Shortly after he was born, Bruno Lara got a fever that was hard to control. After two months in the hospital, Bruno was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a rare and life-threatening immunodeficiency. His hope for a cure lies in finding a blood stem cell donor. To help Bruno and other Latino patients urgently searching for a genetic match, Be The Match, a nonprofit that aims to save lives through marrow and cord blood transplantation, launched a new campaign, "My People. My Family. Mi Sangre." "The cure for blood cancer is a blood stem cell transplant from a genetically matched donor – a “DNA twin.” Latino patients have only a 46% chance of finding one," according to the Be The Match website. Finding a donor for Latino patients is hard because of complex ...
The FDA is making a series of new enforcement and regulatory steps to crack down on JUUL e-cigarettes, which is big for Latinos who are increasingly using e-cigs. JUUL e-cigs resemble a USB flash drive and come in flavors very popular among young people. A single JUUL cartridge is equal to about a pack of cigarettes, or 200 cigarette puffs. The FDA is planning or taking these actions: A national undercover blitz to crack down on the sale of e-cigs–specifically JUUL products–to minors at both brick-and-mortar and online retailers.
Contacted eBay to raise concerns over several listings for JUUL products on its website.
Contacted JUUL manufacturers directly to submit product marketing and research information to better understand the health implications and youth ...
Latino college students are far less likely than their white peers to complete their degree, and more likely to still be enrolled beyond six years on their path to a degree, according to a new report. The report, College Completion through a Latino Lens, is from Excelencia in Education. They examined the Latino-focused findings from an analysis of college completion rates by race/ethnicity from a 2010 student cohort, which was led by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Key points from the Excelencia in Education report show: About 45.8% of Latino students earned a 2- or 4-year degree within six years. This is a lower completion rate than their White peers (62%) and higher than their Black peers (38%). One in every five Latino students were still “in ...
A food desert covers 52% of the Rio Grande Valley on the Texas-Mexico border, according to a recent assessment by the Working on Wellness project at Texas A&M University, the Rio Grande Guardian reports. Food deserts are areas more than 2 miles or 15 minutes away from a grocery store. People in Rio Grande Valley food deserts are predominantly Latino with low income and no transportation, according to the assessment by Working on Wellness. Fortunately, Working on Wellness is taking action to help. “We found out there were still a lot of areas that could be improved in terms of access whether that be walking trails, sidewalks, or healthy food retail-like groceries,” Evelia Castillo, Working on Wellness coordinator, told the Rio Grande Guardian. "So we’ve been working ...
An unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor for death, causing more than 500,000 U.S. deaths in 2016, according to a new study. For the study, University of Washington researchers analyzed data on 333 diseases in every state from 1990-2016. They implicated diet in 529,999 deaths from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases in 2016. After diet, tobacco, high blood pressure, and obesity were the next biggest early death risks. These findings have big implications for Latinos, who tend to struggle with local access to healthy food, according to a Salud America! research review. “To an increasing degree, overweight, obesity, and sugary diets are driving up health care costs and are costing Americans years of healthy life,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, ...
Congratulations to Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, who has received the "Icons in Healthcare Award" from CentroMed, a San Antonio health and human service agency! The award recognizes individuals and groups for their important contributions to community healthcare. Dr. Ramirez has more than 30 years of experience developing robust health research and communication models to reduce cancer and improve health among Latinos locally and nationally. The award will be presented at a gala on Nov. 1, 2018. "I'm very thankful for this award and its recognition of our ongoing progress to boost Latino health in San Antonio," Ramirez said. Dr. Ramirez's studies and programs have contributed to increased cancer screening, better cancer risk ...
Latinos are sorely underrepresented in clinical research and the healthcare workforce, said a minority health leader. Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, called this issue a "crisis" during the recent National Hispanic Medical Association conference in March 2018, Medpage Today reports. He also covered these issues at UT Health San Antonio's Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos in February 2018.
Latinos & Clinical Research
Latinos face many health disparities in cancer. They tend to have low access to healthy food, physical activity, and social support services, according to Salud America! research. Yet they don't often join clinical trials, Perez-Stable said. "There hasn't been a single [prostate] ...
Most early childcare providers deal with children who have experienced or will experience neglect, poverty, or other traumatic events that can harm long-term health. But not all providers know how to best help these children. Fortunately, a new report from Child Trends and the National Center for Children in Poverty, is giving childcare providers guidance in dealing with children of trauma.
How Early Childhood Trauma Affects Kids
Trauma is a sad fact of life for many children. Whether its child abuse or witnessing domestic violence, trauma can impair a child's body and brain development. It also can hinder learning and the ability to develop healthy relationships across the lifespan. Latino kids exposed to many traumatic events are at higher risk for obesity, asthma, heart ...
The USDA wants your opinion to shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans! The guidelines aim to help people choose an overall healthy diet. They have specific nutritional targets and dietary limits for children (ages 2-18), adults (19-64), and older adults (65 and older). Now, for the first time, the guidelines will cover pregnant women and babies (birth to age 2). What do you think the guidelines should recommend? How does it impact Latinos? Speak up! Copy a model public comment developed by our Salud America! research team, click the "submit" button, and paste the comment in the USDA's comments submission website by March 30, 2018. Model Comment: General
I urge the USDA and HHS to create the strongest possible Dietary Guidelines to ensure that all kids, parents, ...
