COVID-19 “completely erased the mortality advantage” that the Latino population had compared to the other populations, 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 being overlooked, a spike of positive representation of populations, such as Latinos, has swept into Hollywood and mainstream media.
Latino pioneers like José Ferrer, Edward James Olmos, and Rita Moreno overcame adversity 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 series The Last of Us.
Films such as ...
Latinos continue to be one of the most overlooked 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 visibility.
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 expected to rise to ...
The 2024 calendar year marks a potential turning point in the federal government as the presidential election is set to take center stage in November.
Latino voters could help decide the outcome.
Of the over 246 million Americans projected to be registered to vote in 2024, 36.2 million are Latino, according to data published by Pew Research Center. That’s a 3.9 million increase from the last presidential election.
The recent rise in projected voter registration means that Latinos will have a 14.71% say in what happens in the upcoming election.
So, what’s on the mind of the Latino voter?
To answer, Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors partnered with UnidosUS and BSP Research to survey 1,500 Latino parents with children 5-years-old and younger to understand the issues driving them to the ...
Latino and Black students have the greatest risk of withdrawing from post-secondary education programs, according to a recent survey by the Lumina-Gallup State of Higher Education.
This finding comes at a time when institutions offering bachelor’s degrees are seeing a significant drop in enrollment — a situation exacerbated by COVID-19.
Over the last decade, college enrollment has declined by 7.4%, which is the equivalent of 1.5 million students, according to Best Colleges.
The biggest decline – 900,000 students – came during the pandemic years of fall 2019 and fall 2023.
While the enrollment of students such as Latinos and Blacks has somewhat improved, they are also considered to be more likely to leave. Survey Results on College Withdrawal
In fall 2023, Gallup surveyed ...
You’ve probably heard the expression, “Get your steps in,” but just how many steps are needed to make a difference in your health? The average American takes anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, which equates to 1.5 to 2 miles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the CDC suggests that most adults should aim for at least 10,000 steps, which is equivalent of walking 5 miles, a day to maintain a healthier existence. If walking 5 miles a day puts a spring in your step toward a healthy lifestyle, just how many steps would it take to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes? A recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism looked at Fitbit data collected from 5,600 participants in the All of Us research ...
This year, over 2 million American will get a cancer diagnosis, including many Latinos.
As one of the leading causes of death in Latinos in the U.S., one in five men and one in seven women who are Latino will die from the disease.
Cancer also takes a heavy financial toll on patients, whose survival is dependent upon a variety of factors, including access to quality, often costly, healthcare treatments.
Let’s explore the cost burden of cancer, and what to do about it. The Cost Burden of Cancer
In 2018, patients and their families paid $5.6 billion out of pocket for cancer treatments, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy drugs, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Americans spent a total of $183 billion on cancer-related healthcare in 2015 - an amount ...
Latino children accounted for the highest increase in severe obesity among preschool-aged children from low-income households, a new CDC study found.
The study examined children aged 2 to 4 under the enrollment of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which is a federal nutrition assistance program aimed at providing healthy foods for low-income women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum, and children up to 5 years old, from 2010 to 2020.
When the study began in 2010, 2.1% of children aged 2 to 4 in WIC were severely obese.
A downward trend in severe obesity occurred for the next several years, when rates in that age group went from 2.1% in 2010 to 1.8% in 2016, the CDC study found.
However, by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number spiked back up to 2% in ...
