‘Campeonas’ Encourage Discussion of Breast Cancer Screening Among Latinas



The Prevent Cancer Foundation has designed, developed and pilot-tested “Campeonas contra el cáncer de seno” (Champions Against Breast Cancer), a culturally appropriate, peer-to-peer outreach effort to improve breast cancer screening among Latinas. By sharing their own experiences with being screened for breast cancer, “Campeonas” encourage their female friends and family members over the age of 40 to get mammograms. “Campeonas” training and free-standing community educational materials are now available for free on the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s website (in both Spanish and English) for community health organizations. One of these materials is an illustrated novela, “Un Encuentro Oportuno: Conversando Sobre el Cancer de Seno” (A Timely Encounter: Talking About ...

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For Latinas, Patient Navigation Can Speed Breast Cancer Diagnosis


promotora patient navigator

Extra support for patients, called “patient navigation,” can lead to faster diagnosis for Latinas after an abnormal mammogram result, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), part of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The study, published this week by the journal Cancer, also suggests that patient navigation should be carefully targeted to have the greatest impact on eventual health outcomes. IHPR researchers worked with partners in the federally funded Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Network to examine the experiences of 425 Latinas in six cities nationwide. Each woman had received an abnormal result in initial breast cancer screening and was referred for further ...

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IHPR Promotora Programs Take Center Stage at White House



Sandra San Miguel de Majors, a research instructor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the Health Science Center at San Antonio, touted the use of community health workers—called promotores—to improve people's health at the Latina Health Policy Briefing for Promotores de Salud on Sept. 26, 2012, at the White House in Washington, D.C. The policy briefing, organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review the affordable care act, united key Latino health care providers, researchers, stakeholders and promotores to discuss successful evidenced-based Latino research initiatives utilizing promotores. The briefing featured Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Kathleen Sebelius, HHS secretary. San ...

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Latinas Interested in Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer Risk, But Barriers Persist



Latinas tend to have positive attitudes and strong interest in genetic testing for breast cancer risk, yet lacked general knowledge about testing, its risks and benefits, according to a new study led by researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The study, published recently in the journal Community Medicine & Health Education, conducted focus groups with 58 Latinas in Hidalgo County, a largely Latino part of South Texas. Researchers used analyzed focus group responses and themes and uncovered several cultural factors, such as religious beliefs, that impacted Latinas’ decisions to get genetic testing. “Key Latino values—religiosity, importance of family and the influential ...

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Event Wrap-Up: Cancer Prevention and Women



Researchers from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio taught a crowd of more than 30 health professionals and social workers the importance of providing bilingual and culturally sensitive health care at a unique training event March 8, 2012, in San Antonio. The event, “Cancer Prevention & Women: A Look at Programs that Address Health Disparities Among Medically Underserved Populations,” stemmed from a partnership between the IHPR and the San Antonio College (SAC) Empowerment Center. IHPR researchers Dr. Daisy Morales-Campos, Christina M. Carmona, Rose A. Treviño, Guadalupe Cornejo and Erika G. Casasola discussed Latino breast, cervical and colorectal cancer rates and cultural factors that impede individuals from ...

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News: Latino Health Research, Stories & More



Find the latest in Latino health—from fighting Latina breast cancer to helping Latinos pursue doctoral degrees—in the new E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The E-newsletter has these stories: Story and Video: Giving Latinas a Chance vs. Breast Cancer (Pg 1) Story: How a Typewriter Helped a Latina Launch a Career in Health Promotion (Pg 2) Story and Video: Depression after Cancer Keeps Latinas from Follow-Up Care (Pg 3) Story: Apply by 3/1/12 for Éxito Program to Get Help Pursuing a Doctoral Degree (Pg 5) Story: San Antonio Schools Get Salad Bars (Pg 6) Story and Video: Latino Man Works to Interrupt Street Violence (Pg 8 ) The E-newsletter is jam-packed ...

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Study: Latinas Get More Unneeded Breast Cancer Surgery



Latinas and older, poorer women all are more likely to have lymph nodes under the armpit removed unnecessarily during breast cancer surgery, according to a new study, Reuters reports. That's despite 2005 guidelines recommending a gentler surgery that spares most of the lymph nodes, avoiding side effects like pain, swelling and numbness down the line. Based on a California cancer registry, researchers found that more than a third of about 18,000 women who had undergone mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer had had their lymph nodes removed as well. Yet all of these women had node-negative tumors, meaning the cancer had not spread beyond the ...

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Latinas and Breast Cancer: “Should I Worry?”



Margaret Moran, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), explored the often-frightening term "breast cancer" among Hispanics in a recent Huffington Post article. She notes that, even though Latinas have lower breast cancer rates, they are screened less and are diagnosed at later disease stages. Breast cancer is alos the most-diagnosed cancer among Latinas. When I was a young girl, we didn't talk about breast cancer. Now, we must not only talk about it, but be sure that all women have access to proper screenings and treatments. We need to ensure that Hispanic women have the knowledge and medical care to put an end to this disease. Breast cancer affects everyone, not just the person diagnosed. Likewise, everyone needs to do their part to minimize the risks ...

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VIDEO: Latina TV Star Stands Up to Cancer



Latina TV star Ana Maria Polo, host of the popular Telemundo show Caso Cerrado, will appear in a new public service announcement (PSA) for Stand Up to Cancer, bringing her signature courtroom resolve to the fight against cancer. Polo, a breast cancer survivor herself, joins a long list of national and international celebrity supporters of the Stand Up to Cancer initiative, which raises awareness and funds for collaborative cancer research. Watch the video here or ...

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