Prostate cancer has a big impact on the Latino community. One reason is that Latinos face a lack of easy-to-understand, culturally competent information — which leads to poor outcomes for those experiencing prostate cancer, according to a recent study published in BMC Public Health. “Black and Latino focus groups revealed the existence of cultural beliefs, misunderstandings and fears pertaining to [prostate cancer] which could influence health-related behaviors,” according to the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Some themes were common across groups; others suggested racial and gender predilections. Future targeted efforts focused on directly addressing prevalent misperceptions among underserved communities in urban settings ...
Patricia Chalela has always loved working in public health and being a valuable member of a team. Chalela is an associate professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. Here she is an integral part of a team that studies how texting helps people quit smoking, trains students in research methods, and is learning the ins and outs of Latino cancer. Whatever the task, she is happy to help find ways to promote health in the Latino community, which suffers high rates of several diseases and cancer types. “I love what I do and I love to work with this team to make a difference for Latinos. It has been an amazing ride, really very rewarding,” Chalela said.
A Colombian Immigrant Who Came to Texas
Chalela was born in Colombia to a Lebanese ...
Cancer affects different people differently. For Latinos, the cancer survivorship journey is shaped by cultural and spiritual beliefs. Latinos also face struggles with barriers to care, screening, clinical trial participation, and patient-doctor communication. This is the focus of a new Spanish-language Facebook Live event, “Supervivencia: Viviendo a través y más allá del cáncer," set for 6-7:30 p.m. CST Monday, May 19, 2021. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) South Texas Chapter is sponsoring the event. Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio will host the event on its Facebook page. Register here for the Facebook Live event. The event will feature: Dr. José Cruz, MD, is a hematology and oncology expert with the Methodist Healthcare's Adult Blood and Marrow ...
Cancer impacts—and kills—too many people across the US, especially among Latinos. There are many reasons behind Latino cancer health disparities, including systemic racism and discrimination, cultural and language barriers, and a lack of clinical trial participation. As Latinos continue to deal with inequitable rates of cancer, as well as a lack of equitable care, we need greater action from all sectors to help in this issue. Let’s tweet with #SaludTues to raise awareness of challenges and solutions to Latino cancer disparities, and boost participation from the Latino community in clinical trials! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The State of Latino Cancer”
WHERE: Twitter
WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 4, 2021
HOST: Salud America! at UT ...
Latinos are the least likely group to get help with mental health treatment, according to a recent survey. This is due to stigma against mental illness, systemic distrust in mental health services, or lack of access to and knowledge of treatment, all of which is worsened amid COVID-19. This is why the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers free brochures and fact sheets on mental health disorders and related topics for patients and their families, health professionals, and the general public — in English and Spanish. "NIMH offers basic information on mental disorders and related topics in Spanish for patients and their families, health professionals, and the public," according to NIMH information. "Printed materials can be ordered free of charge and are available ...
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has announced a new initiative to address structural racism – the UNITE Initiative. “With representation from across the NIH Institutes and Centers, UNITE aims to establish an equitable and civil culture within the biomedical research enterprise and reduce barriers to racial equity in the biomedical research workforce,” according to the NIH website. NIH hopes that this initiative will help address racism and discrimination that has impacted healthcare throughout history. “Historical racism has led to the marginalization and oppression of Indigenous peoples, African Americans, Latinos, and other communities of color. … Structural racism has resulted in persistent health disparities, poor health status, and premature mortality as ...
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 ...
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 ...
Did you know that Latinos represent 18.5% of the U.S. population, but are less than 10% of those in federal cancer and drug studies? This makes it hard for researchers to create treatments that work best for Latinos, which in turn, can help all people. To engage more people in research, the Salud America! program has received a three-year, $650,000 grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to create tailored recruitment strategies for clinical trials in cancer treatment and Alzheimer’s disease. Salud America!, established in 2007, produces multimedia research, tools, and stories to fuel its digital network—over 400,000 moms and dads and health, community, and school leaders across the nation—toward healthy changes that ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to be ...
