April Health News
Celebrating Minority Health Month
During the month of April we celebrate National Minority Health Month in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health. Throughout April, HHS will focus on highlighting prevalent health issues facing minorities and work toward reducing disparities. This year’s theme is Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation and will focus on ensuring health equity for all Americans by addressing these disparities and finding solutions.
Minority groups have long faced disparities in health issues due to a number of social factors such as lack of access to medicine and health care, a lower socio economic standing, and lack of education and resources. These factors have led to a higher rates of diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and more among minorities. Latinos is particular have an alarming rate of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Issues such as a lack of culturally competent resources and language barriers between patients and health care providers have long plagued Latinos. This month, we encourage all to speak openly about the health issues plaguing minorities and work together to find solutions that will ultimately obtain health equity for all Americans
Call to Action as Latino MSM Face HIV Crisis
Earlier this year the Latino Commission on AIDS called to action after releasing a brief on the effect of HIV/AIDS in the Latino MSM community. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at greater risk for HIV infection and Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV, leading to a high HIV infection crisis among Latino MSM.
In 2014 Latinos accounted for 24% of the new HIV infections in the United States and Latino MSM accounted for 27% of new infections among MSM. Of the estimated 7,893 infections among Latino MSM 40% were among Latinos born in the U.S. and 60% were among Latinos born in foreign countries.
The Latino Commission on AIDS attributes this high rate due to the lack of a comprehensive prevention strategy geared toward Latino MSM and the absence of culturally sensitive information and resources. Many Latino communities across the country lack information in Spanish or are unaware of resources in their community.
Latinos living with HIV are also followed by stigma and many are afraid to take advantage of services available to them. Largely immigrant Latinos tend to not take advantage of those health services due to fear of deportation or having to provide additional information. Lack of understanding the U.S. healthcare system is also an issue for many immigrant Latinos.
HIV/AIDS is greatly followed by stigma among Latinos and the idea of sexually transmitted diseases and sex in general are taboo topics for many. With many parents feeling uncomfortable speaking to their children about safe sex practices and HIV, the number of young Latino MSM infected by HIV will continue to grow.
This April we celebrate National Minority Health Month, which allows us to bring attention to issues such as high HIV infection rates among minorities and take action. The Latino Commission on AIDS welcomes us all to take action and end the crisis of high HIV infection rates among Latino MSM.
The Affordable Care Act
Latino Uninsured Rate Drops Significantly
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services over 20 million people have gained health insurance since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010. In 6 years, 20 million people have been able to gain health insurance that they likely would not have been able to without the Affordable Care Act. Latinos in particular have benefited from this new law and have seen a high increase in rate of Latinos now insured and are able to take advantage of their new health benefits.
From 2013 to 2016 the rate of uninsured Latinos dropped by more than 25% and now nearly 4 million Latinos in the U.S. have gained coverage. Additionally, the rate of uninsured Latino children has also reached a new low. In a report by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and the National Council of La Raza, it was found that the rate of uninsured Latino children had dropped from 2 million in 2013 to 1.7 million in 2014. This rate of 9.7% of Latino uninsured Latino children is a historic low and down nearly 2% in one year.
The Affordable Care Act has begun to lessen the gap of uninsured individuals in the United States and has begun to ensure minorities, such as Latinos are insured and have access to medicine and healthcare providers that they did not have before. More low income Latino families are now able to access higher levels of care and services without being incredibly worried about costs. This is the first step to ensuring a healthier Latino community but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Though the rate of uninsured Latino children has dropped, they are still the highest uninsured group among their peers. Measures are still needed to ensure that Latino families are completely covered and are truly on a better path to healthier lives.
What you Need to Know About the Zika Outbreak
The Zika virus disease has been on the mind of many American’s worried about the spread of the Zika virus in the United States. Prior to 2015, the Zika virus had only been reported in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. As the first case was reported in Brazil in 2015 and then in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been working to ensure Americans are aware and know what they can be exposed to if traveling to locations were cases have been reported.
The Zika virus disease is caused through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. Those who have been infected can experience common side effects such as fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Symptoms can last for several days or a week but never get too serious enough to visit the hospital. Because symptoms are mild and common with a number of other health issues, some may never know that they have been infected. For this reason, it is important to tell your healthcare provider where you have traveled if you begin to feel any of the symptoms.
The Zika virus lives in the bloodstream for up to a week, and it is important to beware of any more mosquito bites, as a mosquito can be infected and then infect another person, thus spreading the virus. The CDC has confirmed 346 cases in the Continential United States, all associated to travel. 32 of those cases were pregnant women.
Zika poses a threat to everyone but poses a particular risk to pregnant women as some studies link the virus to newborns with microcephaly which causes abnormal brain development and a smaller head size. Additionaly birth defects can include blindness, premature birth and longer periods of pregnancy.
Additionally the CDC has confirmed that the Zika virus can be spread sexually and has updated the warning to couples. In a study released by the CDC, the Zika virus was linked to acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which is simliar to multiple sclerosis. As more details come out on the Zika virus and it's effects, it is important to keep up to date and learn how to prevent and treat it.
Know What You Eat: Reading Nutrition Labels
When browsing through packaged foods at the grocery store, the first things many people do is look for the nutrition label. However, not all do and those that do are not always sure what they are reading. Reading the nutrition label can be pointless if you do not understand what and how it is being outlined. To better understand how to read a nutrition label properly, you need to know what is being outlined and where to find it.
A basic reading of a nutrition label for most is looking at the calories and serving size. This gives an idea of how many calories one may consume if they ate a portion of the product. At times the rest of the label is skimmed or ignored, but there is much more to a nutrition label than calories. Nutrition labels outline the nutrients in foods, the recommended daily values and the actual daily values.
To begin, start with the serving size. Typically the serving outlined on the label is not the serving a person will consume. Once you determine the amount of servings you will likely consumer you can move on to the calories. Knowing your serving size will now tell you how many calories you will consume. For example, if you consume two servings, you will have to multiply the calories outlined in the label. Additionally, pay attention to the calories from fat and do the same as you did with the calories in regard to the serving size.
Next you need to look at the nutrients you are consuming. The first portion of the nutrients outline the total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium. These are all nutrients you want to limit and you should look for products with lower amounts of these. Too much consumption of these can be bad for you and can lead a number of preventable diseases.
The following nutrients outlined are dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and iron. These are the nutrients that are good for you and you want to ensure you have enough of. These nutrients will help your body be healthy and provide it with the proper nutrients needed to live a healthy life.
Knowing all aspects of the nutrition label is the best way to know if you are getting the proper nutrition and can ultimately help you prevent diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and even obesity. To learn more about how to read all elements of a nutrition label, visit the FDA’s website here.