San Antonio residents Myra Martinez and her 17-year-old son, both diabetics, will be featured in a documentary about the health condition, WOAI-TV reports. Filming is taking place at the Texas Diabetes ...
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Last week in San Antonio, the 4th Annual Salud America! Summit brought together experts from around the country to discuss the latest advancements to reduce and prevent Latino childhood obesity. Learn more in this Univision video news report by Monica Navarro about Salud America!, a national research network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. The video features Salud America! director Dr. Amelie ...
Read MoreA growing body of mortality research on immigrants has shown that the longer they live in the United States, the worse their rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, according to a New York Times report. According to the report: For Hispanics, now the nation’s largest immigrant group, the foreign-born live about three years longer than their American-born counterparts, several studies have found. Why does life in the United States — despite its sophisticated health care system and high per capita wages — lead to worse health? New research is showing that the immigrant advantage wears off with the adoption of American behaviors — smoking, drinking, high-calorie diets and sedentary lifestyles. Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! Latino ...
Read MorePhysical activity is increasingly recognized as a critical way to prevent obesity, chronic disease and other serious health issues. But nationally, only 1 in 4 adults meet physical activity guidelines. Even fewer youths do. A local volunteer group is trying to change that in San Antonio, a Texas city whose residents, most of whom are Latino, don't engage in enough physical activity. The Active Living Council of San Antonio, a community coalition formed in 2009 by local health officials using federal grant funds, has created the Active Living Plan for a Healthier San Antonio to identify and implement effective strategies to help people partake in "active living." San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and his Mayor’s Fitness Council have endorsed the plan, which also has ...
Read MoreCheck out this video about the great fitness and healthier eating going on at Carroll Bell Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, a mainly Latino city. This video is from the Alliance for a Healthier ...
Read MoreIn the movie The Killing Strain, Juan "Rick" Carrillo plays a soldier who escapes a helicopter crash to lead a small group of flu-epidemic survivors to safety. On screen, he was a tough, nothing-can-stop-him hero. Off screen, though, Carrillo struggled fighting the elements—mountain cedar had him blowing his nose, taking antihistamines and using his inhaler between takes. “I wasn’t feeling 100%, but the scenes captured during filming were very effective in telling the story of this gutsy soldier,” Carrillo said. “This always reminds me the great power a camera has on creating a world for audiences to absorb and be part of.” Today, Carrillo is putting his acting and film-making experience to work as a TV producer/director for the Institute for Health Promotion ...
Read MoreA trio of experts discussed Latino cancer issues, including disparities, cancer myths, and health care issues in a webinar April 4, 2013, for National Minority Health Month. Speakers were: Amelie Ramirez, DrPH, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio Elena Rios, MD, MPH, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association Rosa Villoch-Santiago, MPA, director of health disparities for the American Cancer Society’s South Atlantic Division Ramirez indicated that the rising U.S. Latino population faces heightened risks of certain cancer, compared to whites, according to a Saludify news report. Ramirez also said Latino cancers are expected to rise 142% by 2030. She also highlighted ways to reduce and prevent ...
Read MoreEditor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, for the 2013 Èxito! program. Jenny Castillo Austin, Texas Native San Antonio resident Jenny Castillo not only cares about helping Latinos get off the couch and get fit to beat disease, she also knows the value of incorporating culturally infused methods of physical activity. For example, her passion for flamenco and folklorico dance represent an exciting way to bring Latino families together to get active. Castillo plans to put her passion for dance and her knowledge of Mexican American culture to good use as she pursues a master’s degree in health and kinesiology at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She expects to graduate in 2013. She ...
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Latinos don’t know much about clinical trials, surveys show. Clinical trials are research studies in which people help doctors find new prevention, screening, and treatment options. New treatments that look promising, and have already been tested extensively in the laboratory, are then tested with patients who volunteer to participate. It’s especially important for Latinos to participate in research so that doctors can learn more about the types of cancer that affect our community and what treatments are most effective, says Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director and professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. For those who speak Spanish, listen to Dr. Ramirez talk about the importance of ...
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