In
the United States (US), botanical dietary supplements are regulated by the Food
and Drug Administration under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education
Act. The Act defines dietary supplements as “a product (other than tobacco)
that is intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of
the following dietary ingredients: an herb or other botanical, a vitamin, a
mineral, an amino acid, a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the
diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent,
extract, or combinations of these ingredients.
Botanical
supplements are popular in the US; national surveys estimate that approximately
18% of the US population uses botanical supplements. The literature supports a
wide body of prevalence data on botanical supplement use in the general
population, but less is known about use patterns in minority populations, including
Hispanics/Latinos. Among studies in these populations, prevalence estimates
vary widely and the reasons for these large variations are obscure. Read more.................
In
the United States (US), botanical dietary supplements are regulated by the Food
and Drug Administration under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education
Act. The Act defines dietary supplements as “a product (other than tobacco)
that is intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of
the following dietary ingredients: an herb or other botanical, a vitamin, amineral, an amino acid, a dietary substance for use by man to supplement thediet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite,constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients”.
Botanical
supplements are popular in the US; national surveys estimate that approximately
18% of the US population uses botanical supplements. The literature supports a
wide body of prevalence data on botanical supplement use in the general
population, but less is known about use patterns in minority populations, including
Hispanics/Latinos. Among studies in these populations, prevalence estimates
vary widely and the reasons for these large variations are obscure. Due to the
increasing population of Hispanic/ Latino patients and the biological activity
of botanical supplements, it is important that health care and public health
professionals understand their likelihood of botanical use. Read more................
The
highest worldwide incidence of HIV acquisition, which accounts for
approximately half of new infections (N=780,000 in 2012), occurs in individuals
between 15-24 years of age. HIV is the second leading cause of death among
young individuals worldwide. This global incidence is similar to that of the
U.S. population in which 13-29 year olds account for as much as 40% of newinfections. Moreover, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not equally distributed
geographically, but is more prominent in the southern states, and particularly
in Florida where the prevalence of HIV among Hispanics is nearly twice the
national rate.
Moreover, Florida ranks second in terms of HIV/ AIDS prevalence
in the 13-19 year old segment of the population, with the highest rate in
Miami-Dade county. Individuals
at highest risk for HIV/AIDS should be prioritized and targeted for prevention
intervention. In this regard, it is noteworthy that prevention programs have
been largely successful in reducing infection incidence, yet the rate of
decline has been lower among Hispanics/ Latinos compared to white non-Latino
youth. Complementing these alarming trends, Hispanic youth have the third highest
rates of sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and
syphilis. Read more.............
