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Spanish Campaign: Tackling COPD among Latinos



The rising U.S. Latino population makes it important to educate Latinos about the nation's third-leading cause of death—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That's why the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), in collaboration with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., launched Tome Un Respiro, the first Spanish-language campaign to raise awareness among Latinos about COPD prevalence, treatment, and disease management. Nearly one of two cases of COPD goes undiagnosed, according to CHEST. “Early detection of COPD is critical in helping to combat this life-threatening disease,” said Mark J. Rosen, MD, Master FCCP, medical director for CHEST. “We see a major gap in awareness and education about COPD in the Hispanic community and want to ensure that everyone has the ...

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Census: More Than 1 in 4 Hispanics Still Have No Health Insurance (Especially Immigrants)



More than 1 in 4 Hispanics still have no health insurance coverage, by far the lowest rates of health insurance coverage in the United States, according to new data from the Census Bureau, Voxxi News reports. Only 1 in 10 non-Hispanic whites lack coverage. Hispanic immigrants overall also are more than twice as likely as U.S.-born Hispanics to lack health insurance coverage, according to the Census data: Hispanic undocumented immigrants: 49% uninsured Hispanic immigrants with citizenship: 21% uninsured U.S.-born Hispanics: 17% uninsured Hispanic immigrants also have higher uninsured rates by age compared to U.S.-born Hispanics. Among those ages 18-64, 24% of U.S.-born and 43% of foreign-born lacked insurances, as well as 2% and 8% of those ages 65 and older, ...

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10 Years (and Counting!): Latinas v. Breast Cancer



Julie La Fuente Louviere of San Antonio has fought—and survived—three bouts of breast cancer. She doesn’t let cancer keep her down. The wife and mother of two has lost weight, ran a half-marathon, celebrated 25 years of marriage, turned 50, become a grandmother, and watched her oldest graduate from law school. "Survivorship means I am able to wake up every morning and be a wife to my husband, a mom to my girls, now a glam'ma to my grandson and loving aunt and sister," Louviere said. "It means I can be an active part of the present and never take life's moments for granted." Louviere is among the 16 local Latina survivors who will celebrate a decade of cancer survival, triumph, and resiliency as part of the 10th anniversary of Nuestras Historias. Nuestras Historias, a 2004 ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 10/14: “Latinas and Breast Cancer: Surviving & Thriving”



Breast cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of Latinas in the U.S. Let’s focus on Latinas and tweet about the latest progress in breast cancer research, the importance of breast cancer risk, screening and the survivorship experience at the next #SaludTues Tweetchat. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinas and Breast Cancer: Surviving and Thriving” DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014 TIME: Noon CST (1:00 PM ET) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: @SusanGKomen, @KPVivaBien, @KPShare We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we explore: Why is breast cancer such a big issue for Latinas? What roles do culture, screening habits, and lifestyle factors play for Latinas? What are some of the best ways to improve Latinas’ ...

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Salad and Fruit Bar Gives Students Healthy Choices



Harris Bilingual Elementary School in Fort Collins, Colo. saw many students throwing away fruits and vegetables at the end of lunch, wasting both food and money for the school. So the school decided to make a change and let the kids pick fruits/veggies that they like to eat! They implemented a fruit and salad bar into their cafeteria, allowing the school to abide by nutrition standards while giving kids healthy foods they wanted to eat. "Alison, que quieres? Oh, broccoli, tambien," says Kate Kosakowski, a teacher's assistant at the school. She gives the pigtailed kindergartner a pat on the back and places several florets on the tray. Kids speak in both English and Spanish throughout the school week at Harris. Poudre School District, which includes Harris elementary, serves almost ...

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Infographic: U.S. Latinos by the Numbers



Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, doesn't just celebrate the Latino culture. Did you know Sept. 15 is also the independence day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatamala, Honduras, and Nicaragua? And that Mexico's independence day is Sept. 16, and Chile's Sept. 18? These are just a few of the interesting facts about Latinos in a new "By the Numbers" infographic from NBC News. Here are some more tidbits: 17.1% of the United States are Latino 25% of U.S. public school children are Latino Only Mexico has a larger Latino population than the United States 37 members of Congress are Latino 51% of Hispanics/Latinos don't have a preference being called "Latino" or "Hispanic" U.S. Latinos have $1.2 trillion in buying power Check out the full ...

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Tweetchat Today (9/16): How to Create a ‘Culture of Health’ for Latinos



Editor's Note: #SaludTues is a weekly Tweetchat hosted at 1 p.m. every Tuesday on Twitter by @SaludToday, the Latino health social media campaign of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday and Salud America!. Latino health is vital. But Latino families face barriers to good health—lack of access to care, parks, healthy food, as well as more junk food marketing and sugary drinks—which contribute to high obesity rates. Today let’s tweet about the issues that impact our health and well-being during Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and what we can to create a culture of health for Latino families at the inaugural #SaludTues Tweetchat. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How to Create ...

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Texas Education Agency Approves SPARK Coordinated School Health Curriculum



SPARK's Coordinated School Health (CSH) program is now being used by Texas schools thanks to a recent action by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to approve the curriculum for use among students in grades K-8. Texas is now the third state to approve the curriculum as part of a comprehensive student health program, which provides students with physical education, physical activity, health education, and nutrition education in order to counter childhood obesity. In a Yahoo news article, Danielle Housley, MPH Healthy Start Project Facilitator at Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas said: "The SPARK PE Curriculum has become an essential piece of our elementary physical education programs." Educators from other school districts also had positive things to say ...

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Study: More Latino Workers Died on the Job in 2013



More Latino workers died on the job last year, even though overall worker deaths declined, according to new federal statistics. Overall, 4,405 workers died from injuries sustained on the job in 2013, 223 fewer than in 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Center for Public Integrity reports. That is about 3.2 deaths per every 100,000 full-time workers. However, Hispanic worker deaths increased from 708 to 797, about 3.8 deaths per 100,000. “It’s no surprise that the number remains high,” said Rebecca Smith, deputy director of the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy and research group, told the Center for Public Integrity. “In part, that’s a function of many Latino workers moving to more dangerous forms of employment, ...

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