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New Preventive Health Guides for
Spanish-Speakers over 50
Newswise — HHS’ Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality has released two new
checklists to help Spanish-speaking men and
women over the age of 50 keep track of when
they should have potentially life-saving
screening exams done.
Not having diseases detected, or detected
when a disease is advanced, can contribute
to potentially avoidable hospitalizations
and quality-of-life consequences.
For example, AHRQ statistics show that
Hispanic adults from both poor and wealthy
communities are much more likely than
comparable whites to be hospitalized for
health problems that good quality outpatient
care can prevent or control, such as
uncontrolled diabetes and heart ailments.
Hispanic adults are more than two times as
likely as white adults to be hospitalized
for uncontrolled diabetes and its
complications such as leg or foot
amputations, glaucoma and other eye problems
and kidney failure, and they are almost 1.5
times more likely to be hospitalized for
congestive heart failure, high blood
pressure, and heart pain known as angina.
Other AHRQ data show that nearly 67 percent
of Hispanics age 50 and older report never
having had a screening colonoscopy to detect
colon cancer, compared with 47 percent of
whites.
AHRQ also released an accompanying wall
chart in Spanish, "Seguir sanos después de
los 50," providing information about
recommended preventive services and can be
posted in both clinical and community
settings.
The wall chart and checklists, "Mujeres:
sigan sanas después de los 50" and "Hombres
sigan sanos después de los 50," show at a
glance the evidence-based recommendations
from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
regarding screening tests, preventive
medicines and healthy lifestyle behaviors
for people 50 and older.
The Task Force is the leading independent
panel of experts in prevention and primary
care. The Task Force, which is supported by
AHRQ, conducts rigorous, impartial
assessments of the scientific evidence for
the effectiveness of a broad range of
clinical preventive services, including
screening, counseling and preventive
medications. Its recommendations are
considered the gold standard for clinical
preventive services.
AHRQ encourages Spanish-speaking consumers
to take the checklists along with them to
medical appointments to help them discuss
necessary preventive screening tests with
their doctor.
Unlike diagnostic tests, which clinicians
order when they suspect someone has a
disease, screening tests help check for
problems before symptoms are apparent.
Patients can also use the checklists to
record their screening test history and plan
follow-up medical appointments. Both
checklists also provide tips about other
things to do to stay healthy, such as eating
a healthy diet and exercising.
"Mujeres: sigan sanas después de los 50" and "Hombres:
sigan sanos después de los 50," are
available on the AHRQ Web site at
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/women50sp.pdf
and http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/men50sp.pdf,
respectively. The wall chart, "Seguir sanos
después de los 50," is online at
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/50pluspostersp.pdf.
The English-language versions, "Men: Stay Healthy at 50+,
Your Checklists for Health" and "Women: Stay
Healthy at 50+, Your Checklists for Health"
are available on the AHRQ Web site at
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/men50.htm and
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/women50.htm.
The "Staying Healthy at 50+" timeline wall
chart also is available on the AHRQ Web site
at
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/50plusposter.htm.
All four checklists and the two wall charts
may be ordered by calling AHRQ's
Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295
or sending an e-mail to
ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.
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