Every year, 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s why healthcare providers recommend women ages 50 to 74 get a mammogram – an X-ray of the breast that can help screen and diagnose cancer – every two years. However, only about 3 in 4 women in that age group has had a mammogram in the past two years, as of 2022, according to a new study by the CDC. For women who experience health-related social needs, even fewer haven’t gotten one. This is alarming because, while mammograms can reduce the number of breast cancer deaths by 22%, this cancer is the top cause of death among Latinas. Let’s explore the social determinants of health (SDoH) that are creating barriers to ...
Cancer is often associated with an aging population, but something is changing in the demographics of cancer survivors — they are younger. There are projected to be 85,980 new cases of cancer in individuals between ages 15 and 39, according to the National Cancer Institute. Decade trends show that this number has been rising an average of 0.3% each year. Even though most young adults and teens with cancer are expected to survive for five years following their diagnosis, researchers are trying to understand why young survivors often face long-term health impacts, such as nerve pain and memory loss. For example, a recent study – using All of Us Research Program data – found that four conditions that affect the brain or nerves were more common in young cancer survivors ...
Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that impairs brain function and, over time, can cause memory, cognitive, and behavioral issues and eventually lead to death.
The condition greatly impacts the health of the aging — especially Latinos.
14% of the American Latino population older than 65 are living with Alzheimer’s, compared with 10% of the White population.
Alzheimer’s is projected to increase in older Latinos by 175% between 2018 and 2040, compared with a 32% increase in the White population, according to a new report, 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Let’s explore the data from the report. Alzheimer’s in America
Nearly 7 million older Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease as of 2024.
That’s about the same ...
The last thing a person wants to hear from their doctor is “You have cancer.” Unfortunately, that’s the reality for the thousands of Americans, including many Latinos, diagnosed with cancer each year. After a diagnosis, people dealing with cancer discuss treatment options with their medical care team, which may include participation in clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that test ways to find, prevent, and treat cancer and other diseases. They may also help improve the quality of life for volunteers affected by cancer or reduce the side effects of treatment. Despite the benefits of participating in clinical trials, only about one out of every five (21.9%) people with cancer enroll in clinical research, according to a new study in the ...
As technology has evolved, so has the way we receive, view, and disseminate information. With the invention of the smart phone and devices like tablets, access to the outside world can be done with the touch of a button. But, as convenient as it is to unlock a phone and type something into the search engine or open an app is, we can’t help but wonder what kind of effect staring at a screen for hours on end is having on our health? The average American between the ages of 16 and 64 spends over seven hours a day online, according to an article by AllConnect. This amount of time is well over the two-hour recommended screen time for adults.
Screen Time by the Numbers
65.7% of the world population is online. During the third quarter of 2023, people spent an ...
COVID-19 “completely erased the mortality advantage” that the Latino population had compared to the White population, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Let’s dive into the new data on Latino mortality.
What Is Excess Mortality?
The Census Bureau refers to excess mortality as deaths from any cause above what is expected from recent mortality trends. Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the actual mortality rate and the mortality rate expected to see in the hypothetical absence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “An additional 573,000 people died in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but ‘excess mortality’ at the national level masks substantial variations by state, age, sex, and race and ethnicity,” ...
Childhood cases of fatty liver disease have risen over the last decade, prompting researchers to search for answers in risk factors such as genes, birthweight, and malnutrition.
While studies involving adults that have fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis and food insecurity have been conducted, few focused on children — until now.
A recent study assessed the influence food insecurity – living without enough food for a healthy life for all family members – on the development of fatty liver disease in 4-year-old Latino children, and discovered that food-insecure Latino children experienced a higher risk for the disease. Results of the Fatty Liver Disease Study
The study involved two groups of San Francisco Latino mothers and followed their child’s development from pregnancy ...
After decades of underrepresentation, whitewashing, and villainizing, a spike of positive representation of ethnic minorities, such as Latinos, has swept into Hollywood and mainstream media.
Latino pioneers like José Ferrer, Edward James Olmos, and Rita Moreno broke systemic barriers to play defining roles in an industry dominated by White actors, paving the way for future Latino actors and Latino-led projects to break from the mold.
This success has led to a new wave of notable Latino standouts and projects.
America Ferrera, a U.S.-born Latina of Honduran heritage, nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Barbie (2023). Pedro Pascal, born in Chile, delighted audiences in the titular role of The Mandalorian before taking the lead in HBO’s TV adaptation of video game ...
Latinos continue to be one of the most underrepresented ethnic groups in high-paying jobs, such as careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Of the 34.9 million Americans working in STEM fields, only 8% are Latino as of 2021.
Latinos are fewer than 10% of the workforce in the fields of health careers (9%), life science (8%), physical science (8%), computers and math (8%), and engineering (9%).
The technology industry also lacks Latino representation.
One in every five US workers is Latino, and only one in 10 of them have a job in tech. There even fewer in leadership tech roles, according to a new Kapor Foundation report.
This paints a stark contrast to the growing number of Latinos in the US.
Latinos currently make up 19.1% of the US population, and are ...
