USDA has approved a final rule to improve nutrition and support breastfeeding in food packages in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The final rule includes these changes: Require WIC-eligible whole grain breakfast cereals contain a whole grain as the first ingredient.
Increase access to whole grains in breakfast cereal, bread, and grains, including "tortillas made with folic acid-fortified corn masa flour (once available in the marketplace)."
Expand whole grain options to include foods like quinoa, blue cornmeal, and teff to reflect dietary guidance and accommodate individual or cultural preferences.
Provide more convenience and options in the dairy category, including flexibility on package sizes and non-dairy substitution ...
For over 25 years, Americans have been asked to categorize themselves as one of five races standardized by the federal government. However, the United States is one of the most culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse countries in the world. For instance, those who identify as Hispanic or Latino or Latinx are comprised of many different nations, cultures, dialects, and races, making it nearly impossible to capture an accurate picture of Latinos in a single check box. The narrow selection of choices doesn’t reflect this diversity, limiting our understanding of race and ethnicity, especially when it comes to socioeconomic and health data. To ensure that collected data accurately reflects the people who live in the US, the White House Office of Management and ...
There are a now 600 U.S. colleges and universities designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), a 5% increase over last year’s 572 recognized institutions. HSIs are accredited, degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment. “The rate that Hispanic-Serving Institutions continue to grow emphasizes their importance to the communities they serve,” said Antonio R. Flores, leader of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), in a press release. Let’s observe the numbers and how this impacts Latino students.
HSIs By the Number
HSIs enroll 5.2 million students and two-thirds of all Latino undergraduates, according to HACU. As ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, recently shared the need to help Latino cancer survivors on "Science & Medicine," an audio collaboration of Texas Public Radio and UT Health San Antonio. Bonnie Petrie, TPR's bioscience and medicine reporter, hosted the segment. Ramirez spoke to Petrie about her project to improve care and life for Latino cancer, called “Avanzando Caminos (Leading Pathways): The Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study.” "Our big goal is to really have more equitable care for everyone, not only in South Texas, but nationwide, and that their outcomes for survival are also improved,” Ramirez said during the segment. Listen to the full audio here.
About the Avanzando Caminos Research Project
Avanzando Caminos ...
Dr. Rebecca Jones of UT Health San Antonio has been approved for a 2-year, $250,000 funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards (Engagement Awards) program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The funds will support the creation of the Creando Conexiones: Cancer Health Equity Research Agenda, which will outline research priorities identified by South Texas cancer survivors, caregivers, and community members. Join the Creando Conexiones coalition! "We know that research has the most impact when guided by voices of cancer survivors and community members," said Jones, assistant director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research and part of the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. "With their input, we ...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced its request for $7.2 billion as part of President Joe Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 proposed budget. FDA’s request, which is about 7% higher than last year, covers the agency’s top health priorities. “This funding will allow the agency to enhance food safety and nutrition, advance medical product safety, help support supply chain resiliency, strengthen the agency’s public-health and mission-support capacity, and modernize the FDA’s infrastructure and facilities,” according to an FDA News Release. Let’s dive into what these requests entail and how it can impact Latinos.
Enhancing Food Safety and Nutrition
FDA is requesting $15 million to protect and promote a safe, nutritious U.S. food supply through the ...
For the last few years, the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program has mounted an unprecedented effort to collect health data from 1 million people of all ages and ethnicities across the country for use in impactful scientific research.
In fact, the data has led researchers to a shocking discovery — 275 million previously unknown genetic variants, according to a recent news release.
Nearly 4 million of the variants are in areas that may be connected to risk for disease.
The variants, uncovered using data shared by nearly 250,000 All of Us participants, put researchers in a position to better understand genetic influences on health and disease, especially in diverse communities often left out of research.
NIH reported that half the genomic data came from Latino, ...
Ahead of the 2024 Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos Conference, 15 Latina women from across the country came together, unified by a common thread — to become a research patient advocate.
This gathering, on Feb. 20, 2024, marked the first in-person meeting of the Latino Cancer Patient Advocate Training Program, a new initiative to teach cancer survivors to become research patient advocates, who help others navigate the healthcare system and raise the Latino voice in research.
Patient advocates are critical to the goal of reducing Latino cancer disparities, said Dr. Barbara Segarra-Vázquez of the University of Puerto Rico, co-leader of the new program.
“You really have to have passion to become a patient advocate,” said Segarra-Vazquez. “It’s that desire to help ...
Why is cancer the top cause of death for Latinos? To unpack this question, Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio hosted the 4th biennial Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference on Feb. 21-23, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos drew 280 researchers, doctors, leaders, patient advocates, and students for an open dialogue on Latino cancer. Discussion covered new research advances on clinical best practices, effective community interventions, system-change advocacy, and professional training to eliminate cancer disparities in Latinos. “Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos is where we can come together and find equitable solutions for cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship among Latinos,” ...
