Archive for January, 2012

Advances in Latino Cancer Screening, Liver Cancer, Obesity & More

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1 year ago
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Find the latest in Latino health—from helping underserved Latinos get cancer screening, to exploring reasons why liver cancer is on the rise among Latinos, 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 IHPR E-newsletter has these stories:

  • Story and Video: A New Way to Help Underserved Local Latinos Get Cancer Screens (Pg 1)
  • Story: How Did an IHPR Employee Get a Coveted Internship Using His Christmas Present? (Pg 2)
  • Story: New Research Briefs Examine Obesity in Latino Youths (Pg 3)
  • Videos: New Training Videos on Patient Navigation (Pg 4)
  • Story: Apply by 3/1/12 for Éxito to Get Help Pursuing a Doctoral Degree (Pg 5)
  • Story: Latino Liver Cancer Rates Are on Rise…But Why? (Pg 6)
  • Story: Sugary Drinks 101 for Latinos (Pg 9)

Find much more on local and national health disparities-related news, funding, resources and events by visiting the IHPR’s website.

Study: School Compliance with P.E. Policies Matters for Latino Children’s Fitness

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1 year ago
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Editor’s Note: This is a 20-part series featuring new research briefs on Latino childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity and more by the 20 grantees of Salud America! Part 10 is Dr. Emma Sanchez. Find all briefs here.

Dr. Emma Sanchez

Dr. Emma Sanchez
“The Role of Physical Education Policies in California”

In her Salud America! pilot research project, Dr. Emma Sanchez of San Francisco State University used existing data to investigate whether school district compliance with California physical education (P.E.) requirements influences fitness among the state’s Latino children.

Key preliminary findings include:

  • most Latino students attended school in districts that did not comply with P.E. policies;
  • compared with Latino children in non-policy compliant districts, those in districts that complied with P.E. policies were significantly less likely to be overweight or obese; and
  • school district compliance with P.E. policies matters for physical fitness.

These results suggest that school district compliance with P.E. policies may be an important determinant of Latino children’s fitness status. These findings imply that population-level approaches including policy mandates for P.E. in schools may contribute to overall improvements and reduced disparities in children’s physical activity and fitness levels.

However, the success of these approaches is likely to depend on adequate funding to ensure that policies can be fully implemented and that compliance can be monitored in every school.

Read more here.

Salud America! is an RWJF national program directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

New Spanish-Language Podcasts on Quitting Smoking, Autism, Healthcare and Asthma

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1 year ago
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The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Healthcare 411 audio news source provides practical health care information, research findings, and data in English and Spanish to help consumers, health providers, health insurers, researchers, and policymakers make informed decisions about health care issues.

The site offers some brand-new Spanish-language podcasts on these topics:

Consejos para dejar de fumar: Provides suggestions to help individuals break their smoking habit.

Terapias para niños con trastornos del espectro autista: Discusses treatment options for children with autism

Toma las riendas: Discusses how patients can increase their awareness about common healthcare issues

Disparidades en el uso de medicamentos para el asma: Discusses the disparities of asthma medication usage among the Latino community

To view more Spanish-language programs, go here.

Telenovelas: Are Spanish-Language Soap Operas Good for Your Health?

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1 year ago
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The latest in Spanish-language soap operas, or telenovelas, are more than just about romance and personal scandal, they’re debuting some very clear messages on health care for Latinos in the U.S., specifically Colorado, PBS Newshour reports.

Read more about the new telenovelas here or watch this video.

Watch Are Spanish-Language Soap Operas Good for Your Health? on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Study: Doctors Give Less Attention to Latino Children Who Are Overweight But Not Obese

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1 year ago
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Editor’s Note: This is a 20-part series featuring new research briefs on Latino childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity and more by the 20 grantees of Salud America! Part 9 is Dr. Javier Rosado. Find all briefs here.

Dr. Javier Rosado

Dr. Javier Rosado
“Paying Attention to Children’s Weight in Pediatric Primary Care”

In his Salud America! pilot research project, Dr. Javier Rosado of Florida State University assessed how much weight-related medical attention children get during well-child checkups at a pediatric community health center in a rural, largely Latino migrant farm-worker community in Florida.

Key preliminary findings include:

  • some parents are not concerned about their child’s weight;
  • obesity among girls raised the highest concern. The child’s gender also influences physician action; and
  • physicians give little attention to children who are overweight but not obese.

These findings highlight the need for programs that facilitate parental interest, concern and confidence in influencing their child’s health and weight—particularly as parents in our study were frequently unaware of their child’s weight status.

Physicians also need to be equipped with guidelines and tools that facilitate accurate diagnosis and treatment of childhood obesity, and any such guidelines must address parent and child motivation to engage in treatment.

Read more here.

Salud America! is an RWJF national program directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

Apply for Next Class of ‘School Food Changemakers’

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1 year ago
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FoodCorps, a national organization that addresses childhood obesity and food insecurity in underserved communities, recently opened applications for its second annual class of service members.

Selected emerging leaders will dedicate one year of full-time public service in school food systems—expanding hands-on nutrition education programs, building and tending school gardens, and sourcing fresh, healthy, local food for school cafeterias.

In its first year, FoodCorps gained national attention by attracting 1,229 applicants for just 50 positions. The first class of service members have already made a difference in their local schools—from getting hundreds of pounds of local sweet potatoes onto cafeteria trays, to revitalizing and building 137 school and community gardens, to engaging 250 local volunteers.

FoodCorps seeks up to 100 men and women with a passion for serving their country as AmeriCorps service members by building healthy communities in 12 states around the country.

In addition to the 10 states where it currently operates—Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon—FoodCorps plans to expand to Connecticut and Montana in 2012.

“We are looking for passionate people interested in forging careers in building a better food system,” said Cecily Upton, FoodCorps Service Program Director. “FoodCorps can help them get hands-on experience to build a future career in food, agriculture, and public health.”

Applications are due March 25, 2012. Get more info here.

Study: Mother-Daughter Exercise Program Improves Latina Girls’ Activity, Weight

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1 year ago
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Editor’s Note: This is a 20-part series featuring new research briefs on Latino childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity and more by the 20 grantees of Salud America! Part 8 is Dr. Norma Olvera. Find all briefs here.

Dr. Norma Olvera

Dr. Norma Olvera
“Combating Obesity and Inactivity in Latina Girls”

In her Salud America! pilot research project, Dr. Norma Olvera of the University of Houston assessed the immediate and long-term impact of a program—Behavior Opportunities Uniting in Nutrition, Counseling, and Exercise (BOUNCE)—on indicators of obesity.

Mother-daughter pairs enrolled in BOUNCE participated in a four-week healthy lifestyle summer program, followed by a 12-week, family-based aerobic program.

Key preliminary findings include:

  • a family-centered exercise program successfully reduced obesity and increased physical activity levels in Latina girls; and
  • Latina girls steadily increased their daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week, with an average of 84.5 minutes.

Study finding suggest that Latina girls who participate in a family-centered exercise program during the summer are likely to reduce weight, body mass index, waist circumference and body fat percentage. Similarly, they are also likely to increase their moderate-to-vigorous activity.

Read more here.

Salud America! is an RWJF national program directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

Study: Fewer Than Half of Latino Families Eat Meals Together Every Day

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1 year ago
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Editor’s Note: This is a 20-part series featuring new research briefs on Latino childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity and more by the 20 grantees of Salud America! Part 7 is Dr. Angela Wiley. Find all briefs here.

Dr. Angela Wiley

Dr. Angela Wiley
“Abriendo Caminos (Clearing the Path)”

In her Salud America! pilot research project, Dr. Angela Wiley of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign took a family-based approach—accounting for developmental patterns of behavior and practices in early mealtime experiences—to prevent childhood obesity and promote wellbeing among Spanish-speaking families in Illinois.

The 6-week curriculum actively involves Latino families in food preparation, shared physical activity, and shared mealtimes featuring family storytelling and scrapbooking.

Key preliminary findings include:

  • fewer than half of Latino families are eating meals together seven days a week;
  • Latino children are drinking roughly three fourths of a soda per day on average; and
  • fruit and vegetable consumption is well below daily recommended values.

The study found that, during the weekly workshops, family members enjoyed planning ways to improve their meal-time quality by increasing positive conversation and storytelling and reducing TV viewing. Policymakers can help protect family time for shared meals.

Also, while families recognized the need to control sugary beverages at home, policymakers should be aware that families want their children to have less access to soda outside the home.

Read more here.

Salud America! is an RWJF national program directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

Study: Community Gardens Boost Latino Child Health, Save Families Money

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1 year ago
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Editor’s Note: This is a 20-part series featuring new research briefs on Latino childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity and more by the 20 grantees of Salud America! Part 6 is Dr. Dina Castro. Find all briefs here.

Dr. Dina Castro

Dr. Dina Castro
“Growing Healthy Kids: How Community Gardens Can Increase Latino Child Health”

In her Salud America! pilot research project, Dr. Dina Castro of the University of North Carolina used community gardens and parental nutrition education and activities to promote healthy eating and physical activity among lower-income Latino families who have young children.

The project established three community gardens in Orange County, N.C.

Key preliminary findings include:

  • children had access to more fruits and vegetables after their families participated in the community garden program; and
  • having access to a community garden helped lower-income families save money.

Results suggest an increase in availability of fruits and vegetables in the households of children who participated in the Growing Healthy Kids community gardening project. Over the long term, continued access to the gardens and technical support provided through the project may help these children to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

Read more here.

Salud America! is an RWJF national program directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

New Project to Offer Cancer Screening to Underserved Latinos in San Antonio

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1 year ago
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Two University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio researchers today were awarded a total of $4.7 million by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
These awards for cancer prevention, along with $2.9 million to University Health System, make San Antonio the largest recipient of funds in this CPRIT funding cycle—28% the $26.3 million awarded.

Dr. Cynthia Mojica of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

Dr. Cynthia Mojica, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center, will use a $2 million award to partner with federally qualified health center CentroMed and community organizations to offer breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening to San Antonio residents otherwise unable to afford them.

“This grant allows us to greatly expand what we’ve been doing in terms of giving people in underserved populations the opportunity to be screened,” Dr. Mojica said.

A $2.7 million grant to Dr. Gail Tomlinson, interim director of the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), allows her team to help health-care providers map out their patients’ cancer risks and to share information with the community about the importance of understanding family history. They will work with CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System and other groups. The grant will also support screening services for people at high risk who might not otherwise have access.

“A family history can yield strong clues to understanding a person’s risk for cancer,” Dr. Tomlinson said.

The awards reflect the kind of work that goes on at the Health Science Center, said Dr. William L. Henrich, president of the Health Science Center.

“Extending better cancer screening opportunities and the latest expertise in genetic counseling to the people at greatest risk here in South Texas is the perfect expression of our mission at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,” Dr. Henrich said.

CTRC director Dr. Ian M. Thompson Jr. noted that this is not the first time CPRIT has supported both researchers.

“Prevention is one of the most important ways to fight cancer,” said Dr. Thompson, professor of urology in the School of Medicine at the Health Science Center. “Dr. Tomlinson’s genetic research will give us the capability to bring a person’s potential cancer risk into sharper focus, helping them make decisions in advance to prevent the disease. Dr. Mojica’s community outreach will give our friends and neighbors the opportunity to be screened for cancers for which early diagnosis can mean a cancer cure. I am delighted that CPRIT continues to help them both help San Antonio and Texas.”

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