The initiative to engage Latino youth and families in the 4-H Youth Development Program, managed by the University of California, has just issued its first year report.

Through qualitative questionnaires and focus group interviews, we analyzed experiences of six new bilingual and bicultural program staff, hired specifically to implement youth development programming to reach Latino youth. Staff reported a steep learning curve, with competing demands to build relationships, engage youth and show results. Lessons learned may help shape activities that other youth development programs may consider in similar efforts.

"Staff emphasized that getting to know the community and building relationships were the most important parts of starting a new 4-H program," the report says. "Staff identified several 4-H program models they utilized to engage Latino youth in 4-H; these included after-school clubs, SPIN (special interest) clubs, in-school clubs, day camps, and short-term/special interest programs."

Sonoma County offers After School Clubs and Day Camps when schools are out. These clubs are in Santa Rosa and Windsor. To learn more about these clubs, contact Diego Mariscal at dmariscal@ucanr.edu.

To learn more about this report, contact Steven Worker at smworker@ucanr.edu. 

This article was first published in UCCE Sonoma County blog. 

Latinos are facing a deeper retirement crisis than other ethnic groups because of lower access to workplace savings plans and other job-related disadvantages in accumulating nest eggs, reports the National Institute on Retirement Security and UnidosUS in a new study. 

“Retirement plan participation rate for Latino workers (30.9 percent) is about 22.1 percentage points lower than participation rate of White workers (53% percent), because Latinos face higher access and eligibility hurdles,” the researchers from NIRS and UnidosUS find.  Unidos was formerly known as the National Council of La Raza.

In 2014, 53.7 percent of Latinos 21 to 65 who worked for an employer that sponsored a retirement plan compared to 69.8 percent of all workers.

Even when they are working for an employer with a workplace retirement savings plan, Latinos are hurt because they frequently don't meet the eligibility requirements.

Among Latinos with access to a retirement plan, only 60.3 percent satisfy the eligibility requirements versus 72.9 percent for all workers with access.

At the same time, Latino employees who are in workplace retirement plans have about one-third less savings on average than their White workers.

The study warns Latino women are particularly hard hit economically when they reach age 65.

“Without income from work, Latinas age 65 and older would not be able to afford basic expenses. Older Latinas also face poverty rates three times higher than older White women,” the study says.

Smaller than national average incomes also harm Latinos in preparing for their post-workforce future.

“Workers earning low wages and struggling to make ends meet may very well find it difficult to set aside a portion of their income to save for retirement,” the report warns.

The study points out Latinos typically get a late start in saving for retirement.

The majority of Latinos who have access to a workplace retirement plan don't achieve the benefit until age 45.

By 2060, the number of Latinos 65 and over in the U.S. is expected to reach 21.5 million.

Currently, at 57.5 people, Latinos make up 17.8 percent of the nation's population.

Source: Published originally on forbes.com, Latinos Facing Deeper Retirement Security Crisis Than Other Ethnic Groups, by Ted Knutson, December 3^rd, 2018.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 2016, the Hispanic population in the United States had grown to 57.5 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or racial minority group. Studies have shown that U.S.-born Latinos have a higher incidence of cancer than foreign-born Latinos. To better understand the influence that acculturation and environmental factors have on cancer risks in Latinos in the United States, Setiawan et al launched a large observational study examining the cancer mortality patterns across first-generation immigrants and second- and third-generation U.S.-born Mexican Americans. 

The study's findings show that the highest cancer death rate occurred among third-generation U.S.-born Latinos, followed by second-generation Latinos with one or both parents born in Mexico. The lowest cancer death rate occurred among first-generation immigrants. The study also found the risk of dying from certain cancers, including lung, colorectal, and liver cancers, was significantly higher among third-generation U.S.-born Latinos compared with first-generation Mexico-born immigrants.

Key Points Latinos in the United States experience an increased risk of cancer death with each generation born in the United States. The highest cancer death rate occurred among third-generation U.S.-born Latinos, followed by second-generation Latinos with one or both parents born in Mexico. The lowest cancer death rate occurred among first-generation immigrants. The risk of dying from certain cancers, including lung, colorectal and liver cancers, was significantly higher among third- generation U.S.-born Latinos compared with the first- generation Mexico-born immigrants.

The study was presented at the 11th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved (Abstract C084).

The researchers analyzed data from 29,308 Latinos of Mexican origin participating in the Multiethnic Cohort Study of Diet and Cancer funded by the National Cancer Institute. The participants were between the ages of 45 and 74 years, and they entered the study between 1993 and 1996. Cox models were used to estimate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer mortality associated with generation, adjusted for risk factors for cancer mortality, at cohort baseline.

Study Results

During an average of 17.7 years, 2,915 cancer deaths were identified. The researchers found that the highest death rate (per 100,000) occurred among third-generation U.S.-born Latinos (age-adjusted rate = 537); followed by second-generation Latinos with one parent born in the United States (526 per 100,000) or both parents born in Mexico (481 per 100,000). The lowest cancer death rate occurred among first-generation immigrants (381 per 100,000).

After adjusting for education, lifestyle factors, and preexisting illnesses, Latino generation was associated with cancer mortality risk (P trend < .0001). The risk for third-generation U.S.-born, second-generation with one parent U.S.-born, and second-generation with both parents Mexico-born was significantly higher compared to first-generation immigrants (RR = 1.37 [95% CI = 1.21–1.54], 1.27 [1.12-1.44], and 1.20 [1.08-1.33], respectively). Restricting analyses to the Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC)-Medicare enrollees, for whom data indicated they are living in the United States and are eligible for national health insurance coverage, yielded similar results.

In specific cancer site analyses, the researchers found associations between generation with lung cancer (P trend = .014), colorectal cancer (P trend = .004), liver cancer (P trend = .006), and possibly breast cancer (P trend = .053). The risks of lung cancer (RR = 1.46 [1.09-1.97]), colorectal cancer (RR = 1.95 [1.28–2.95]), and liver cancer (RR = 1.87 [1.22–2.85]) deaths were significantly higher among third-generation U.S.-born compared to first-generation Mexico-born immigrants.

The risks of prostate, stomach, and pancreatic cancers were similar across generations.

Changing Risk Factors

“The disparities in cancer mortality we observed in U.S. Latinos are likely due to changes in lifestyle, health behaviors, and social factors,” said Veronica Wendy Setiawan, PhD, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and lead author of this study, in a statement. “This study is a reminder that some factors that contribute to cancer risk are modifiable.”

Dr. Setiawan declared no conflicts of interest. Funding for the study was provided by the National Cancer Institute.

The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.

Source: Published originally on ascopost.com, Study Suggests Risk of Cancer Death Increases with Each Generation of Latinos Born in the United States, by Jo Cavallo, November 5^th, 2018.

Latino youth participation in 4-H is on the rise, according to a report on the first year of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' three-year 4-H Latino Initiative.

Increasing Latino participation in 4-H has been a priority for some time. Over the last five years, participation in 4-H increased 41 percent; Latino participation increased 173 percent. While growing, the fraction of 4-H members who are Latino still falls below their proportion of the state's population.

“We're just getting started in implementing a new statewide comprehensive plan to reach Latino youth,” said Lupita Fabregas, assistant director for 4-H diversity and expansion. “We know 4-H helps prepare kids for success in college and life. We're thrilled to be involving more Latinos.”

When 4-H was formed 100 years ago, it was an educational club for farm kids. Often seen in spotless white and kelly green garments, participants raised animals, gardened, cooked and sewed while learning leadership and public speaking skills. In the latter half of the 20^th century, when California became more urbanized, 4-H began adding education in broader program areas, such as rocketry, robotics, computer science and environmental stewardship.

California demographics were also changing. The state became more ethnically diverse. In 2014, Latinos surpassed whites as the largest ethnic group. But they weren't reaping the benefits of 4-H membership at the same rate.

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) the 4-H parent organization in California, researched the reasons for low Latino 4-H membership, and realized there were opportunities to develop new program models and methods to reach minority populations without changing the 4-H core values.

“As an organization, we identified the values and core elements of 4-H that make us unique,” said Shannon Horrillo, UC ANR statewide 4-H director. “We decided that no matter how we adapted the program, we would not stray from those foundational elements.”

Core elements include youth leadership, youth-adult partnerships, life skills learning, community service and service learning, the 4-H Pledge, and well-known 4-H name and green four-leaf clover emblem. It became apparent that some of the requirements that were part of the community club tradition – such as the required meeting attendances, parliamentary procedures and officer structure – were barriers to extending the program to a more diverse population.

“We can be more flexible in how the program looks and in requirements while maintaining what has made 4-H an impactful program for more than 100 years,” Horrillo said.

New club models were launched, including special interest clubs (called SPIN clubs), in-school clubs and after-school clubs.

4-H membership began looking a lot more like the highly diverse citizenry in the state's densely populated cities. In 2016, UC ANR allocated funds to employ bilingual 4-H community education specialists in seven California counties for three years to further boost Latino participation. The specialists are making a concerted effort to reach out to Latino youth, parents, community leaders, schools, churches and other organizations to extend 4-H programming to wider and more diverse audiences in Kern, Merced, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Sonoma counties.

“Our staff are making strides in adapting 4-H to be culturally relevant for Latino youth,” Fabregas said. “This work will help all youth feel welcome, appreciated and valued in 4-H programs.”

The new effort will include a fundraising program to maintain and expand the emphasis on Latino outreach after the current three-year funding period concludes. The UC ANR Development office is working with the 4-H Latino Initiative to develop a plan to combine local fundraising, grant awards, contracts with schools and agencies, and foundation and private gifts to keep the program going beyond the current three-year term.

“Though the progress to date has been significant, we know that we'll need to hire more community educators to strengthen our resources if we're going to bring 4-H to a great number of Latinos,” said Andrea Ambrose, UC ANR director of development.