More than 17 million U.S. kids and adults, including a rising number of Latinos, have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). So what exactly is ADHD? Who gets ADHD? How can you tell if your child has this mental condition? How is it treated? We at Salud America! are excited to share some answers during ADHD Awareness Month in October.
What is ADHD?
ADHD is a brain disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, according to the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). Yes, everybody can have difficulty sitting still or paying attention. We make rash, impulsive decisions on occasion. But for others, these behaviors are so pervasive and persistent that they interfere ...
This is part of our Building Support for Latino Families: A Research Review »
Kids Do Better with Parents Active in Their Education
Whether we are discussing infant care, preschool, grade school, or high school in the United States, students whose parents are actively engaged in their education fare better academically, socially, and economically.62–67 Active parent participation and interest in a child’s education promotes internalization of specific social and academic goals, and makes education a priority for the student and for the family. In fact, parental engagement has been used to explain some of the heterogeneity in educational outcomes for children from low-income Latino communities, such that greater parental involvement results in better academic and behavioral ...
This is part of our Building Support for Latino Families: A Research Review »
Latino Kids Less Likely to Use ECE Programs
The use of ECE facilities—including child care centers, day care homes, Head Start programs, preschool and pre-kindergarten programs—has become the norm in the U.S.38 About 61% of children younger than 6 are in a non-parental care arrangement on a weekly basis.38 In 2012, children from higher-income families tended to enroll more in ECE centers (72%) than children from low-income families (45%), 2016 data show.1 In addition, far fewer Latino children (52%) were enrolled in ECE centers than their white (63%), black (68%), and Asian peers (68%).1,39
ECE Programs Stimulate Cognitive Health Benefits
However, recent research has demonstrated that early ...
Latinos are the nation's second-largest population group—yet they continue to be dramatically undercounted. More than 400,000 Latino children younger than 4 were not counted in the 2010 U.S. Census, according to a recent report from the Child Trends Hispanic Institute and National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund. With the 2020 Census looming, an accurate count of Latinos is critical to ensure they get the right number of representatives in government and a fair share of funding for educational programs, healthcare, and law enforcement, as well as new schools and roads.
The U.S. Census Count
The U.S. Census Bureau counts every resident in the U.S. every 10 years, per Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The data ...
The streetcar is back along the Texas-Mexico border, thanks to a Latino man's brilliant "fake" ad campaign. Peter Svarzbein, an El Paso native, loved how a historic international streetcar system used to connect downtown El Paso, Texas (82.2% Latino) to downtown Cuidad Juárez, Mexico. But it closed in 1974. Today many in El Paso lack public transportation to reach places they need to go, which harms their health, educational, and employment opportunities, and the economy. So Svarzbein created a fictional, yet powerful ad campaign to simulate the return of El Paso's border-crossing streetcar for his graduate thesis project at New York's School for Visual Arts. Svarzbein's El Paso Transnational Trolley Project sparked enough curiosity and enthusiasm to create a real ...
What happened when 10 teachers in Wisconsin committed to take their elementary students outside one day a week to explore and play in nature? The students studied the natural world, learned other lessons, and got physical activity outside. Successful outdoor education! "Playing outside is different socially, emotionally and physically than what happens in the classroom," one of the teachers told the the Wisconsin State Journal.
Why Is Outdoor Education Good for Kids?
Outdoor teaching and recess during school can improve students' learning, and much more. It can boost physical, mental, and emotional health, particularly for Latino kids who don't get as much time for physical activity during the school day. It also can foster a desire to conserve and preserve green space ...
Systematic housing segregation in the 1900s is the root of many social and environmental justice issues. One big one is inequity in neighborhood walkability, which leads to disparities in mental and physical health. Without safe places to walk, Latino families are robbed of opportunities to be healthy and thrive. Use #SaludTues on Sept. 26, 2017, to Tweet about potential solutions to improve walkability for all. Fueled by Richard Rothstein’s book, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Government Segregated America, and America Walks upcoming webinar series, Walking Towards Justice, we will be discussing the intersection of residential segregation and walkability. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Intersection of Walkability & Residential Segregation”
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Almost 23% of the 3.99 million babies born in 2015 were Hispanic. Early diagnosis of certain conditions can make the difference between healthy development and lifelong physical or mental disability for these babies.
Newborn Screening
In 1963, Newborn Screening begins with a heel stick. Screenings identify babies who may have a variety of genetic, metabolic, hormonal and functional conditions so that precise follow-up testing can be performed. Since 1963, babies with serious but treatable conditions caught by Newborn Screening grow up healthy with expected development. All it takes is a few drops of blood and a simple hearing test. However, Newborn Screening is an evolving system that varies across the country, thus many parents don’t know of the conditions included in ...
The World Health Organization (WHO) is drafting a global action plan to promote physical activity. WHO wants your comments on this plan through Sept. 22, 2017. How can you take advantage of this unique opportunity to speak up for equity in access to active spaces for physical activity for Latino families and communities of color around the world? Copy and paste the below model comment from our research team at Salud America!... I believe priority should be given to creating safe routes to walk and bike and developing shared use agreements and open use policies that formally share school recreational with the public after class. These initiatives can help Latino children and families living underserved communities access the physical, mental, social, and health benefits of ...
