Latino children are likely to enter elementary schools this year with fewer white peers than a generation ago, a sign of increasing school segregation, according to researchers in the journal Educational Researcher. In 1998, U.S. Latino children attended elementary schools in which nearly 40% of their classmates were white. That percentage fell to just 30% in 2010. Segregation grows into severe isolation in large urban school districts. In the nation’s 10 poorest districts, Latino elementary students attended, on average, schools that were just 5% white—down from 7% white in 1998. “It's essential that we consider hard evidence as the nation debates questions of fairness, segregation, and immigration,” according to study co-author Claudia Galindo of the University of ...
When it comes to paying the bills, housing costs usually make up the largest portion of an individual or family's budget. Worse, too many Americans spend more than financial experts recommend—over 30% of their monthly budget—on housing. In 2017, 36.9 million experienced this problem. This issue places "cost burdens" on those individuals, make it hard for them to afford other necessities, such as transportation, buy healthy food, and build wealth. This is a problem for minority groups especially, especially Latinos who lack access to cost-effective options throughout the country. Affordable housing access should be considered a human right, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said in a statement in the National Low Income Housing Coalition's (NLIHC) recent report, "Out of ...
Many smokers will use tobacco products for years in spite of the known detrimental health impacts. On Aug. 16, 2019, FDA announced a rule proposal that aims to make a visual representation of those impacts to those buying cigarettes — health warning labels on every package. These labels will use graphic images to convey relevant information about the negative health consequences of smoking. "With these new proposed cigarette health warnings, we have an enormous public health opportunity to fulfill our statutory mandate and increase the public’s understanding of the full scope of serious negative health consequences of cigarette smoking," Dr. Ned Sharpless, Acting FDA Commissioner, said in a statement. Initially, hundreds of people, including over 275 Salud America! network ...
Our team at Salud America! of UT Health San Antonio is bringing together a new group of transportation, affordable housing, and health leaders from all across the country to promote equity in transportation for Latinos, thanks to a new Innovation, Equity and Exploration (IEE) grant from the Voices for Healthy Kids network! The one-year, $30,000 grant will address equity gaps in the planning of transit, walking, and bicycling projects. September 2020 UPDATE: Innovations in Transportation Equity for Latino Communities Voices for Healthy Kids IEE Grant Summary Report. September 2020 UPDATE: To learn about the workgroup findings and recommendations, join the webinar on Sept. 30, Voices for Health Kids: Innovation, Equity and Exploration Series - Equity Gaps in Latino and Rural ...
Roughly 40 million Americans, or 12% of the population, are drinking federally unregulated water. The problem? These sources can contain harmful bacteria and chemicals, which can unknowingly infect those drinking from that water, according to ChangeLab Solutions. Latinos, who already struggle to access clean water, should be aware of the risks unregulated water pose. “Ensuring safe drinking water for all US residents is a crucial component of creating healthy, equitable communities across the nation,” ChangeLab writes. “These residents are more likely to be exposed to harmful bacteria or unsafe levels of nitrates and arsenic, which can lead to inequities and serious health consequences for families and entire communities.”
What are the Risks?
Jacqueline MacDonald ...
Fertility rates in the U.S. are at an unusually low point — globally, research suggests that over the past 50 years, sperm counts have dropped by 50%. Environmental exposures in the home are harming men’s reproductive health and sperm counts, in addition to causing asthma attacks, allergic reactions, and Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT), researchers say. Digesting microplastics─specifically diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), polychlorinated biphenyl 153 (PCB153), and bisphenol A (BPA)─showed notable effects on DNA fragmentation and sperm motility in various testing on male dogs and humans. “[This data is an] indicator that there is something very wrong in our modern environment or lifestyle,” Dr. Hagai Levine, head of the environmental health track at the Hebrew ...
Walkable urban places correlate with economic, social equity, and environmental benefits, according to a new report. The new report, Foot Traffic Ahead 2019, ranks the amount and characteristics of walkable urban places in the 30 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Unfortunately, just 0.04-1.2% of land in these cities counts as walkable urban places. The new report explores the reasons for this deficiency and outlines how cities can stimulate more walkable urbanism and its many benefits. “U.S. metros where the public and private sectors work together to adapt and deliver increased supply of walkable urban places will be the economic and social justice winners of the next generation,” according to the Foot Traffic Ahead report, released in June 2019 by Smart Growth ...
Where you live is significantly linked to how healthy you are. Sadly, U.S. Latino communities face unaffordable housing, unreliable public transportation, and a lack of green space and parks. This limits Latinos’ access to health-promoting assets─medical care, good schools, healthy food, and physical activity. This contributes to health inequities affecting this population. Fortunately, community leaders can adopt dynamic land-use methods, public-private partnerships, and community involvement to build and revitalize Latino neighborhoods. This can create affordable housing, connection to public transportation, and more green spaces. The result is health equity─a fair, just opportunity to achieve the best health possible.
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This is part of the Salud America! The State of Latinos and Housing, Transportation, and Green Space: A Research Review » Future Research
Many of the policy suggestions and strategies highlighted in this review are based upon research performed within urban Latino communities. While many of the suggestions may be applicable to smaller Latino communities, it will be essential to determine if they will be successful when applied to the semi-isolated Latino communities of the “new Latino destinations.” In one sense, because the majority of these policy recommendations hinge upon community activism and solidarity, it may be possible to translate them into the heavily Latino-majority communities found in these small-town and rural areas. However, activism builds upon political ...
