Cancer is now the leading killer of Hispanics in the U.S., the latest sign it's beginning to displace heart disease as the nation's top cause of death, the Associated Press reports:
The rest of the country may not be far behind, "probably in the next 10 years," said Rebecca Siegel of the American Cancer Society. She is the lead author of a study reporting the new findings. That may be a conservative estimate. Government health statisticians think cancer could overtake heart disease as the top U.S. killer as early as this year, or at least in the next two or three.
For decades, heart disease has been the nation's leading cause of death. But cancer has been closing in on it. That's largely because of better heart disease treatments, including statin drugs that lower cholesterol.
Why is ...
Check out this cool video about Jesse Campos, who weighed 220 pounds at age 9, but was inspired by his pediatrician to lose weight by eating healthier and exercising. Campos, now 17, is 46 pounds lighter at 174 pounds. "Not only did I gain self confidence from losing weight, but I also [feel] better physically," said Campos, who appears in the video produced by Kaiser ...
Latinos kids: Don't drink sodas during the school week. This is the no-soda challenge being asked of Austin, Texas, students and their families by a Latino group, Manantial de Salud, a federally funded grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in Austin's Dove Springs neighborhood. The pledge—which essentially asks students and their families to "don't do the Dew" from Monday to Friday during the school year—is now being adopted citywide by the Austin Independent School District (ISD), Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas and other local groups as a small-but-serious step toward curbing childhood obesity. Families who accept the challenge are urged to text "nosodas" to 84444 or email nosodatx@gmail.com, or share their stories ...
A free telephone/web education program available in English, Spanish or Portuguese is set for 1-2:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 13, 2012. The program, NHL (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) & CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) Diagnosis and Treatment Update, will feature speaker Dr. Christopher R. Flowers from The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta. Participants will have the opportunity to ask Dr. Flowers a question during the program. This program is sponsored by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in collaboration with Abrale and Alianza Latina and supported by a grant from Genentech and Biogen Idec. The continuing education portion is sponsored by LLS. To register, go ...
Check out these new nutrition standards for school lunches, and get tips, policy options, fact sheets, videos and other resources on back-to-school issues from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). And don't forget the upcoming Virtual Back to School Night at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, hosted by the National PTA and Pew's Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods ...
Those who sign up for the text4baby service, which sends bilingual health tips to mothers and expectant mothers, from Sept. 1-30, 2012, will be entered to win a year's supply of baby products. The contest coincides with National Infant Mortality Awareness Month in September and aims to demonstrate the importance of women’s health and connect more mothers to health information. Text4baby, which is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, is a free mobile service that sends critical health information to expectant and new moms timed to their pregnancy or baby’s development. Messages were developed by government and non-profit health experts like the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and cover nutrition, immunization, and birth ...
Spanish-speaking Latinos, have you been affected by cancer? If so, you're invited to take a new survey about how to improve cancer-related services from LIVESTRONG. LIVESTRONG, which is currently reaching out to Latinos to offer information about the Spanish services available to those being affected by cancer, hopes survey respondents will identify what additional or future actions need to be taken to improve the cancer community. Find out more information in Spanish or take the survey ...
Latinas are less physically active than Latino men and are less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than other population groups. This inactivity may lead to obesity and associated conditions like diabetes and heart disease. To improve Latinas’ health, a new five-year, $3.48 million study will use promotoras—trained community health workers—to lead culturally appropriate group education and exercise sessions for Latinas in community centers in South Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley, says study leader Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) in the School of Medicine of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Participants also will get newsletters and telephone counseling. The effort, ...
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced that it is investing $9.5 million in new funding for its Forward Promise initiative, aimed at improving the health and success of young men of color. The centerpiece of the announcement is a new call for proposals that seeks innovative, community-based projects working to strengthen health, education, and employment outcomes for middle school- and high school-aged boys and young men of color. “To build a strong and prosperous future for our nation, it is critical that we expand opportunities for boys and young men of color to grow up healthy, get a good ...
