Latinos are already the nation’s largest racial and ethnic minority group. They are also the youngest and fastest growing. As communities change to reflect these new and evolving dynamics, Latino health is going to be critical to the country overall for generations to come. Despite their numbers, many Latinos face numerous inequities and barriers that keep them from obtaining the best healthcare possible. These include lack of access, lack of health insurance, language barriers, and cultural stigmas. “As the nation’s largest and fastest growing ethnic group, it's important that all Latinos have access to affordable healthcare,” said Jose Calderon, president of the Hispanic Federation in a news release. In an effort to remove some of these barriers, communities across the ...
For many immigrant families, the current political climate adds a great deal of stress to their lives. Many Latinos already face inequities in health care; they are still the largest uninsured population in the U.S. In South Carolina (5.2% Latino population), this stress is now manifesting in even harsher ways. According to a report in The Post and Courier, many immigrant families in the state are not only foregoing health care services for the adult family members, but also their children. “We’ve gotten calls from the health department of mothers not coming to ... appointments, not showing up for immunizations,” said Julie Smithwick, executive director of the Latino assistance group PASOs. The statewide group connects Latino patients to health care resources across South ...
Yolanda Konopken knows 1 in 10 people have diabetes in Arizona. Her program to help families manage diabetes has been at full capacity for years at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix (41.3% Latino population). Konopken wanted to do more to prevent unhealthy weight from causing diabetes in younger children. She had an idea to start a new, bilingual education program to provide support and counseling for families with children at risk of diabetes. She worked hard to develop a bilingual curriculum and launch a fun program that involves the whole family in a series of culturally relevant classes to build children’s self-esteem and positive lifestyle behaviors, such as cooking healthier foods and getting active.
The Crisis of Obesity in Arizona Arizona has the ...
Newsflash: Men and women are different. Of course, men don't have to go through what many women go through in reproductive health, such as pregnancy, giving birth, and other issues. But men do fare worse in other heath conditions. Men die at higher rates than women for 8 of the 10 top causes of death. Men die at younger ages than women, and they are more likely to develop chronic diseases throughout their lifetimes, Livestrong.com reports. Among Latino men, the numbers are even starker. Latino men have lifespans that are 5 years shorter than Latinas. They are more likely to have undiagnosed mental health issues. For the National Men’s Health Month in June, let’s use #SaludTues to tweet about Latino men's health issues, solutions, and resources on June 6, 2017. ...
Lack of access to quality healthcare is one of the main inequities that keep many Latinos from obtaining the best quality healthcare possible. However, the advent and proliferation of telehealth or telemedicine looks to be a way to bridge the gap between Latinos and their healthcare providers. Developed as a remote way to monitor patients, treat chronic illnesses and/or conditions, and eliminate barriers (such as a lack of transportation), technology – in the form of telemedicine – looks to be the way of the future as far as healthcare goes, especially for Latinos. Studies have shown that more and more Latinos are accessing the Internet, especially through smart phones and other hand-held devices. This is the essence of telemedicine. Now, in Texas (38.42% Latino population), a ...
A child needs more than nutritious food and physical activity to be healthy. They need healthy minds, too. But 1 in 5 children today suffer a serious mental illness. Depressive symptoms among Latino youth are especially high, putting them at risk of dropping out of school, using drugs, and suicide. For Mental Health Awareness Month in May, let’s use #SaludTues on May 9, 2017, to share tips and strategies to promote healthy minds and environments for Latino and all kids across the U.S. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: "Latino Kids and Healthy Minds"
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 9, 2017
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: Cheryl Aguilar (@cheryl_aguilar); Jesus Rodriguez, MD of Kaiser Permanente ...
Food and physical activity are both continuous and cumulative habits. Small changes every day can drastically improve your health and quality of life. However, the built world, whether intentional or not, influences the human experience. Many people live and work in places that impede or reduce physical activity and sell or promote unhealthy food. The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) brings together four of the nation’s leading research funders—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—to accelerate progress in reducing childhood obesity in America. Their new white paper builds on a series of behavioral ...
So many good things happen when kids go outside and play. Kids who are physically active have better grades, school attendance, and behavior than kids who aren’t, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Unfortunately, Latino kids lack access to safe places to play and be active. These kids face higher risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable diseases that threaten quality of life. Let’s use #SaludTues on April 25, 2017, to Tweet about how schools, communities, health providers, city leaders, and you can ensure this is the best and healthiest summer ever. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Healthy Kids Day, Summer and Life”
TIME/DATE: TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, April 25, 2017
WHERE: ...
Barbara Berger was more than concerned—she was downright worried about the growing weight and health of her students. The school dietitian in Las Cruces, NM (67.1% Latino population), found it hard to promote healthy eating and physical activity to her teenaged students. That was, until she let students do it themselves in a way that would engage students in a fun, creative story-telling experience. Through the use of creative films and videos, Berger found that the students were not only able to help solve real-world health problems, they had fun and gained valuable life-skills while doing it.
Opening Credits: A Video Idea to Help Middle-Schoolers
Barbara Berger has been involved with health and nutrition education since 2012 for the Las Cruces Public School ...
