Extra support for patients, called “patient navigation,” can lead to faster diagnosis for Latinas after an abnormal mammogram result, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), part of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The study, published this week by the journal Cancer, also suggests that patient navigation should be carefully targeted to have the greatest impact on eventual health outcomes. IHPR researchers worked with partners in the federally funded Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Network to examine the experiences of 425 Latinas in six cities nationwide. Each woman had received an abnormal result in initial breast cancer screening and was referred for further ...
About 31% of U.S. Latinos are obese and 30.6% have a sedentary lifestyle, higher rates than the overall population (27.8% and 26.2%, respectively), according to a new snapshot of the nation's health. Latinos' obesity and diabetes rates continue to be alarming, experts say. But the news isn't all bad: Latinos' rates of premature death, death due to cancers, cardiovascular deaths and infant mortality all improved, according to an NBC Latino report on the new America's Health Rankings. The rankings, which comes from the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention, looks at 24 measures of health, including tobacco and alcohol abuse, exercise, infectious diseases, crime rates, premature birth rates and cancer and heart disease ...
Check out this great video story from a Latino who quit smoking. The video is from Manantial de Salud, a federally funded Latino grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in the Dove Springs neighborhood in Austin, ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, 2013, for the 2013 Èxito! program. Lizette Rangel
Houston, Texas Lizette Rangel, who grew up in a low-income Latino community, had two life choices. The easy choice: A life of gangs, early pregnancy, poverty and a daily struggle to live. The hard choice: A life of difficult study and education. Fortunately, Rangel chose the hard path, embraced a “nerd” attitude and devoted herself to studying to better her situation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Houston and interned to help implement a diabetic health education program to the community. She also earned a master’s degree in public health from The ...
Having a colonoscopy might be pretty low on Latino adults’ to-do lists. Even hearing the term “colonoscopy” might make some people a bit squeamish. But it can also save your life. Just take it from Armida Flores, a promotora (a trained community health worker) at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Flores spends her days helping people confront cancers and illness. Because of this, she began to worry about her own health and decided to schedule a colonoscopy. “I was a little bit nervous about it but, to my surprise, the procedure was not too bad,” Flores said. “I was asleep, so I did not feel any pain or discomfort.” After explaining the procedure using simple medical terms, the doctor even ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, 2013, for the 2013 Èxito! program. Helen Palomino
Brawley, Calif. Helen Palomino didn’t go straight into a doctoral degree program after earning her master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University in 2008. She had a good reason for postponing her doctoral aspirations. Palomino instead focused on helping her children achieve their college degrees while also establishing her career in the field of clinical social work. She continues to work as a medical social worker at the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert, a nonprofit organizations in California where she provides social services and resources to individuals who have been ...
Check out this neat video on the problem of unhealthy competitive foods in schools--and what some schools are doing to make school food healthier. The video is by the Alliance for a Healthier ...
With ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a new report on policy considerations is available to help educate policymakers and inform decisions on national health policy. The report, "Policy Considerations That Make the Link," offers options to advance changes to overcome systemic and structural barriers that may block the ability to deliver and sustain effective diabetes care to those most in need. The report comes from The Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes, a five-site program in Camden, N.J., Chicago, Dallas, Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyo., and Memphis, Tenn., which aims to improve health care delivery and outcomes among African-American, Latino and Native American adults. "The document connects the on-the-ground experiences of the Alliance ...
