Search Results for "asthma"

Study: Dementia Increases Risk of COVID-19


Dementia and COVID risk

A new study led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that people with dementia are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. People with dementia were also more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19 than those without dementia. The study is one of the largest studies on COVID-19 and dementia, examining millions of medical records in the U.S. to draw conclusions. Researchers found that people of color with dementia were more likely to contract COVID-19 than white people with dementia, likely due to the disproportionate burden that communities of color have faced throughout the pandemic. However, the study mostly analyzed Black people with dementia compared to white people, highlighting the need to increase Latino participation in dementia ...

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Using Public Health Strategies to Address Toxic Stress


Using Public Health Strategies to Address Toxic Stress

Exposure to domestic violence and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can trigger the toxic stress response for a long time, disrupting brain and body development and contributing to some of the most serious health conditions facing our society. Public health can help prevent, detect, and mitigate toxic stress. That’s why Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’ recent Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health calls on public health leaders to address ACEs and toxic stress among Latinos and all people. “The public health field plays an important role in ensuring that communities have healthy environments that support healthy behaviors and reduce risk of harmful exposures,” Burke Harris’ roadmap ...

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Toxic Stress and its Lifelong Health Consequences


Toxic stress is a health crisis

Toxic stress is brought about by repeated stressful and traumatic experiences with no supportive relationships. This is causing huge mental and physical health problems for people across the nation, including Latinos and other people of color. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris even calls toxic stress a public health crisis. This is why she authored the Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health. “We now understand that a key mechanism by which ACEs [adverse childhood experiences, such as divorce, abuse, poverty, etc.] lead to increased health risks is through a health condition called the toxic stress response,” Burke Harris’ roadmap states. Salud America! is exploring this issue as part of its ...

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Mil Gracias for Not Smoking Indoors!


mil gracias for not smoking indoors logo

By choosing to not smoke indoors, a smoker deserves a thank-you for protecting their family, friends, and neighbors from secondhand smoke. That’s why the new “Mil Gracias (A Thousands Thanks) for Not Smoking Indoors!” campaign from UT Health San Antonio is inviting people share gratitude for smokers who respect others’ air during the COVID-19 respiratory pandemic: Email a “thank you” to smokers who protect others by not smoking indoors. Sign a letter acknowledging secondhand smoke's danger to health. Download an Action Pack to promote smoke-free multifamily housing in your city. The Mil Gracias campaign features English and Spanish flyers with key messages to help people reduce their risk for smoking-related diseases and COVID-19. “Smokers have the power ...

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Mil Gracias for Not Smoking Indoors, San Antonio!


Main art for web page

Mil Gracias for Not Smoking Indoors, San Antonio! The new “Mil Gracias for Not Smoking Indoors!” campaign from UT Health San Antonio helps people share gratitude for smokers who respect others’ air by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke. You can take 3 big actions: 1. Email a "thank you" message to smokers who protect others by not smoking indoors. 2. Sign a letter to acknowledge the dangers of secondhand smoke. 3. Download an Action Pack to promote smoke-free multifamily housing in your city. The Mil Gracias campaign also features English and Spanish flyers with key messages to help people reduce their risk for smoking-related diseases and COVID-19. Through #MilGraciasForNotSmoking, we can reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, reduce risk for related ...

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More Multifamily Dwellings in California Go Smoke-Free


California Smoke-Free Multifamily

More and more Californians are working toward a tobaccoless future. In the city of Crescent City, Calif., residents will no longer be able to smoke in multi-unit housing. A new ordinance, recently passed by the City Council, aims to reduce the harmful toxins non-smokers face when facing secondhand smoke inside their apartments or condos. The city joins a list of over 60 other California cities with similar policies. Secondhand smoke is linked to cancer and heart disease. There is even data to suggest that some forms of exposure are more harmful than other, such as sidestream exposure — a mix of mainstream smoke, the smoke exhaled out by a smoker, and sidestream smoke from the burning tobacco product. “[Sidestream] smoke has higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents ...

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What Are Latino Parents’ Top 10 Health Concerns for Kids?



As 2020 comes to an end, let’s take a look at health this year. In a year defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have several concerns about the health and safety of their children. Overuse of social media/screen time (72%), bullying/cyberbullying (62%), and Internet safety (62%) were parents top overall concerns, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health 2020. The survey asked a national sample of Latino, Black, and white parents to rate the top health concerns for U.S. children ages 0-18. “Overall, 8 of the Top 10 concerns most commonly rated by all parents as a ‘big problem’ are frequently associated with changes in lifestyle and may be related to efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the survey ...

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How a Smoke-Free Policy Protects Apartment Tenants from Secondhand Smoke, COVID-19


Mil Gracias for not smoking indoors in multifamily dwellings

Does someone smoke in your apartment complex? You might be inhaling your neighbor's secondhand smoke. Inside multifamily dwellings, secondhand smoke can travel through doorways, halls, windows, ventilation systems, electrical outlets, and gaps around fixtures and pipes. Secondhand smoke, already a cancer-causing killer of millions, also might contribute to the spread of coronavirus. While there is no definitive link as of yet, there is enough scientific understanding of how particles travel to cause concern that smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products could be transferring COVID-19, said Dr. Loren Wold, a researcher at The Ohio State University. “We know that the virus can attach to particles and can travel three, four, or five times farther than they ...

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Get Help Quitting Smoking for the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 19!


man quitting and stopping smoking by smashing cigarettes

You don't have to stop smoking in one day. Start with Day 1. On Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey with the Great American Smokeout. This annual event from the American Cancer Society encourages smokers to make a plan to stop smoking. Need help? Sign up for Quitxt, a free English or Spanish text-message service that turns your phone into a personal "quit smoking" coach from UT Health San Antonio. To join Quitxt, text "iquit" (for English) or "lodejo" (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. "For the Great American Smokeout, we're excited to share Quitxt to provide real-time help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and much more, all on your phone," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the ...

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