Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell Joins Launch to Encourage Hispanics to Become More Involved in Their Health Care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and The Advertising Council launched a Spanish-language national public service campaign designed to encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care. The campaign urges Hispanics to stay healthy for their loved ones by visiting their doctor for regular screenings.  Hispanics are 38 percent less likely than non-Hispanics to have visited the doctor within the past year, according to the latest data from AHRQ. In addition, more than a quarter of Hispanic adults have never had their cholesterol checked, two-thirds of Hispanics over 50 have never had a colonoscopy, and nearly 54 percent of Hispanic women over 40 have not had a mammogram within the last year.  The fact that one-third of U.S. Hispanics are uninsured, along with linguistic and cultural barriers, plays a role in these disparities, as shown in AHRQ's recent National Healthcare Disparities Report.

Assistant Secretary Carbonell said, "We are pleased to be working with AHRQ and the Ad Council to communicate the importance of prevention for Hispanic adults. This campaign complements HHS department-wide efforts to work in partnership with national Hispanic organizations and local communities around the country to encourage Hispanics to adopt healthy lifestyles. I invite Hispanic leaders across the country as well as employers, churches and others to join us in relaying this critical message to Hispanics of all ages." http://adcouncil.wmod.llnwd.net/a540/o1/adcouncil/WebPkg/patient_hispanic_WebPkg.wmv

For more information, please visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/superheroes, http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2008/spsuperheropr.htm,

http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2008/superheropr.htm or call 1(800) 358-9295.