Arely Perez loves to step outside her comfort zone. In college, she studied and enjoyed kinesiology—the study of human movement—but wasn’t as familiar with how it translated to the health of the community. So, as a graduate student at UT San Antonio, she got jobs in the labs of Drs. Meizi He and Zenong Yin, where she learned all about public health and coordinated studies of local programs to improve nutrition and reduce obesity in child care centers. “I became passionate about improving people’s health, thanks to both Drs. He and Yin, who gave me great opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills,” Perez said. Today Perez is applying her passion for health as a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San ...
Find the latest advances in Latino health—like new studies to reduce obesity in Latino kids, develop cancer-fighting food plans, and navigate Latinos to better health—in the IHPR Noticias E-newsletter. IHPR Noticias has lots of info on the latest local and national health disparities-related news, resources and events: Story: Using Counseling, Texting to Help Latinos Fight Obesity (Pg 1)
Profile: Latina Steps Outside her Comfort Zone to Help Others...The Story of the IHPR's Arely Perez (Pg 2)
New Study: Rx for Better Breast Health (Pg 2)
New Study: Navegando Salud (Pg 3)
Story: The Power of Community Health Educators (Pg 4)
Story: Physical Activity is Essential, Not Optional (Pg 6)
Report: Bleak Picture for Latino, Other Minority Kids in Public Schools (Pg ...
A new obesity management program will use family counseling, text messages and newsletters to control weight and spark healthier eating and physical activity habits in obese/overweight Latino kids, thanks to a five-year $2.9 million federal grant awarded to researchers at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Researchers will develop and test the six-month program among 230 child-parent pairs in three pediatric clinics of the University Health System. Half the child-parent pairs will get in-clinic counseling on how to make healthy changes. The other half will get the same in-clinic counseling—plus phone counseling and culturally tailored text messages and newsletters to reinforce changes suggested through counseling. “We believe kids in the more intensive group will ...
Minority women have low breast cancer screening rates. Even if they are screened, they delay confirmatory diagnosis and treatment because of costs, cultural and language issues, competing responsibilities, and more. That’s why Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, professor and director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is offering the Navegando Salud patient navigator program, which trains bilingual, bicultural community health workers to offer breast cancer screenings, education and other services to women in South Texas. Navegando Salud just received a one-year, $100,000 grant from the Avon Foundation. The grant was among 10 announced at the 12th Annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Houston on April 13, 2014. “We’re ...
The number of U.S. cancer survivors is rising. But the post-cancer journey can be tough, especially for Latinos and other minorities, who face worry about recurring disease, hard decisions regarding follow-up care, lack of emotional support and finances. That's why the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has a national outreach network of community health educators (CHEs) are stationed at NCI-funded agencies across the country to help patients and their families receive survivorship support, according to an NCI article. The NCI article showcases several examples of CHEs in action. The report includes Sandra San Miguel de Majors, a CHE with the NCI's Reden En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network, based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the University of ...
Physical activity is "a powerful tool for managing weight and preventing serious health problems" like diabetes and certain cancers, according to a new article on Page 18 of PeakLife SA Magazine. The article advises on how much physical activity is enough and how people can get more activity on a regular basis, such as: Being an active living champion for your family, like walking or biking to school or the store;
Get out and try something new, like walking trails; and
Spread the word, like organizing an office health challenge or bringing the need for safer routes to local decision-makers. The article, written by Laura Esparza, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, also urges ...
Check out this neat video about how the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) empowered Latino youth in Chicago and San Antonio to use the Photovoice technique to share their neighborhood's assets and the barriers they face to living a healthy and active lifestyle. Armed with disposable cameras, the youth photographed their surroundings, good and bad. The photos showcased limited access to nutritious foods, unsafe playgrounds, and a general lack of awareness about healthy eating habits. NCLR officials hope the video, which showcases the uphill struggle many Latino kids face to living a healthy lifestyle, can inspire community ...
Only 5% percent of Latinos participate in federal clinical trials, giving researchers fewer chances to find new cancer treatments for this population. What can a health agency do to get more Latinos into clinical trials? A new guide, Clinical Trials Outreach for Latinos: Program Replication Manual, developed by researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio, was created to help health agencies reach into Latino communities and increase their participation in cancer clinical trials. With the guide, a health agency can: Learn about cancer clinical trials;
Learn about donation of biospecimens (human materials such as skin, hair, and bodily fluids);
Learn the need for Latino-focused outreach to increase trial accrual and ...
Editor's Note: Salud Heroes are a weekly feature from the Salud America! Growing Healthy Change website, which aims to empower healthy changes in Latino communities through news, resources, and stories. In a San Antonio neighborhood with high crime rates and high poverty rates, Dante Jones know people struggled to find after-school fitness and leadership programs. To make a change, Jones decided to start Roll Models, a mentoring program that teaches kids important life lessons while getting them outside to bike and skate. He wanted to bring the idea to more people. Now, through a partnership with the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) and other community members, Jones' group leads nearly 150 participants through the streets of San Antonio on monthly bike rides. Read ...
