talk, laugh, and go out to lunch, ...
