Mental Health Workforce Shortage More Critical in Minority Communities



Texas' severe shortage of mental health professionals is compounded by a disparity in diagnosing and treating the state's rapidly growing Latino and other minority communities, the Texas Tribune reports. The report indicates that 64% of all psychiatrists were white, 3.5% were black, and 12.4% were Hispanic in 2009. Watch this captivating video to see more about this ...

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Sugary Drinks 101 for Latinos (Part 2)



Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. SaludToday Guest Blog: An Interview with Jennifer Harris Young people are being exposed to a massive amount of marketing for sugary drinks, such as full-calorie sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks, according to a new study from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study is the most comprehensive analysis of sugary drink nutrition and marketing ever conducted. The data indicate that the companies involved target young people, especially Black and Latino youth. In an interview, Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives for the Rudd Center, details exactly how beverage ...

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Sugary Drinks 101 for Latinos (Part 1)



Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. SaludToday Guest Blog: An Interview with Jennifer Harris Young people are being exposed to a massive amount of marketing for sugary drinks, such as full-calorie sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks, according to a new study from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study is the most comprehensive analysis of sugary drink nutrition and marketing ever conducted. The data indicate that the companies involved target young people, especially Black and Latino youth. In an interview, Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives for the Rudd Center, details exactly how beverage ...

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How to Overcome Latino Children’s Low Physical Activity Levels



Editor's Note: This is Part 3 of a series on new Salud America! research briefs examining Latino youth nutrition, physical activity and marketing. Today's focus is physical activity. Preventing obesity among Latino youth will require a sizeable decrease in energy intake and/or a reciprocal increase in physical activity. A new Salud America! research brief shows that: Latino parents report more barriers to their children’s physical activity than do white parents, including transportation problems, concerns about neighborhood safety, and the expense and availability of local recreation opportunities. Latino children living in lower-income communities and unsafe neighborhoods are more likely to be physically inactive, overweight and/or obese. Immigrant Latino children are ...

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VIDEOS: Training on Patient Navigation & Latino Cancer Issues



Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network has released three videos on cancer issues and research methods that were used to train Redes En Acción researchers and patient navigators in Miami and San Antonio and Austin, Texas, who are involved in a study examining how patient navigators who use the LIVESTRONG Cancer Navigation Services Program can improve the quality of life of Latino breast, colorectal and prostate cancer survivors. The videos are designed specifically for the study, funded by the National Cancer Institute; but the videos may be useful in any patient navigator studies involving Latinos. Video 1 teaches researchers and patient navigators the proper steps on how to manage a potential mental health emergency or psychological related emergency that may ...

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Latino Children Struggle to Avoid Unhealthy Foods



Editor's Note: This is Part 2 of a series on new Salud America! research briefs examining Latino youth nutrition, physical activity and marketing. Today's focus is nutrition. The modern urban environment, replete with convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, has provided easy access to generally unhealthy foods and beverages, while not always providing access to healthy ones, especially in Latino communities. A new Salud America! research brief shows that: Families and youth residing in low-income, Latino neighborhoods often face limited access to supermarkets, chain grocery stores and healthy foods. Latino high school students have greater access to both unhealthy and healthy food choices than do other high school students. Compared with the national average, food ...

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Marketing Has Heavy Influence on Latino Childhood Obesity



Editor's Note: This is Part 1 of a series on new Salud America! research briefs examining Latino youth nutrition, physical activity and marketing. Today's focus is marketing. As with other children and adolescents, marketing may also have a powerful influence on the health behaviors of Latino youth. A new Salud America! research brief shows that: The amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically, particularly among Latinos. Latinos are avid users of digital media, including the Internet and mobile phones, among other new media platforms (e.g., Facebook, MySpace). Latino youth, have been identified as an important target market segment among fast-food and soda companies. Children viewing Spanish-language TV in the U.S. are heavily exposed ...

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VIDEO: Challenges to Healthy Eating Along the Texas-Mexico Border



Food access and mobile food vendors make eating healthy food a challenge in Texas colonias—rural, predominantly Latino settlements along the U.S.-Mexican border that often lack water, electricity, and other infrastructure. Check out a video discussion of colonia issues with Dr. Joseph Sharkey, a professor at The Texas A&M Health Sciences Center and a Healthy Eating Research ...

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Èxito! Grad Testimonial: Maria Priscilla Brietzke



Editor's Note: This is the testimonial of a graduate of the 2011 Summer Institute of Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training. Read more testimonials here or apply by March 1 for the 2012 Èxito! program. Maria Priscilla Brietzke Houston, Texas After seeing how media can help improve Latinas’ health behavior during a practicum along the Texas-Mexico Border, Maria Priscilla Brietzke believes that small changes have big power to help the disadvantaged. Brietzke, who currently is a research assisting at the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston School of Nursing, is focusing on making both small and large changes in age-related chronic illness. Because she had questions about balancing work and life in a doctoral-level research career, she took a friend’s ...

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