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Latinas Diagnosed With Breast Cancer at Younger Age



Once again, here's more evidence that underscores the importance of breast cancer screening for Latinas: From the Houston Chronicle: Mexican-American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at a significantly younger age than Caucasian women, a surprising finding from a new study that raises more questions about the recent push to delay routine screening. University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers surveyed women in Hispanic neighborhoods in Harris County and found nearly half of those with the potentially deadly disease were diagnosed before they turned 50, about 10 years earlier than the national average for all women. "This study shows the need to consider all populations when developing prevention and screening strategies," said Melissa Bondy, an M.D. Anderson ...

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Got a Healthy, Tasty Recipe? Take the ‘Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge’



The Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge, part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, is inviting chefs, students, food service professionals, parents and other community members to work together to develop tasty, nutritious, kid-approved foods. The aim is to improve school meals by creating new healthy recipes for school lunch menus. Teams will submit original recipes that meet nutritional requirements in three categories: whole grain foods, dark green and/or orange vegetables, and dry beans and peas (legumes). Submissions must be taste-tested by at least 30 students who participate in the National School Lunch Program. Winners will be determined by a panel of judges and a Popular Choice winner will be selected based on public voting. Winning teams will be invited ...

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Houston Celebrates 3rd Year of Smoking Ban; Resources Can Help Smokers Quit



Congratulations, Houston! A few days ago a large group of minority health coalitions, doctors and elected officials celebrated the third anniversary of Houston’s successful smoking ban urging Houstonians “to see their doctors and put down their cigarettes for good.” “Smoke Free for 3,” a campaign lead by the Hispanic Health Coalition, Asian American Health Coalition, African American Health Coalition, Native American Health Coalition, and Houston Communities for Safe Indoor Air (HCSIA), recognized the City of Houston’s leadership and success in creating more smoke free workplaces and public spaces effective Sept. 1, 2007. However, despite the success in public policies, smoking continues to be a significant personal health issue for many Houstonians, particularly for ...

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Roundup: San Antonio Health Events on ‘Sexting,’ Health Care Reform



Check out these health-related events coming up in the San Antonio area: At 5:30 p.m. today (Sept. 8), the community is inivted to attend a discussion panel, Sexting: Educating Youth on Safe Texting, at Girls Inc. of San Antonio, 1209 S. St. Mary’s, an affiliate of the national Girls Inc. organization that delivers programs that help empower local girls ages 6-18 and increase their self-esteem. Panelists include San Antonio Police Chief William McManus. The community also is invited to attend another panel, Health Care Reform and the Cancer Patient, at 10 a.m. Sept. 25, 2010, in Room 3.104 of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive. The panel, supported by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), the team behind ...

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Salud America! Targets Latino Child Obesity During Nat’l Childhood Obesity Awareness Month



Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, which is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is observing National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and encouraging people to join us and get involved. Earlier this year, a resolution was unanimously passed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate designating September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, to bring attention to this growing epidemic. Mexican-American children are more likely to be obese or overweight (38%) than children overall (31.9%), putting them at greater risk for chronic disease and shorter lifespans. In repsonse, Salud America! formed in 2008 to increase the number of researchers, ...

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Roundup: September Obesity Conferences



Check out these upcoming events focused on childhood obesity issues: Webinars on Obesity The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity is launching a Webinar series on obesity issues from September 15 to December 8, 2010. Southern Obesity Summit The 4th Annual Southern Obesity Summit, set for September 12-14, 2010, in Atlanta, will launch the Southern Strategy, a new way to connect agencies and community based organizations who are implementing the First Lady's Let's Move goals. National Food Policy Conferences The 33rd National Food Policy Conference, set for September 22-23, 2010, in Washington, D.C., will focus on nutrition and health and explore issues like food labeling. Obesity Congress The World Congress 5th Annual Obesity Congress is set for September 28-30, ...

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Roundup: Funding Opportunities in Child Obesity Research



Check out the latest funding opportunities in Latino childhood obesity research: Healthy Eating Research Rapid Response Grants Healthy Eating Research, an RWJF national program, is seeking grant proposals for studies examining policy and environmental strategies that have a strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent obesity, especially among low-income and racial/ethnic populations. Concept papers are due Sept. 1. NIH Pioneer and New Innovator Awards The National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks proposals for 2011 NIH Director’s Pioneer Awards and New Innovator Awards, which support scientists who take innovative, high-impact approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research. application deadlines are Sept. 13 and Sept. 20, ...

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Workshop: The Latest in Metastatic Breast Cancer Care & Treatment



CancerCare, in partnership with Redes En Acción, which is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will offer a free Connect Education Workshop, Update on Metastatic Breast Cancer: What's New?, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 14, 2010. In the tele-workshop, expert speakers will discuss updates on metastatic breast cancer, the current standard of care and new treatment approaches, how clinical research improves care, diagnostic testing and technologies, communicating with your health care team, and more. Other upcoming CancerCare workshops include: The Importance of Clinical Trials, Sept. 24; The Importance of Taking Your Pills on Schedule, Oct. 5; Update on the Treatment of Liver Cancer, Nov. 9.  The breast cancer ...

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Smoking Remains a Serious Problem in Latino Community



Latinos generally have lower rates of smoking than other racial/ethnic groups with the exception of Asian Americans. However, smoking remains a continuing and serious problem in the Latino community. Get all the key facts on Latino smoking from the American Lung Association. And if you're a Latino who is thinking about quitting smoking, be sure to check out the Buena Vida health magazine in English or Spanish that tells the stories of five Latinos and how they kicked the habit and what it meant for their lives. The Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind Salud Today, produced the magazine and other tobacco prevention ...

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