In nearly every community across the country, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is working to increase access to affordable, quality health care. For Latinos, an estimated 8 in 10 who were previously uninsured qualified for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Health Insurance Marketplace. To date, over 4 million Latinos (ages 18-64) have gained health coverage, lowering the overall uninsured rate among Latinos by nearly 8%. Also, over 913,000 Latino adults 19-26, who would have previously been uninsured, now have coverage under their parents’ plans. Getting health insurance is an important first step for overall better health. Once you have your coverage, how do you make it “work” for you? The U.S. Centers for ...
Raising Women’s Voices (RWV), a national initiative working to make sure women’s voices are heard and women’s concerns are addressed as policymakers put healthcare laws into action, has finished preparation of Mi Salud, Mi Voz: Una Guía Paso a Paso Para Mujeres Sobre Cómo Usar el Seguro Médico. This guide is a Spanish translation of many popular health literacy materials. RWV Regional Field Manager Cecilia Saenz Becerra worked with three translators—Tony Macias, Jen Hofer, and Lucy Acevedo to produce the Spanish-language guide. “Working with the team of translators, we used Spanish language that was precise and accurate, while also trying to make it accessible to diverse Spanish-language readers,” she explained. Mi Salud, Mi Voz: Una Guía Paso a Paso Para Mujeres ...
A team of researchers studying preterm infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital found that premature babies whose daily diets consisted of 50 percent breast milk had more brain tissue by their due dates than premature babies who consumed significantly less breast milk. One notable finding is that researchers didn’t distinguish between milk from the babies’ own mothers and milk donated by other women. Breastfeeding has numerous positive effects on children, one of which is reduce risk for obesity. The researchers plan to follow these babies through their first years of life to look at their growth and motor, cognitive, and social development, because researchers believe they will be able to determine the effects of early exposure ...
On Monday, April 4, 2016, New York (18.6% Latino) passed the nation's best paid family leave policy-part of the 2016-2017 State Budget. "When fully phased-in, employees will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid leave when caring for an infant, a family member with a serious health condition, or to relieve family pressures when someone is called to active military service." The purpose of this bill is to help workers take care of their families without worrying about losing their paycheck, paid maternity leave included. The Unites States is one of three countries-out of 185-that does not provide paid maternity leave. Lack of maternity leave is one of many barriers Latina mom's face to breastfeed. Providing maternity leave could have a profound affect on Latino health. According ...
Obesity is rising among our youngest children. That’s because of a mother's obesity, less exclusive breastfeeding, and workplace and childcare issues, according to a new package of research from Salud America!, a national network for childhood obesity prevention and communication funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Salud America!’s Healthy Weight by Kindergarten research shows that many women, including many Latinos, are overweight/obese when they get pregnant. Obese moms gave birth to kids who were 1.8 times more likely to be obese than their peers. Breastfeeding can reduce obesity by 47% among kids, but some moms are less likely than white moms to exclusively breastfeed their infants through age 1. Solutions are emerging to improve maternal and child ...
One of four U.S. kids, including Latino kids, is already overweight or obese by age 2-5. How can we promote a healthy weight by kindergarten? Mothers’ physical activity and healthy eating habits before and during pregnancy play a big role. Breastfeeding also has many positive effects on children. Interventions or policies aimed at improving breastfeeding rates, while reducing formula marketing, among Latino and all mothers may be critical to promoting healthy weight goals. Healthy eating and physical activity habits established during early childhood care settings also is a stepping stone toward lifelong health. See the Full Research Review with references (PDF)
Read the Issue Brief in English (PDF)
Read the Issue Brief in Spanish (PDF)
Contents
Introduction & ...
In January 2016, MotherToBaby launched a new bilingual (English/Spanish) digital initiative for expectant or breastfeeding moms and health care providers to get free expert information about the risks of medications and other exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding through free, private instant messaging. In addition to live chatting, MotherToBaby also provides emailing-an-expert, texting an expert, and a library of free downloadable facts sheets in both English and Spanish. Expectant or breastfeeding moms can access instant messaging or emailing an expert by visiting www.MotherToBaby.org, or access texting with an expert by texting questions to ...
Sugary drinks are a large component of added calories in the American diet. Many kids have increased their consumption of sugary drinks—such as soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and flavored milk—between 1991 and 2008, research shows. In Contra Costa, Calif., where 24% of the population is Latino, one of every three kids from low-income families are overweight or obese. A county organization worked with an advertising agency to develop a bilingual social marketing campaign, called Sugar Bites, to urge parents to choose water for their kids instead of sugary drinks.
The Issue of Sugary Drinks and Obesity
Awareness: First 5 California is a state organization funded by Proposition 10, a statewide ballot initiative passed in 1998, to conduct health and ...
