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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

The New ‘EmpowerMEnt Challenge’ Video Series



Check out the American Heart Association's new "EmpowerMEnt Challenge" video series that urges people to make healthy lifestyle changes. The videos feature Dr. Rachel Johnson, a nutrition professor at the University of Vermont, on these topics: Empower your Glass – Make sugary drinks a thing of the past. Dr. Johnson shows parents and kids that they can still feel satisfied with a healthy beverage choice. Empower your Taste – Aren’t always sure how to approach sodium reduction? Dr. Johnson shows you how to feel confident when reading your nutrition label and shares things hidden sources of sodium. Empower your Cart – Is your family eating enough fruits and vegetables? Dr. Johnson explains why eating the rainbow is so important. Empower your Movement - Find it hard to ...

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Study: American Diet Shows Modest Improvement (Especially among Latinos)



U.S. dietary quality has improved steadily over the past decade, but not among certain income and racial/ethnic groups, according to a new study. That's usually bad news for Latinos. But the study, led by Harvard School of Public Health, indicated that Mexican Americans actually had the best dietary quality due to dietary traditions and culture, Medical News Today reports. African Americans and those with lower income and less education had the worst dietary quality. Income-related differences in diet quality are likely associated with price (healthy foods generally cost more) and access (low-income people may have limited access to stores that sell healthy foods), according to the Harvard Gazette. “The overall improvement in diet quality is encouraging, but the widening ...

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Infographic: Health Fits into Every Day



Check out this new infographic about how health can be a daily routine. The infographic, from our friends at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living and the CATCH program, ties together several tips to incorporate healthy changes into your life every day. Tips include things like: Walk or bike to school to get moving early. Encourage your kids to drink water throughout the day instead of sugary drinks. Playing catch or soccer with the family are easy ways to stay active after school and provide a great opportunity to talk with your kids about their day. See the full infographic ...

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Ranking: The Top 40 Schools for Hispanics



What are the best schools for Hispanics to seek higher education? HispanicBusiness ranked the top-40 "Best Schools" based on the number of Hispanic students enrolled, degrees awarded, full-time Hispanic faculty and programs, and more. Of the 40 schools combined, Texas has 12, followed by Florida, with 10, and California, with six. "While these schools are obviously assisted by being in states with a large Hispanic population, they also have top-notch programs that ensure these students stay at home to go to graduate school," HispanicBusiness reports. "Many of them placed very high in the student-services part of our scoring." The ranking includes the top-10 in four school categories: graduate, medical, law, and business. Here are the top schools by category: ...

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Why We Can’t Ignore Heart Disease in Hispanics



Cancer recently passed heart disease as the top killer of Latinos. But heart disease shouldn't be ignored. Culturally appropriate health promotion, prevention and treatment is vital to saving lives and preserving Latino families, said Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for the American Heart Association, in a Huffington Post article. The article lists several reasons for concern: Preschool-age Hispanic children are four times more likely to be obese compared to non-Hispanic white children. These children are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes as young adults. Hispanic youths have higher smoking rates—28 percent of Hispanic eighth graders smoke compared to 23.7 percent of non-Hispanic white children. Smoking is the number one preventable cause ...

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Spanish Infographic: How Changing Communities Can Get People Moving



Check out this new Spanish infographic that shows how communities are succeeding at creating healthy environments. The infographic, from our friends at Active Living Research, highlights several studies which evaluated changes in physical activity after the implementation of built environment and programmatic modifications in different cities. For example, children are more likely to walk or bike to school when there are quality streets and crosswalks, and programs that promote safety; existence of bike lanes is related to higher rates of cycling; and the presence of recreational facilities close to home encourages more physical activity. These types of changes are especially important Latino kids, 39% of whom are either overweight or obese and who struggle with access to parks and ...

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Tweetchat 8/26/14: School’s Back. How Can Kids Stay Active?



Latino kids have limited access to out-of-class programs to boost physical activity, which contributes to their higher obesity rates, research shows. What can be done? Learn about and share new out-of-school fitness research, resources, and programs for Latino kids at the #GrowingHealthyChange Tweetchat, "Active Play & Latino Kids" at noon CST (1 p.m. EDT) Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014, with co-hosts SaludToday, YMCA, and Active Living Research. Follow the Tweetchat on Twitter (via @SaludToday, @AL_Research, and @YMCA) to learn more about reducing barriers to active play, increasing access to physical activity before & after school, policies and programs that work to increase physical activity. And share your own resources, ideas and success stories of what works in bringing ...

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Spanish Video: Be Climate Smart with Cool Foods



Did you know you can help fight climate change by changing what you eat every day? Watch "Be Climate Smart with Cool Foods" in Spanish or English to learn how you can support a food system that is healthy for you and the climate. The video, from the Center for Food Safety, showcases five simple tips for eating climate-smart: 1. Grow and Eat Organic 2. Eat Less Meat, Choose 100% Grass-Fed Meat and Dairy 3. Eat Fresh, Unprocessed Foods 4. Buy Local and in-Season 5. Compost and Reduce Food Waste For more, check out the Cool Foods ...

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Using Peer Mentors to Help Latino Students Deal with Asthma



Latino kids have higher rates of asthma than other groups. In Rhode Island, the asthma rate among students is 50% in some inner-city schools with large Latino populations, putting kids in danger of missing school and trekking to the emergency room. What's a solution? A new study, called ASMAS (asthma management in schools) and led by Brown University, is using peer mentors to test the idea that "high schoolers might be able to help younger kids—like middle schoolers—manage their asthma better in school...especially if they come from the same ethnic group, and even from the same neighborhood," Rhode Island Public Radio reports. The study has recruited several peer mentors, like Andy Darius, a senior at Shea High School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, who plays football, has ...

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