Scene from PSA, “The Promise”
November 03, 2009. Redes En Acción today unveiled six new public service announcements and is also promoting a new Latino health blog and Web site, SaludToday, all geared to promoting healthier lifestyles among Latinos.
The six PSAs, which can be viewed on our PSA Web page and also via the SaludToday Web site, aim to educate Latinos about the importance of early screening in detecting breast, cervical and colorectal cancers.
The SaludToday Web site, www.SaludToday.com, is an online Latino health forum that uses a blog that simultaneously feeds Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages and features videos, role model stories and the capability for people to share their own health success stories. This site is administered by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio under the direction of Dr. Amelie Ramirez, which also administers the Redes En Acción program.
The Redes outreach effort aims to catalyze Latino families, community leaders and health researchers to reduce and prevent health disparities – differences in Latinos’ disproportionate burden of disease compared to non-Hispanic whites.
“Latinos are at a disadvantage when it comes to being in good health, so we wanted to raise awareness about disparities and prompt behavioral changes to improve Latino health nationwide,” said Redes Principal Investigator Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H.
SaludToday elements include:
Latino Health Blog. The SaludToday blog gathers the latest news, videos and research on a variety of Latino health topics, such as cancer, obesity and cultural issues. The blog simultaneously feeds Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages to feature stories about Latino life and health, from Latino cancer research to exercise interventions for Latino youths to unique stories of Latinos who’ve quit smoking. Sign up to receive SaludToday blog feeds and to comment on videos and posts.
PSA Videos. SaludToday also features six new public service announcements (PSAs) produced by Redes En Acción in both English and Spanish. The culturally relevant PSAs show the benefits of preventative screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer among Latinos. Also featured are four other PSAs previously developed by Redes that tout clinical trial participation among Latinos. In the coming weeks, the new PSAs also will be distributed to TV stations across the country.
Sharing Stories. SaludToday offers a variety of stories on Latinos who have overcome obstacles to beat disease or improve their health. These stories are featured on the SaludToday Web site and blog. SaludToday also offers people the capacity to post their own photos and stories, receive their blog feeds, and vote in health polls.
Latino Health Resources. SaludToday also aims to link Latinos with the latest information and resources on health. For example, a person can find out how to get local or national cancer information in Spanish, find out the best steps to take to quit tobacco, or find a cancer clinical trial near them.
“By bringing Latinos the latest stories, news and events regarding Latino health through a blog and social media and encouraging them to contribute their own insight and stories, we hope we can make huge leaps in improving Latino health,” Dr. Ramirez said.
To find out more about the team behind SaludToday and the PSAs, e-mail the IHPR at ihpr@uthscsa.edu or visit its Web site at http://ihpr.uthscsa.edu
