Washington's Tri-Cities Cancer Center has started a support group for Spanish-speaking women dealing with cancer because exisitng English support groups didn't meet the Hispanic community's needs, the Tri-City Herald reports. The new group helps educate Hispanic men and women about their cancer. Here's more from the news report:
The group is facilitated by Monica Escareo, an interventionist/health educator for the Center for Hispanic Health, part of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Escareo said the Center for Hispanic Health already has three Spanish-language cancer support groups in the lower Yakima Valley.
Some Hispanic women feel like the disease is their fault, Escareo said. A support group can help change that and reassure them that not all cancers are terminal. ...
On Jan. 30, Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics living in the U.S. can tune in to a new original reality show competition aimed at giving Puerto Ricans a Total Transformation of lifestyle, which will air in the United States exclusively on WAPA America, the U.S. cable network arm of Puerto Rico's leading broadcaster. The new show, titled "Transformacion Total" (Total Transformation), will place 18 contestants from all regions of Puerto Rico together in a house for 15 weeks where they will work with a group of professionals as they take important steps toward adopting a new, healthy lifestyle. Former Miss Universe Zuleika Rivera will host the ...
The problem of obesity in America is a subject of a new CBS Evening News series, "Where America Stands," which looks at problems the nation faces as it enters a new decade. The report tells about the challenges of obesity -- two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years -- and features tips and potential solutions. A Latino family is highlighted in CBS' coverage. In Baldwin Park, Calif., which has six fast-food restaurants for every one that sells fresh produce, Connie Gonzalez and her mother Maria volunteer with the program Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, which pushed for a ban on new drive-thru restaurants. Connie Gonzalez helped convince the school board to make salad bars a staple, and 100-minutes of weekly ...
The percentage of Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes, the kind closely linked to obesity, has nearly doubled since 1993, according to new research reported by Reuters. A decline in diabetes-related complications in the overall U.S. diabetic population hasn't also occurred in Mexican Americans ages 75 and up, the study found. Mexican Americans generally have a greater risk of diabetes that whites, but age trends in this population group have been largely unstudied. To investigate trends in older Mexican Americans, the researchers looked at data from a community-based study of Mexican Americans ages 75 and older living in the southwestern U.S. Their analysis included 1,132 men and women who were surveyed between 1993 and 1994, and another group of 902 surveyed in 2004 and ...
Please watch our new Latino cancer PSA: "Fast Life." This true-to-life PSA shows that, despite busy lives, Latinas ages 40 and older should set aside time to take care of their own health and get their mammogram each year that can detect breast cancer early, when it is most treatable. Watch in English: Or watch in Spanish: How did this PSA affect you? Did it move you? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments ...
There's a new Spanish-language health magazine out called NIH MedlinePlus Salud. The magazine aims to provide reliable, up-to-date health information, breakthroughs from National Institutes of Health (NIH) research and real-people features. The Fall 2009 issue, pictured at right, features a story about Spanish-language TV personality Don Francisco, star of Sábado Gigante. Francisco was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 60. Get a free subscription ...
Melanoma skin cancer is becoming more common among Hispanics and whites, and it is more likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage among blacks and Hispanics, new research shows. Melanoma is the least common but most deadly type of skin cancer. University of Miami researchers focused on 41,072 Florida residents diagnosed with the disease between 1990 and 2004. As expected, most cases — more than 39,000 — were seen in non-Hispanic whites. An additional 1,148 occurred in Hispanic whites, while 254 cases occurred among black men and women. Non-Hispanic whites accounted for most of the melanoma cases, but the timing of their diagnoses steadily improved. In contrast, timing of diagnoses did not improve in blacks and Hispanic whites, according to a news report about the study, which ...
Racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival are greatest for cancers that can be detected early and treated successfully, including breast and prostate cancer, according to a new study, Medical News Today reports. Disparities are small for pancreatic, lung and other cancers with more limited early detection and treatment options. The study, published in the October 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, found that, compared with whites, substantial survival disparities existed in more treatable cancers in Latinos, African-Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and several Asian/Pacific Islander population subgroups. The finding highlight the need to develop specific health policies and interventions to address social ...
The National Institutes of Health is launching a $37 million research program on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity. The program, Translating Basic Behavioral and Social Science Discoveries into Interventions to Reduce Obesity, will fund interdisciplinary teams of researchers at seven sites. Investigators will conduct experimental and formative research to increase understanding of populations being studied, small studies known as proof of concept trials, and pilot and feasibility studies to identify promising new avenues for encouraging behaviors that prevent or treat obesity. The program’s studies focus on diverse populations at high risk of being overweight or obese, including Latino and African American adults, youths, low-income populations, ...
