About Unidos Por Salud
The Unidos Por Salud Project is funded by the California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Prevention Program and is focused on reducing tobacco-related health issues and inequities among Latinx communities in Fresno and Tulare County.
California Health Collaborative
The California Health Collaborative (CHC) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to enhancing the quality of life and health of Californians, particularly the underserved and underrepresented.
Guided by its mission of “changing lives by improving health and wellness,” the Collaborative implements various health and wellness promotion and disease prevention programs, public health surveillance systems, and a variety of capacity-building and networking activities.
Meet the Team
Jennifer Acidera, (she/hers)
Project Director,
California Health Collaborative
Celeste Ramos, (she/hers)
Project Coordinator,
California Health Collaborative
Abel Arevalo (he/him)
Community Engagement Coordinator,
California Health Collaborative
Why tobacco?
The Hispanic/Latinx population in the U.S. experience many health disparities where economic, social, and cultural factors impact their opportunity to reach health equity or optimal health. When it comes to tobacco, historically, tobacco companies have targeted the Hispanic/Latinx population and other communities of color in their advertisement campaigns.
As early as the 1980s, big tobacco companies targeted marketing towards the Hispanic/Latinx population because they deemed the population “lucrative,” “easy to reach” and “under-marketed.” (LULAC). In general, commercial tobacco marketing makes smoking seem more appealing and increases the chance that someone will try smoking for the first time or start using commercial tobacco products regularly (CDC) and major tobacco companies found way to infiltrate in the Hispanic/Latinx population.
Some of the ways they marketed to the Hispanic/Latinx population was to use Spanish words for their products such as the cigarettes Rio, funding Latinx scholarships, and sponsoring cultural events like Jaripeo's or rodeos. Tobacco was also marketed to the immigrant communities as a component of assimilation into the American culture. (Counter Tobacco)
Smokers in California in 2022
Data
The Hispanic/Latinx population makes up about 19% of the U.S. population or an estimated 62 million people (including Puerto Rico), representing the nation’s second largest racial/ethnic population (CDC). People from some Hispanic ethnic groups suffer from poor health outcomes related to the use of commercial tobacco products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and cigars. In the U.S., cancer and heart disease are the first and second leading causes of death, respectively, among Hispanic Americans and tobacco use is an important risk factor. (CDC)
3.2 million adults currently use tobacco products in CA (Ca tobacco facts and figures 2022)
Hispanic or Latinx adults make up 34.4% (1.1 million) smokers in CA (CA tobacco facts and figures 2022)
In the U.S. more than 43,000 Hispanics are diagnosed with a tobacco-related cancer each year (California Tobacco Facts and figures 2022)
Nearly one in six (14.9%) Hispanic high school students are current users of any tobacco product. (California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2022)
E-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among Hispanic high school students in 2022
Cessation
Cessation is the process of being brought to an end, one of our main goals is to help people who are currently looking to quit using tobacco products. So for individuals who are smoking, vaping, chewing, and snuffing tobacco products we help them access resources and services in order to give them the support needed to quit.
