The number of Hispanics with diabetes-related eye diseases is expected to double from 1.2 to 3 million by 2030, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI). All diabetics can develop eye problems. But Hispanics and older adults with diabetes are at higher risk of losing vision or going blind from diabetic eye disease—a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of the disease and includes cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among adults ages 20-74. Here are seven tips from the NEI to reduce or detect diabetic eye disease: All diabetics should have a dilated eye exam at least once a year to detect vision problems early.
Take your medications.
Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Add physical ...
About 27% of US Hispanics reported high levels of depressive symptoms, according to a new study, Medical Express reports. The study, part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), indicates that depression and anxiety rates differ widely among Hispanic groups. The highest rates of depressive symptoms were reported by Puerto Ricans (38%). The lowest rates were among Mexicans (22.3%). "Our study has found that mental health problems differ among the various groups comprising this population, suggesting that healthcare workers should look more closely at subgroups of Hispanics and Latinos to deliver appropriate mental health services," said lead author Dr. Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, co-principal investigator of HCHS/SOL at the Albert Einstein ...
Cancer recently passed heart disease as the top killer of Latinos. But heart disease shouldn't be ignored. Culturally appropriate health promotion, prevention and treatment is vital to saving lives and preserving Latino families, said Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for the American Heart Association, in a Huffington Post article. The article lists several reasons for concern: Preschool-age Hispanic children are four times more likely to be obese compared to non-Hispanic white children. These children are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes as young adults.
Hispanic youths have higher smoking rates—28 percent of Hispanic eighth graders smoke compared to 23.7 percent of non-Hispanic white children. Smoking is the number one preventable cause ...
Several Latino researchers were among those awarded $7.6 million to prevent cancer this week at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, thanks to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the Health Science Center, the team behind SaludToday, was awarded a $1.4 million grant. Ramirez will develop bilingual, culturally appropriate social and mobile messages and channels to recruit young adult Latino smokers to sign up for a text-message-based tobacco cessation service. “Smoking is a problem among young adult Latinos in South Texas, but there are no culturally relevant programs that utilize Latinos’ heavy usage of social media and texting to help them quit," Ramirez said. ...
A study by researchers at the University of Minnesota and Duke University in Durham, NC, found an association between weekly consumption of sports and energy drinks and higher consumption of other sugary drinks, cigarette smoking and use of screen media by teens. Some results: Regular consumers of energy drinks were more likely spend significantly more time playing video games than non energy drink consumers.
Boys who drank energy drinks averaged about four more hours of video game play weekly, while girls who drank energy drinks played about two more hours each week than occasional users.
Regular energy drink users consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages.
Girls who regularly drank energy drinks were more likely to skip breakfast than girls who rarely or never drank ...
Hispanics live longer than other population groups, even though they face higher rates of blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, according to the largest-ever study of Latino health. The federal study, called the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), is a multi-city epidemiological study collected information on the health issues, risk factors, and lifestyle habits that impact this population. The study has followed more than 16,000 Hispanic adults from Chicago, San Diego, Miami and the Bronx since 2008. Some of its initial national results include: 80% of Hispanic men and 71% of women had at least one adverse risk factor for heart disease (i.e., high cholesterol/blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or smoking).
The percentage with obesity was high among ...
CVS pharmacies have decided to stop selling cigarettes, according to several media reports. Will you quit, too? A free automated self-help “Stop Smoking” website is available in both English and Spanish to give Latinos various resources and tools to quit and track their quit progress. Visit the website in English or Spanish. The website is part of a study led by Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute. The study is a collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Participants’ smoking status will be evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months. This project has a very strict ...
The Union City's Youth Commission in California is comprised of teens from local schools that want be active in their communities. These teens most recently decided to take on the issue of tobacco products, specifically how the products are targeting youth and teens, reports ChangeLab Solutions. The members of the Youth Commission are concerned about how easy the access is for their peers to get cigars, e-cigarettes, and cigarillos. These tobacco products are often flavored to appeal to youth. The Youth Commission approached the City Council with information about how the tobacco industry targets youth in advertising and with price promotions, along with resources from ChangeLab Solutions about e-cigarettes and the model Tobacco Retailer Licencing ordinance. The ...
U.S. Obesity leveled off since last year, the first time since 1998 that obesity rates have not worsened, according to the new United Health Foundation’s 2013 America’s Health Rankings, an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by state basis. Here are the key nationwide health trends from last year to this year: Smoking rates dropped from 21.2% of the adult population to 19.6%.
Physical inactivity dropped from 26.2% of the adult population to 22.9%.
Obesity remained about the same, about 27% of the adult population. At the state level, Hawaii has taken the title of healthiest state. The state scored well along most measures particularly for having low rates of uninsured individuals, high rates of childhood immunization, and low rates of ...
