Taking a walk or hike can be a great way to get outside and get in some physical activity. But what if your community doesn’t have access to hiking trails? The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) created a resource that identifies hiking and walking programs that encourage youth from underserved communities to get outside and hit the trails. The program brief looks specifically at Latino and Black youth, because they are more likely to experience health disparities related to lack of physical activity and are at risk for health complications later in life.
What’s in the Program Brief?
NCCOR identifies nine programs that successfully reach diverse groups and produce positive health outcomes. The programs meet the following criteria: highlighted on ...
A lack of access to healthy, nutritious foods has harmed countless minorities for years. This problem has only gotten worse during the coronavirus pandemic. One in 10 Black and Latino families struggle with food insecurity, which is being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, according to a recent report from the Census Bureau. While different nonprofits and businesses have made attempts to help, wide-reaching gaps remain to make significant headway in food disparities. "We are seeing families every week, and, unfortunately, the need is not going to go away because these issues were here before COVID," Antonio Santos, co-founder and executive director of the Gage Park Latinx Council in Chicago, told Block Club Chicago. "We are also ...
Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as poverty or abuse, is a known risk factor involvement in the legal and judicial system. And, involvement in the legal and judicial system may be an indicator of toxic stress. Thus, the legal and judicial system plays an important role in preventing the effects of ACEs and toxic stress. That’s why, in December 2020, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris released her Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health. Salud America! is exploring the report as part of its 11-part series on toxic stress. “Factors that underlie connections between victimization or trauma and later [legal and judicial] involvement provide a window into areas for primary and ...
Some members of Congress want to help bring equity to employment. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts introduced a resolution for a Federal Job Guarantee, a policy intended to make the economy more inclusive and equitable, closing racial and gender income gaps. “The resolution, which builds on the legacy and work of generations of Black women in the Civil Rights Movement, will help the United States achieve the promise of full employment, ensure a just, equitable recovery, establish a more resilient and inclusive economy, and begin to close racial and gender income gaps,” according to Pressley’s press release. If passed, the resolution could bring down unemployment rates that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and fight systemic inequities in the ...
Did you know that, every 65 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease? This number is most troubling for Latinos and women. Two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women. Latinas are at higher risk than non-Latinas, and Latinos overall are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than their White peers. Alzheimer's and other dementia impact more than the affected individual. 1 in every 3 U.S. Latino households has at least one family caregiver. These Latino caregivers—mainly women in their 40s—often juggle multiple jobs or leave the workforce entirely to enter the respectable, but high-stress, role of taking care of aging family members. Now COVID-19 is impacting both those with Alzheimer's and caregivers. This is the focus of Caring for the Caregiver at ...
Since the turn of the century, research has highlighted the importance of early life experiences on long-term health and social outcomes. While childhood exposure to severe or prolonged toxic stress can negatively impact the brain, body, and behavior, early interventions can increase the odds of positive health and social outcomes. That’s why, in December 2020, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris released her Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health. Salud America! is exploring the report as part of its 11-part series on toxic stress. “The pervasive, high prevalence of [adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)] and the enormous costs of health, economic, criminal justice, and other downstream effects ...
A new educational COVID-19 comic strip series in English and Spanish is helping bring important vaccine information to Latino families. The comic strips, created by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, demonstrate what families, friends, parents, and patients need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine. The comics also feature the Alliance's bilingual Su Familia Helpline (1-866-783-2645). See all 14 of the comic strips. So far, Latinos make up a very low percentage of those getting a vaccine. And they are disproportionately hurt by COVID-19. "The toll of COVID-19 on Hispanic communities has been devastating," said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, leader of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, in a statement. "We have lost far too many and for far too long effective public ...
A new study led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that people with dementia are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. People with dementia were also more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19 than those without dementia. The study is one of the largest studies on COVID-19 and dementia, examining millions of medical records in the U.S. to draw conclusions. Researchers found that people of color with dementia were more likely to contract COVID-19 than white people with dementia, likely due to the disproportionate burden that communities of color have faced throughout the pandemic. However, the study mostly analyzed Black people with dementia compared to white people, highlighting the need to increase Latino participation in dementia ...
The child welfare system plays a critical role in identifying, investigating, and intervening to protect children facing abuse and neglect. However, the child welfare system traditionally isn’t as focused on preventing abuse and neglect. Because abuse and neglect are among the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) associated with toxic stress and some of the most common and serious health and social conditions, the social services sector is needed to help prevent these experiences before they occur. That’s why, in December 2020, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris released her Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health. She, along with numerous health and child welfare professionals, wants to engage a ...
