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Addressing Obesity Among Latinos



Check out this Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) blog about Unity Health Care, which runs a health center in a Washington, D.C., area that is home to many recent Mexican and Central American immigrants: A 2008 study showed that, among the Latino population in DC, 60 percent of kids were overweight or obese—a staggering number, and one that Unity wanted to address.   On Wednesday morning at APHA, Dr. Eleni O’Donovan explained how they did. O’Donovan and her colleagues began by adapting the national program We Can (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) to fit the needs of their center. They identified ways they could help local families, who were already coming to the health center for other services, eat healthier foods and be more active. Using ...

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The Latino Perspective on World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14



The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is joining others around the nation to improve Latino health as we recognize World Diabetes Day and on Nov. 14. Diabetes and obesity are some of top health issues facing Latinos in South Texas. The IHPR's South Texas Health Status Review identified obesity and diabetes disparities in the region, our Salud America! network targets Latino childhood obesity, and our SaludToday blog continues to highlight the latest research in these areas. Find out more about our efforts to improve Latino health here. Find resources on diabetes in English or ...

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More from Report: Black, Latino Kids See More Fast-Food Ads



The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity's new report, Fast Food FACTS: Evaluating Fast Food Nutrition and Marketing to Youth, includes more information about fast-food ads seen by Latino and black youths. As reported by the Multi-American blog: There is considerable evidence that exposure to marketing for fast food is even higher among African American and Hispanic youth. African American youth view almost 50% more TV advertisements for fast food than do white children and adolescents. Although differences in advertising exposure can be attributed in large part to the greater amount of time that African American and Hispanic youth spend watching television, fast food restaurants appear to disproportionately target African Americans and Hispanics with their marketing efforts. ...

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Fast Food Restaurants Dish Up Unhealthy Marketing to Youth



Children as young as age 2 are seeing more fast food ads than ever, and restaurants rarely offer healthy kids’ meal choices, according to a new study by Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The new evaluation, the most comprehensive study of fast food nutrition and marketing ever conducted, studied marketing efforts of 12 of the nation’s largest fast food chains, and examined the calories, fat, sugar and sodium in more than 3,000 kids’ meal combinations and menu items. The study is being presented today at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting. Some alarming findings include: Out of 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations, only 12 meet the researchers’ nutrition criteria for preschoolers. Only 15 meet nutrition criteria for older ...

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Salud America! To Be a Top Feature at APHA Meeting



Salud America!, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is dedicated to reducing childhood obesity among Latinos, will be featured prominently at the upcoming American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting from Nov. 6-10, 2010, in Denver. If you're at the APHA Meeting, please attend the Salud America! session at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 2010. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America!, will lead the session, which will introduce the program and the challenges and potential solutions to Latino childhood obesity. Then you'll hear from a trio of Salud America! pilot researchers: Drs. Shari Barkin, Emma Sanchez and Cristina Barroso. Dr. Larry Green, Salud America! National Advisory Committee member, will serve as session respondent. Since its ...

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Check Out the Latest in Health Disparities Videos, News & Funding



Check out the latest in health disparities—from cancer awareness videos to new Latino training programs—in the latest E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, which runs SaludToday. View the IHPR E-newsletter to see these items: Video: Latino cancer research network expands with $5.6M grant (Pg 1) Story: An “Insider” Training Program for Latino Cancer Researchers (Pg 3) PSA Wins Award: WATCH – Latinas & Mammograms (Pg 4) Story: San Antonio Goes Smoke-Free (Pg 5) Story: Lance Armstrong Visits Patients, Latino Cancer Researchers (Pg 8) Find much more on local and national health disparities-related news, funding, resources and events by visiting the IHPR's Web ...

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‘Fatalism’ a Reason Latinas Don’t Get Cancer Screening



"Fatalism," a belief that life's events are predetermined, may be one reason why Latinas have some of the lowest cancer screening rates in the U.S., new research suggests. Hispanic women are much more likely than white women to believe that cancer is not preventable, and that death is inevitable in those diagnosed with cancer, the researchers found in the study, scheduled for publication in the online edition of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Researchers identified a statistically significant link between fatalism and reduced use of cancer screening services. Further studies are needed to learn more about this association, the authors noted. "Improving our understanding of the importance of fatalism in explaining underutilization of cancer screening services among ...

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Latinas Wait Longer for Confirmatory Breast Cancer Diagnosis



White women with private insurance waited an average of 15.9 days between breast cancer testing and confirmatory diagnosis, while privately insured black women waited 27.1 days and Latinas 51.4 days, according to a new study. The study, which involved almost 1,000 women examined for breast cancer, indicates that race/ethnicity plays a larger role than insurance in getting a timely breast cancer diagnosis. For women on Medicare or Medicaid, the wait between testing and diagnosis was 11.9 days for whites, 39.4 days for blacks and 70.8 days for Latinas. Among those without insurance, the wait was 44.5 days for whites compared with 59.7 days for blacks and 66.5 days for ...

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Fotonovela Tackles Latino Obesity, Diabetes



The New Mexico Office of Border Health (OBH) has received an award for its bilingual fotonovela (photo novel), “I Wish I had Known,” which tells of one Latino family's struggle with obesity and diabetes. This fotonovela was recognized by the National Public Health Information Coalition for the Bronze Award of Excellence in Public Health Communication/In-House Health Literacy. View the fotonovela in English or Spanish. View the film version here. For additional information, contact Liz Gutierrez at (575) 528-5146 or ...

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