Physical activity is linked with academic achievement; however, Latino schools and neighborhoods often have fewer opportunities for kids to be active. Many Latino schools across the country are trying to get students more active to improve student performance and reduce health disparities. Kids who receive physical education (PE) in school are more active outside of school, according to the Physical Activity Council (PAC). The Academy for Enriched Sciences in the San Fernando, California (92.5% Latino), for example, began implementing the My School in Motion program to get kids moving before class starts. The My School in Motion is program was founded by a mother, Apryl Krakovsky, who wanted to support her child's school in meeting the state's requirements of PE. The ...
What happens in a state where half of people are Latino, but only 5% of doctors are? It means not enough doctors with the cultural competency and understanding of the Latino community to adequately serve them—like in California right now. That is why the Latino Physicians of California professional group and others are urging increased representation of Latinos in the medical field, according to California Healthline. Complicating matters is that, in California: Latinos represent only 8% of nurses;
Latino represent only 4% of pharmacists;
More than one-third of current doctors are expected to retire within 10 years; and
Latinos make up a small percentage of graduating medical students. “If we are going to properly serve our current and future patient base, we ...
Stress is a leading cause for health concern for many Americans, including large numbers of Latinos. One of the greatest stressors plaguing Latino families has to do with finances. In an effort to alleviate financial issues, more and more people – including Latinos – are turning to payday loans, the Center for American Progress reports. According to the Pew Charitable Trust, nearly 12 million people each year turn to payday loans. These quick fix infusions of money regularly lead to the person receiving the loan going into hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars of additional debt furthering stress. According to the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Latinos are more likely than the general population to use a payday loan. In order to reduce health disparities, it is ...
This past year, the nation’s high school graduation rate reached a record 83.2% and saw large increases across all racial and ethnic groups, the AP reports. New federal data also showed gains among disabled students and those from low-income families. In the data collected by the Department of Education, significant differences in graduation rates among racial and ethnic groups were reported. Asian Americans had a 90.2% graduation rate; whites were at 87.6%; Latinos graduated at 77.8%, followed by African-Americans (74.6%) and Native Americans (71.6%). Washington, D.C. (10% Latino population) made the most progress in the United States. In the 2014-2015, Washington, D.C. students improved their graduation rate by 7%. Speaking at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, a magnet ...
The new goal for Pepsi is to have at least two-thirds of it beverages contain 100 calories or less per 12-ounze serving by 2025, according to The Christian Science Monitor. Soda consumption has dramatically decreased over the years as many consumers have concerns about obesity and cancer, linked to high sugar consumption. In fact, Harvard T.H. Chan School of public health states that regular consumers of sugary beverages have a 26 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The trends are changing towards healthier lifestyles, including reducing sugar, and Pepsi wants to keep pace with the changing consumer trends, introducing more zero- and low calorie drinks for the next 10 years. Many schools and hospitals have swapped out sugar and sugary drinks and even some cities have taxed ...
We all know that healthy students learn better, but what can schools do to help? Rangerville Elementary School in San Benito Consolidated Independent School District in San Benito, TX (90.7% Latino), decreased the amount of time kids spend sitting at their desks and increased the amount of time kids spend being physically active by providing more time for recess, more activities during PE, physical activity breaks during class, and a running club. Additionally, school vending machines only provide water, school foods align with the USDA's Smart Snacks in School standards, and the school introduces students to two new fresh fruits and vegetables every week. The healthy changes at Rangerville Elementary School were recognized when the school was one of only 14 schools ...
Mental health inequities are a key problem that many Latinos face in their overall health care. In California (38.18% Latino population), steps have been taken to help alleviate some of these problems with the passing of a new law that will take effect on January 1, 2017. In past years, many health centers in rural parts of the state were unable to bill Medi-Cal, the government health program for low-income Californians, for services; the new law reverses that decision. Without proper treatment, mental health conditions can worsen and make day-to-day life hard. Latinos are less likely to seek mental health treatment. A 2001 Surgeon General’s report found that only 20% of Latinos with symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns. Only 10% contact a mental ...
Northeast Texas has an astoundingly high mortality rate as people are dying at far greater rates than the rest of Texas and even the rest of the country, Texas Monthly reports. State health data was used by the University of Texas Health System and showed alarming results. The mortality rate in the area has a 33% higher death rate from heart disease, a 35% higher death rate from lung cancer, and a 40% higher rate of suicide than the rest of the state. Texas (38.16 Latino population) is currently struggling with a well-documented problems of infant mortality; however, the problem is even direr in Northeast Texas where 6.3 babies die every 1,000 births, compared to 5.8 across the Lone Star State. “Northeast Texas also is comparably poorer and less educated than Texas as a whole, ...
Roughly one out of every 13 children in the New York City public school system is now homeless. This shocking information was uncovered in a new report by the New York City Public School System on its homeless student population. These numbers include students living in the public shelter system as well as in other “temporary” living situations, such as staying with friends or relatives. The report, entitled “Not Reaching the Door: Homeless Students Face Many Hurdles on the Way to School,” found that the majority of the programs that were designed to help these transient students are “insufficient” or “poorly executed.” In New York City (28.82% Latino population), this group of students is already at high risk and they now face very tall educational obstacles. Figuring ...
