Hispanic children have twice as many untreated cavities in their permanent teeth than white children, according to a new study. The study, which examined 3,300 kids and was led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has good news overall: the number of kids who had cavities in their permanent teeth dropped from 75% 50 years ago to 25% today. But racial/ethnic disparities persist. Hispanic kids ages 2-8 had higher rates of cavities (46%) than black, (44%), white (31%) and Asian (36%) children. Hispanic kids also had the highest cavity rates in the 6-11 and 12-19 age groups. Prevention is key to reducing these rates, expert say. That means educating parents and communities on how cavities occur in children, urging parents to get their kids at least one ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Mia Ramirez
Colorado Springs, Colo. With a father who was a Chicano civil rights activist, it’s natural that Colorado native Ramirez and her family grew up with a strong sense of equal rights, equity, and justice. From a young age, Ramirez was taught the values of servitude, leadership and completing tasks. She went on to develop a passion for improving her community’s health, reducing health disparities, and addressing the social determinants of health. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Regis University and a master’s degree in international health and development from Boston University, Ramirez has ...
Latinas are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer as non-Latina women. Why does cervical cancer—which is highly curable with early detection and highly preventable through vaccines—pose such a threat to Latinas? Let’s use #SaludTues to tweet strategies and resources to increase cervical cancer knowledge, prevention, and screening among Latinas: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “What All Latinas NEED to Know about Cervical Cancer”
DATE: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: @CDC_Cancer (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), @livestrong, and @thenci (National Cancer Institute and oncologist Dr. Sarah Temkin) We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we ...
Latinos are less likely to receive the flu vaccine than other ethnic groups. That’s why, for National Influenza Vaccination Week Dec. 7-13, 2014, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is inviting Latinos to protect against the flu with vaccination and other preventive measures. Here are the top seven ways to prevent the flu: 1. Vaccination is the first and most important step to protect against flu. The vaccine reduces one’s risk of illness, hospitalization, or even death and can prevent the spread of the virus to loved ones. Flu vaccines are offered in many locations, including doctor’s offices, clinics, health departments, retail stores and pharmacies, and health centers, as well as by many employers and schools.
2. Try to avoid close contact with sick ...
Foreign-born U.S. adults—especially Hispanics—are less likely to get vaccinated than those born in the United States, according to a new study, the Latin Times reports. The study, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, found that foreign-born adults had lower vaccination rates for: influenza; PPV to prevent pneumococcal diseases, especially pneumonia; tetanus; Tdap (which prevents tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis); hepatitis A; hepatitis B; shingles; and HPV, the human papilloma virus. For example, 34% of foreign-born adults received the flu vaccine, vs. 40% of U.S.-born adults. And 51% of foreign-born adults were vaccinated for vaccinated for tetanus, vs. 65% of U.S.-born adults. Hispanics were the least likely foreign-born adults to be vaccinated. "As their ...
More than 90% of kids ages 6-18 eat more sodium than recommended, heightening their risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease. That sodium doesn't come from the salt shaker, either. About 43% of sodium eaten by children comes from the 10 foods they eat most often: pizza, bread and rolls, cold cuts/cured meats, savory snacks, sandwiches, cheese, chicken patties/nuggets, pasta mixed dishes, Mexican mixed dishes, and soups, according to the CDC. Check out the CDC's new English or Spanish video to find tips on how to reduce sodium in children's diets. “If you choose a lower sodium option, chances are that your children will too,” said Dr. Ileana Arias, the CDC's principal deputy director, in the new ...
Hispanics comprised 21% of new HIV/AIDS infections each year in the United States. About 1 in 36 Hispanic men and 1 in 106 Hispanic women will be diagnosed with HIV at some point, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latin Post reports. That's why the CDC launched a new Spanish-language campaign, Podemos Detener el VIH Una Conversación a la Vez (We Can Stop HIV One Conversation at a Time). The campaign aims to provide knowledge and promote talking about HIV prevention to "increase HIV awareness, decrease stigma and shame that are too often associated with HIV, and play a part in stopping HIV in the Hispanic/Latino community." CDC offers great educational resources and materials. It also has a four-part, telenovela-style video series about how a ...
U.S. Hispanic men and women now have a 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes in their lifetime, according to a new federal study, Medical News Today reports. The study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, examined years of diabetes incidence and death rates. Overall, researchers found that, for an average 20-year-old American, the lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased from 20% in 1985-89 to 40% in 2000-11 for men, and from 27% to 39% for women. In addition to Hispanics' higher risk, black women also had a 50% lifetime risk of diabetes. But while risk increased, years of life lost to diabetes decreased. "As the number of diabetes cases continue to increase and patients live longer, there will be a growing demand for health services and ...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48% of obese boys and 36% of obese girls think their weight is “about right.” Among kids and teens who were merely overweight, 81% of boys and 71% of girls also judged their weight to be “about right.” This information comes from the CDC's recently released, "Perception of Weight Status in U.S. Children and Adolescents Aged 8–15 Years, 2005–2012," which survey'd youth about how they perceive their own weight. Some of their key finding include: About one-third of Mexican-American (34.0%) and non-Hispanic black (34.4%) children and adolescents misperceive their weight status compared with non-Hispanic white children and adolescents (27.7%).
Approximately 81% of overweight boys and 71% of overweight girls ...
