Childhood is a critical period for the development of eating behaviors and habits that last into adulthood. These habits play a vital role in growth, development, and the prevention of obesity and other lifelong, diet-related chronic diseases. Children who live in food deserts and lack access to nutritional food, such as many Latinos, may struggle more with maintaining a healthy weight and developing healthy eating patterns. That’s where Healthy Eating Research (HER) resources can help.
One Stop Shop for All Your Healthy Eating Habits
HER has produced evidence-based recommendations and best practices for promoting healthy eating behaviors in children ages 2 to 8. This site has excellent resources for Spanish-speaking parents, who may lack access to nutritional guidance due ...
As more healthcare systems consider implementing a social determinants of health (SDoH) screening program to care for patients’ non-medical needs, we at Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio are sharing important tips in developing such a program. Today, we’re highlighting the role of the screener and how to identify healthcare staff most suited to screen patients for social needs. While there is no evidence-based gold standard for how screening programs should be conducted or who should conduct the screening, lived experiences from clinics that have successfully implemented a SDoH screening program can help healthcare facilities make critical decisions in designing their own screening program. We’ll be exploring the lived experiences of one of these clinics ...
We know many types of cancer deeply and disproportionately affect U.S. Latinos. Liver cancer is a particular problem. In fact, Latinos have the second-highest rate of dying from liver cancer among racial/ethnic groups, according to the CDC. Let’s examine the data and unpack this rising crisis for Latinos.
What is Liver Cancer?
The liver has many important jobs in the body. It plays a role in digestion, supporting healthy blood flow, breaking down needed nutrients, and more. Liver cancer can start at any part of the liver. The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). “Liver cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the liver. The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has ...
Young Latinos face many barriers when it comes to mental health support and resources. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has highlighted ongoing projects and resources that contribute to decreasing the disparities that plague the Latino youth mental health crisis. “Evidence indicates that Hispanic and Latino youth have pressing mental health needs and are not receiving adequate mental health care,” according to Dr. Joshua A. Gordon, NIMH director, in a blog. Let’s explore the Latino youth mental health crisis and what resources can help.
Latino Youth Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected youth from minority communities and worsened the disparities experienced by these communities. Factors like discrimination, ...
Does your town have a farmers market? Farmers markets are a path to healthy food access. They are especially important amid the push for nutrition security and racial/ethnic justice. Fortunately, the Farmers Market Coalition is stepping up to support farmers markets. They’re supporting markets, creating an anti-racist toolkit, and sharing how markets increase equitable access to healthy, fresh produce and social connections, and engage farmers in the local economy. "As hubs for connection and community resilience, farmers markets have particularly risen to the occasion this year by providing a necessary sense of unity and stability during a time of great uncertainty," according to the coalition. "Farmers markets don’t just happen. The hard work of farmers market operators ...
About half of Latinos who enroll in a four-year college do not end up graduating, according to a new analysis from ¡Excelencia in Education! Latinos’ college graduation rate (52%) also is lower than their White peers (65%). How can we increase Latino college graduation rates? Let’s dive into to the numbers and explore how to close the Latino education gap, and better support Latino students.
Latino College Graduation by the Numbers
28% of Latino adults (age 25 and older) currently have an associate degree or higher, compared to 48% of non-Latino White adults. To better understand that gap, the new analysis from ¡Excelencia in Education! highlights 4 measures that track degree completion: 1. Graduation Rate: Total percentage of students who ...
The Susan G. Komen Foundation is working to discover cures for breast cancer faster with ShareForCures. ShareForCures is a breast cancer research registry that connects researchers with information from people who have or had breast cancer. “The goal of ShareForCures is to focus on research that will have the most significant impact for people affected by breast cancer,” according to the registry website. Here’s how you or someone you know can participate in ShareForCures!
Join ShareForCures
Individuals interested in participating in the registry can start by creating a free MyKomen + Health account and complete the ShareForCures registration. Participants are asked to complete informed consent and medical release forms. “Information that could ...
As Latino individuals become more acculturated to the English language and U.S. culture, their cigarette use tends to rise, according to a study on cigarette consumption behaviors among the Latino community. The National Institute on Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD) -supported research found that this trend occurs particularly among Latino men, and that cigarette consumption also varies based on educational attainment. Let’s dive into what the numbers look like for Latino smokers and what these study results mean for smoking prevention in this population.
Latinos and Language Acculturation
Acculturation is defined as “the process of two cultures blending, generally seen when an immigrant or minority culture acclimates with the dominant culture.” For ...
Over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Of those caregivers, about 25% are Latino. Many Latinos are “sandwich generation” caregivers — meaning that they care for an aging parent and at least one child. While caring for aging family members can be rewarding and feel like the right thing to do, caregiving is a full-time job that can be physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing. That’s why we’re highlighting 15 resources to help San Antonio and South Texas Alzheimer’s caregivers navigate caregiving challenges. Check out the list below, and feel free to share these resources with other caregivers.
Caring for the Caregiver at UT Health San Antonio
If you live in or near San Antonio, the Caring for the ...
