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Amanda Merck

Merck completed her MPH with a concentration in Physical Activity and Health. She curates content for Salud America! (@SaludAmerica), a Latino childhood obesity prevention project based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. She focuses on the latest research, resources, and stories related to policy, systems, and environmental changes to enhance equitable access to safe places for kids and families to walk, bike, and play.

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Articles by Amanda Merck

Report: Poverty, Income Inequality Remain High in Texas



Texas is "worse" than most states in poverty, health insurance coverage, and income equality, according to a new report. The report, from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, tracked 15 poverty indicators, for which Texas ranked in the bottom half of the country for 11 indicators. For example, 17.5% of Texans had incomes below the poverty line ($23,834 annually for a family of four) in 2013, ranking the state 38th in the nation. Texas also ranked: 50th in the nation for health care coverage among low-income people. 49th in the nation for hunger and food insecurity (meaning that they experienced difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of money or resources during some point of the year). 42nd in the nation for higher education attainment rate. 43rd in the ...

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Do You Know What #SaludHeroes Look Like?



Do you know what a Salud Hero looks like? Find out by watching the new Salud America! Salud Heroes YouTube channel to see how people across the country are pushing for healthy changes—in nutrition, physical activity, and marketing—for Latino kids in their community. You’ll start seeing #SaludHeroes all around you. They’re teachers. Doctors. Activists. They’re schools. Nonprofit groups. Entire cities. They’re even your own children! For example, watch our six new videos of #SaludHeroes who reduced sugary drinks and improved healthy marketing among Latino kids (and vote for your favorite!) “Watch the steps these Salud Heroes take, from learning about the issue of obesity, to getting an idea, to building support, and generating long-term change,” said ...

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Latinos’ Complicated Struggle against Diabetes



About 3.2 million U.S. Latinos have diabetes. And Latino kids have about a 50% lifetime risk of developing diabetes. This makes diabetes a tremendous current and future threat to Latino health—but they way Latinos see this threat varies, according to a new survey. The survey, from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, shows that while there is general awareness of the disease, Latinos with diabetes are more likely than non-Latinos to worry that, besides themselves, someone in their family would develop diabetes. But the survey also yielded some complicated findings. For example, Latinos were more likely (87%) than whites (80%) to believe that a diabetic can take actions to prevent diabetes. But fewer than half named key disease-management practices like being ...

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7 Ways Latinos Can Prevent the Flu (No. 1 is Get Vaccinated!)



Latinos are less likely to receive the flu vaccine than other ethnic groups. That’s why, for National Influenza Vaccination Week Dec. 7-13, 2014, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is inviting Latinos to protect against the flu with vaccination and other preventive measures. Here are the top seven ways to prevent the flu: 1. Vaccination is the first and most important step to protect against flu. The vaccine reduces one’s risk of illness, hospitalization, or even death and can prevent the spread of the virus to loved ones. Flu vaccines are offered in many locations, including doctor’s offices, clinics, health departments, retail stores and pharmacies, and health centers, as well as by many employers and schools. 2. Try to avoid close contact with sick ...

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Tweet with #SaludTues 12/9: Latinos and Health Coverage—Issues + Solutions



Latinos need strong health care coverage, as this population struggles with high rates of obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers. But 1 of 4 of the U.S. uninsured population is Latino. How can this change? Let’s use #SaludTues to Tweet strategies and resources on how to increase health care coverage among Latinos through the Affordable Care Act (#ACA) during a Tweetchat at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinos and Health Coverage: Issues + Solutions” DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 TIME: Noon-1 p.m. CT (1-2 p.m. ET) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (@HHSGov/@HHSLatino), Enroll America (@GetCoveredUS), and the Nation Council of La Raza ...

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What is Health Equity? (And 3 Main Ways to Achieve it)



What is health equity? The answer to this question, which has strong implications for Latino and other minority populations, is part of a new series of infographics from the Health Equity Institute at San Francisco State University. Infographic 1 defines health equity as "efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives" and identifies a framework to show how social, economic, and environmental conditions affect health and health equity in a number of ways. To achieve health equity, we must treat everyone equally and eliminate avoidable health inequities and health disparities. Health inequities (Infographic 2) are health differences "that are avoidable, unfair, and unjust." Health disparities (Infographic ...

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7 Reasons Latinos Should Take Heart Disease Seriously



The American Heart Association (AHA) is urging Hispanic families to discuss heart health, given their struggles with heart disease, VoxxiNews reports. More than one-third of Hispanics have heart diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, hypertension, heart failure, and irregular heartbeat. Hispanics also have elevated risk factors, like obesity and diabetes. Here are seven reasons Latinos should take heart disease seriously, via VoxxiNews: Among Mexican-American adults age 20 and older, 33.4% of men and 30.7% percent of women have cardiovascular disease (CVD). 2.8% of Hispanic adults have had a stroke. Men, blacks, and Mexican Americans have higher rates of TIA (mini-stroke) than their female and non-Hispanic white counterparts. Mexican Americans have higher cumulative ...

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Latino Health in Focus: Taking Aim vs. Breast Cancer, Obesity, Disparities



Find the latest advances in Latino health—from cancer survival to solving park access to how to improve mental health—in the IHPR Noticias E-newsletter. IHPR Noticias has lots of info on the latest local and national health disparities-related news, resources and events: Story: Latinas—10 Years after Breast Cancer Survival (Pg. 1) Profile: Mentees Promote Healthier Lifestyles in San Antonio (Pg. 2) Story: Latino Researchers among Recipients of $8 Million in Grants to Study Cancer (Pg. 3) Scholarships: How to Fight Health Disparities in Your Area & Get a Scholarship for It! (Pg. 4) Story: How to Solve San Antonio’s Low Park Access Score (Pg. 6) Story: White Students Now a Minority in School; Hispanic Numbers Surge (Pg. 8) Resources: Tackling Mental Health, ...

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Apply Now for the 2015 Éxito! Research Training Program



Apply now for the 2015 Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Éxito!, a program of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will select 20 master’s-level students and health professionals from across the nation to attend a five-day summer institute June 2015, in San Antonio, offering research information, tools, tips, role models and motivation to encourage participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a career studying how cancer affects Latinos differently. Master’s-degree students or master’s-trained health professionals are encouraged to apply. Since launching in 2011, Éxito! has had 78 participants. Nearly 40% of all program graduates have applied to doctoral programs and 27% are ...

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