NCLR Launches 12-Part Series to Address Latino Nutrition
Aug 31st
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., has introduced the third edition of its “Profiles of Latino Health” series, titled Profiles of Latino Health: A Closer Look at Child Nutrition.
The 12-part weekly series examines critical factors affecting Latino children’s nutrition, including trends in hunger and obesity, as well as family access to healthy foods and other resources that play important roles in children’s nutritional outcomes.
“Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that obesity rates—already alarmingly high—have increased yet again. The nation is also experiencing unprecedented rates of hunger, particularly in the wake of an economic crisis that has devastated many American families,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “America’s children are suffering as a result. As U.S. leaders combat the crises of childhood hunger and obesity, NCLR hopes to inform the national discussion by providing insight into trends within the Latino community.”
Hispanic children currently make up more than one in five children in the U.S. and are expected to represent nearly one in three children by 2030. They are also the hungriest in America—composing almost 40% of the one million children living in hunger. Ironically, they have one of the highest risks of obesity; researchers estimate that nearly two-fifths (38.5%) of Latino children ages two to 19 were overweight or obese in 2008.
Issue 1 of the new series deals with Latino child hunger and family food insecurity.
For more details on NCLR’s series, go here.
Hispanic-Serving Groups Largely Unaware of Available State Support
Aug 10th
About 6 out of 10 Hispanic-serving organization representatives were unaware of state government grants available to support the services they are providing or could provide in their local Hispanic community, according to survey results on perceptions of state and federal government grant funding.
Survey respondents were more aware of federal grants, though.
The survey, conducted by Urban Strategies, in partnership with the National Alliance for Hispanic Families (NAHF), aimed to understand whether Hispanic-serving organizations are aware of and accessing government grants and to gather their input on ways to increase the level of government support to Hispanic-serving organizations. More than 125 people completed the survey.
“The findings of this survey imply that more work needs to be done to inform policymakers and federal agency leadership about the needs and challenges facing Hispanic communities and the organizations who serve them,” according to the NAHF. “Policy direction could also focus on ensuring that funds to serve Hispanic communities are allocated to organizations from within the Hispanic community that have a demonstrated track record of providing culturally appropriate services. Efforts could also focus on helping smaller, less established Hispanic-serving organizations compete for grant funds.”
Survey results will inform discussions with policymakers to take place in Summer 2010.
To read more about the results and the effort, go here.
Darker skin doesn’t mean melanoma immunity
Jul 22nd
From ZUMA Press, via mnn.com
Melanoma is on the rise among certain groups of dark-skinned Floridians, new research shows, Reuters reports.
The study isn’t sure why but does provide an important main message: ”Just because you have darker skin pigmentation, whether you’re Hispanic or black, does not make you immune to skin cancer,” Dr. Robert S. Kirsner of the University of Miami told Reuters Health.
Melanoma remains much rarer among blacks and Hispanics than among whites, which helps explain why public health efforts to prevent melanoma chiefly target the light-skinned.
In the current study, for example, in 2004 there were about 26 cases of melanoma diagnosed for every 100,000 persons per year among U.S. whites, compared to 4 cases for Hispanics and less than 1 case for non-Hispanic blacks.
Nevertheless, non-whites with melanoma are diagnosed later, and are thus actually more likely to die from the disease, Kirsner and his team point out in the Archives of Dermatology.
“It’s picked up later and a lot of this is really felt to be due to decreased detection and screening,” Dr. Melody Eide, a staff physician-scientist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit who has studied ethnicity and melanoma but was not involved in the new study, told Reuters Health.
Read more here, including differences among Hispanics in Florida compared to the nation and other groups.
Summer Sun Problem: Rise of Skin Cancer in Hispanics Concerns Dermatologists
Jun 1st
Dr. Bahar Firoz
People with fair skin, blue eyes and red hair still have the highest risk of skin cancer, but doctors say the number of darker-skinned patients with skin lesions is rising, both under the hot Texas sun and nationally.
Dr. Bahar F. Firoz of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio says melanoma is increasing among Hispanic women in particular.
“Among Hispanic women of all ages in Texas, melanoma incidence increased 4.8 percent every year from 2002 to 2006. That is a very high rate,” Dr. Firoz said. “In Hispanic women over 50, this incidence is a whopping 10.8 percent. Overall, the incidence of melanoma is increasing in darker-skinned patients.”
Dr. Firoz, assistant professor of dermatology and cutaneous surgery in the Health Science Center School of Medicine, sees patients through UT Medicine San Antonio.
Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. The most common types are melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. “Deep melanomas can metastasize and lead to death,” Dr. Firoz said.
Texas has seen an “epidemic of melanoma the last few years,” Dr. Firoz said. Because sun exposure and sunburns have been linked to higher rates of skin cancer, the rate of melanoma increase in Texas Hispanics may be related to the Texas sun, she said.
Nationally, in Hispanic patients under age 50, the increase of melanoma in incidence is 4.5 percent a year.
“People of color need to be aware that they still have a risk for skin cancer, and that skin cancer is on the rise, especially in Texas,” Dr. Firoz said. “Patients should be checked at least once a year for skin cancer.”
Read tips on preventing cancer here from the UT Health Science Center.
Hispanic Women at Greater Risk for Lupus; Campaign Seeks to Raise Awareness
May 6th
In an effort to further engage Hispanic women, who are at the greatest risk for lupus, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and The Ad Council are distributing new radio public service advertisements in time for World Lupus Day May 10.
Lupus affects minority women three times more than white women.
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory disease that causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the body’s own healthy cells and tissue. Symptoms of the disease include fatigue, hair loss, painful or swollen joints, fever, skin rashes and kidney problems.
The “Could I Have Lupus?” PSA campaign targets young, minority women of childbearing age, 18 to 44, who are at greatest risk for lupus, to help them understand the disease, its effects, and identify early warning signs so that they can request a medical evaluation from their doctor or community health center.
New PSAs launching today consist of :30 and :60 second Spanish radio spots featuring the stories of real women and the tagline, “For answers. For support. For hope.” The PSAs direct women to visit www.podriayotenerlupus.gov, or call a toll-free number (1-800-994-9662) to learn more about the symptoms and treatment options for lupus and access local resources.
Latino Kids More Likely to be Bullies?
May 5th
Hispanic and black kids had a higher risk of being bullies than white kids, as did those whose mothers reported mental health issues, according to a new study, HealthDay reports.
About 15 percent of kids overall were identified as bullies.
The study indicates that parents can play an important role in preventing their children from becoming bullies by helping them with homework and getting to know their friends.
“Improving parent-child communication and parental involvement with their children could have a substantial impact on child bullying,” study author Dr. Rashmi Shetgiri, a pediatrician and researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, told HealthDay.
Read more here.
VIDEO: Encouraging Hispanic Parents to Help Their Kids Prep for College
Apr 27th
Many Hispanic youth are not pursuing a college degree as a result of their parents not understanding the steps they can take to help their children prepare for and apply to college, according to a recent Pew Hispanic Center study.
In fact, only 13% of Hispanics ages 26-65 have a bachelor’s degree.
To raise awareness among Hispanic parents about the critically important role they play in encouraging their children to go to college, The Advertising Council, in partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, have launched a national multimedia public service advertising campaign. The objective of the campaign is to provide parents with the resources needed through the new campaign Web site, www.YourWordsToday.org, and toll-free number, 1-877-HSF-8711. Read more here or watch the PSA below:
Cool Links, Reports on Hot Minority Health Topics
Apr 15th
Here’s a list of cool health links and reports on hot topics from the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Medical and Research Library:
Hispanic Diabetes Disparities Network: This report describes the development of a learning network project that included interventions and needs assessments at community health centers to help reduce the diabetes disparity in the Hispanic population. It is provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/diabetesnetwork/
Health Care Reform: A recent Consumer’s Guide is available from the Kaiser Foundation http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/March/22/consumers-guide-health-reform.aspx
Family Food Decision-Making Discussion Guide: This guide, produced by Cornell University, encourages families to analyze their own food decisions, build goals, and implement change in their eating habits.
http://familyfood.human.cornell.edu/ffdm_tool.html
Aging Texas Well Issue Brief Series has reports by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services on physical health and also on mental health & substance abuse of people older than age 60 in Texas.
http://www.dads.state.tx.us/services/agingtexaswell/issuebriefs/index.cfm
Health Education Resource Exchange is an online clearinghouse compiled by the Washington State Dept. of Health of public health education and health promotion materials including posters, brochures, fact sheets and other educational materials. Most of them may be downloaded and many languages are available.
http://here.doh.wa.gov/materials-projects
Health Indicators a Webinar series by the National Library of Medicine explains what health indicators are and how to find and use the data to engage with communities.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/healthindicators/index.html
Screening for Obesity in Children: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that clinicians screen children aged 6 years and older for obesity and offer them or refer them to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions to promote improvement in weight status.
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspschobes.htm
Support for Low-Income Individuals and Families: A Review of Recent Government Accountability Office Work is available in report GAO-10-342R, issued February 22, 2010.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-10-342R
Many Hispanics Lack Access to Colon Cancer Screening
Apr 14th
Colorectal cancer screening tests, such as colonoscopies, are harder to find in areas of the United States with large Hispanic populations, new research in the journal Cancer suggests, according to a HealthDay article.
This could explain why Hispanics are less likely to get screened than whites, study authors say.
The researchers found that Hispanics typically lived in counties with less access to the screening tests. Residents were more likely to be screened if the tests were more available in their regions.
The findings suggest “that interventions designed to reduce disparities in the use of colorectal cancer screening or stage at diagnosis should consider not only improving local capacity for screening but also address other characteristics of the areas that may limit the dissemination of information about the importance of colorectal cancer screening,” the study authors wrote.
Now watch our inspirational PSA here or below on Latino men and the decision for colorectal cancer screening.
San Antonio Latinos: Give Blood March 31-April 1
Mar 25th
The Cesar Chavez Blood Drive on March 31 and April 1 in San Antonio to increase the number of blood donations by Hispanics, who have some of the lowest donor numbers in the U.S., although anyone is welcome to give blood regardless of race/ethnicity.
Donors will get a coupon for a free hamburger from Whataburger.
The blood drive, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and has a location on the third floor of University Hospital, 4502 Medical Drive, also is a national competition between universities to raise blood donations. Prizes will be awarded to the school with most overall and Hispanic donors.
For more information, go here.