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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

Now en Español: Infographics, Videos & Research Briefs on Latino Child Obesity



Salud America! has released six Spanish-language research briefs, infographics and animated videos that shed light on the causes of and solutions to Latino childhood obesity. The Spanish materials, which were released in English in late 2013, explore new research into how six critical topics—marketing, school snacks, sugary drinks, neighborhood food, and access to active play and spaces—impact Latino child health. The materials also feature evidence-based recommendations on how to address the issues among Latino children. Download the materials at: Healthier Marketing: English or Spanish Sugary Drinks: English or Spanish Active Play: English or Spanish Active Spaces: English or Spanish Healthier School Snacks: English or Spanish Better Food in the Neighborhood: ...

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Infographic: Few Latinas in State and National Elected Offices



Latinos are expected to comprise 30% of the U.S. population b y 2050. That's 15% who will be Latinas. But Latinas have a much smaller hold on elected state and national political offices, according to a new infographic from Latinas Represent, Latina Lista reports: Out of 79 women holding seats in the House of Representatives (total: 435), only 9 are Latina. No Latina has ever held a Senate seat. Out of 1,789 women state legislators (total: 7,383 state legislators), only 78 are Latina. Of the 75 women holding statewide executive positions (total: 320 executives), only 5 are Latina. There is only one Latina governor. Latinas Represent, a partnership between the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and Political Parity, aims to increase the number of Latinas in elected ...

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Salud Hero of the Week: Physician-Leader Turns Rails to Trails



Editor's Note: Salud Heroes are a weekly feature from the Salud America! Growing Healthy Change website, which aims to empower healthy changes in Latino communities through news, resources, and stories. Latino neighborhoods often lack spaces for physical activity. That was the case in the West part of Brownsville, Texas, a largely Latino community along the Texas-Mexico border. But Dr. Rose Gowen, a physician-turned-city-leader, wanted to change that. Gowen worked with city officials and community leaders to secure funding—and remained persistent when funding was rejected at first—and make final plans to turn an abandoned railway into the beautiful new Belden Trail. The trail, with crossing posts, bike parking, shade structures and other amenities, opened in Fall ...

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Study: ‘Big Soda’ Heavily Influenced Media and Debate in Failed Soda Tax Efforts in California



Sugary drink tax proposals, which studies show could help Latino children consume fewer sugary drinks, have been popping up around the country in recent years. For example, San Francisco, Berkeley, and the state of Illinois are among those currently weighing such taxes. In 2012, two California cities with large Latino populations, Richmond and El Monte, failed in their attempts to pass a tax on sugary drinks. A new study by Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) found that the soda industry influenced news coverage of the two ballot measures, but did in a behind-the-scenes way. The industry used a broad range of community spokespeople, from pastors to politicians, many of whom received industry funding but were not identified as connected to industry, according to the study. ...

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Childhood Obesity Rates Drop 43% in Past Decade; News Not as Good for Hispanic Kids



Obesity rates among children ages 2-5 dropped from 14% in 2003-04 to 8% in 2011-12, a decline of 43%, according to new federal data. The data, from the CDC and published in the February 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, doesn't cite precise reasons for the decline. But it offers potential reasons: Child care centers improving nutrition and fitness standards. Children are consuming fewer sugary drinks. And more women are breastfeeding, which can help stave off obesity in children. First Lady Michelle Obama—who on Feb. 25 announced new proposed rules to limit marketing of unhealthy foods in schools by phasing out advertising of sugary drinks and junk food and ensuring that other promotions in schools were in line with health standards—cited ...

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Is Your Snack ‘Smart’? Check with a New Produce Calculator



How do you know if a snack product meets federal nutrition standards? Check out the new Smart Snacks Product Calculator. With the new calculator, from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, The user can simply enter the product information, answer a few questions, and the calculator will determine whether your snack, side or entrée item meets the new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Smart Snacks in School Guidelines. Results from this calculator have been approved and determined by the USDA to be an accurate product assessment for it’s compliance with the federal requirements for Smart Snacks in School. In addition to the calculator, the Alliance Product Navigator now features snack, side, entrée and beverage products that meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School ...

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Landmark Study: Hispanics Live Longer, But Face More Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Obesity



Hispanics live longer than other population groups, even though they face higher rates of blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, according to the largest-ever study of Latino health. The federal study, called the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), is a multi-city epidemiological study collected information on the health issues, risk factors, and lifestyle habits that impact this population. The study has followed more than 16,000 Hispanic adults from Chicago, San Diego, Miami and the Bronx since 2008. Some of its initial national results include: 80% of Hispanic men and 71% of women had at least one adverse risk factor for heart disease (i.e., high cholesterol/blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or smoking). The percentage with obesity was high among ...

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Giving Latina Teens a (Photo) Voice to Impact the Community



Two researchers have received $250,000 to expand their work to empower Latina teens in New Britain, Conn., to photograph areas for improvement in their community and use the results to sway policymakers. The researchers, Drs. Robert Dudley and Jayme Hannay of the Community Health Center, Inc., are former grantees of Salud America!, a Latino childhood obesity research network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. For Salud America!, Dudley and Hannay conducted a mid-course evaluation of their Healthy Tomorrows for Teens (HTT) obesity prevention and leadership training program. They found that Photovoice, a photographic technique that empowers community members to ...

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San Antonio Researchers to Start Yoga Program for Cancer Survivors



Yoga can help cancer survivors get active and improve their current and future health. That's the idea behind a new $500 mini-grant for the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, to start a yoga therapy program for Support Lending for Emotional Well-Being (SLEW), a non-profit wellness center for women who have been diagnosed with cancer. The grant, from the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, will allow the team to develop an “Exercise for Cancer Survivors” educational presentation and a yoga program/curriculum that will gradually introduce participants to yoga and be sustainable for SLEW to continuing using upon the grant’s end. The ...

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