Let’s pretend you know nothing about Latino childhood obesity, but you want to learn. What do you do first? Google, of course. So you head online and type “Latino childhood obesity” in the search box. The No. 1 search result is Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, followed by the Salud America! Latino childhood obesity video at No. 2. The 3rd Annual Salud America! Scientific Summit on Sept. 14-16, 2011, in San Antonio, showcased several reasons why Salud America! is No. 1—the network continues to raise awareness of Latino childhood obesity, stimulate collaboration to combat the epidemic, and feature 20 research grantees. The summit highlighted the work of the 20 grantees and innovative experts ...
Check out the Prevention Institute's new video on junk food marketing to kids: There also is a model letter people can send to the president regarding healthy food marketing guidelines here. And follow the Prevention Institute on Twitter at ...
Low "activation" among patients may contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in access and health care—particularly among Hispanic immigrants—as much as lack of insurance coverage, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported study published this week in Health Affairs. Activating patients means helping people get knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage their health and care. In the study, which fuels to the increasingly pervasive belief among health care experts that activation is vital for a high-quality U.S. health system, authors from RWJF, the Center for Studying Health System Change, and the University of Oregon showed patient activation among Hispanics and blacks was low compared to that of whites. Just 25% of Hispanics were at the highest ...
Redes En Acción:The National Latino Cancer Research Network has created a Spanish version of its new manual, A Patient Navigation Manual for Latino Audiences: The Redes En Acción Experience, to guide health organizations in developing patient navigation services for Latinos. Check out the manual in Spanish or English. The manual first defines patient navigation. Patient navigators are trained health workers who aim to help “navigate” underserved Latinos through the often-complex healthcare system and remove barriers to timely, quality care. It then offers a six-step guide to determine whether navigation is right for a health organization, and highlights important considerations for implementing navigation. The manual also features many robust tools, customizable ...
Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, was recently named a "Champion of Change” by the President Barack Obama's White House for her contributions to ending suffering from breast cancer. Now Dr. Ramirez has written a blog post for the White House. The inspirational post, "Giving Latinas a Chance Against Breast Cancer," highlights Latinas' cancer issues and discusses ways to overcome barriers:
Prevention is the key, and timely screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care are critical if Latinas are to survive cancer and sustain a good quality of life.
That’s why my Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San ...
One in four American adults (55.1 million) was treated in 2008 for hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Fewer Hispanics were treated for hypertension (15%) than blacks (29%) or whites (25%). However, Hispanic patients' treatments costs were higher ($1,272) than for black patients ($1,037), patients of other races ($1,211), and white patients ($748). Total expenses were $47.3 billion, with $21.3 billion spent on prescription medicines; $13 billion spent on doctors’ office and outpatient visits; and another $13 billion spent for hospitalizations, emergency department visits and home health care. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the ...
In a telephone survey, Latinos were found to be less likely than whites to get screened for colon cancer, and much less likely when both groups had a family history of the disease, Reuters reports. However, the study results did not show an ethnic difference in which women had recently been screened for breast cancer, whether or not it was in their families. According to the news report:
Researchers didn't know why each person in the study had or hadn't gotten screened. But they proposed a few reasons why Latinos might not get their regular colon cancer check-ups, including communication problems with doctors and fear and anxiety about being screened.
"It seems very plausible that this is not happening for Latinos because of access barriers and language barriers," said Heather Orom, who ...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched MiPlato.gov, the Spanish-language version of ChooseMyPlate.gov, that serves as a reminder to help Latino consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate and MiPlato emphasize the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy, and are supported by consumer messages, such as "Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables." "USDA's new MyPlate food icon is a simple reminder to help Americans think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles and today we are proud to introduce its Spanish-language partner, MiPlato, to help Hispanic consumers at mealtime," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Regardless of our primary language, it is important that we all learn about and embrace healthy eating habits ...
Editor's Note: This story appears in the latest E-newsletter of Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids, directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Laura Kettel Khan rarely stepped foot outside Arizona as a child. She raised horses and enjoyed church-based activities there. Her family didn’t travel much. She even went to study at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her life changed when she joined the Peace Corps in the 1980s. Kettel Khan—despite not knowing Spanish at the time—was assigned to nutrition issues in Latin America. She found herself in a 300-person Honduran village, helping raise animals and building chicken coops at the village ...
