skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Hispanic Heritage Month Draws Attention to Health Disparities, Risks

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 12, 2017   

DES MOINES, Iowa – In Iowa and across the nation, Hispanic Heritage Month is being celebrated with events commemorating the contributions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

But there's also a health crisis in Hispanic communities.

Of the more than 182,000 Hispanic Americans who live in Iowa, about 4 percent suffer from cardiovascular disease.

Kassi Wessing, communications director for the American Heart Association Iowa chapter, says the data is clear.

"Hispanic populations are at a disproportionate high risk for cardiovascular diseases and stroke,” she states. “That includes risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol."

Wessing notes that more than half of Hispanic women are unaware that heart disease is their greatest risk.

With Iowa's overall adult obesity rate of 32 percent, she says spreading the word is the first step toward healthier lifestyles, including getting adequate amounts of exercise and working to reduce cholesterol intake.

Among Hispanics age 20 and older, the Heart Association says 80 percent of men and 76 percent of women are considered to be overweight or obese.

In Iowa, the obesity rate for the Latino population is just under 30 percent.

Wessing says it's a public health issue, and communities need a greater focus on healthy living options.

"Whether you have access to healthy foods or access to walking and biking, or outdoor recreation," she states.

Since 2000, Hispanics in the United States have grown from 13 percent of the overall population to 17 percent.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021