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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

Texans: Can Your Community Win the Healthy at H-E-B Community Challenge?



Texans, the Healthy at H-E-B Community Challenge—a statewide competition to see which Texas communities can demonstrate the greatest commitment to healthy living—is on again! The challenge, presented by IT'S TIME TEXAS, is free and individuals, organizations, schools, and mayors are invited to participate. Communities will be divided into 5 categories (metro, large, mid-size, small, and extra-small) based on population size to compete for the community title. For a community to win, the local mayor must sign the It's Time Texas Pledge and send in a video. The winning community in each category will receive a trophy, a street banner and a $1,000 cash prize for one of its schools. Register for the contest here and start logging your activity to earn points for your ...

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Using In-Store Marketing, Mirrors in Carts to Push Fresh Produce



Several food stores across the nation are experimenting with unique ways—such as in-store marketing and altering shopping carts—to gently "nudge" people to improve their eating habits by buying more fresh fruits and vegetables, the New York Times reports. Here are some innovative ways pointed out in the new story: In El Paso, which is predominantly Latino, some stores place a mirror in grocery carts so people can reflect on what items they put in their cart. Also in El Paso, researchers put mats with large green arrows on the floor to point shoppers toward produce aisles. Also in El Paso, researchers also English/Spanish places signs in carts that told shoppers how much produce the average customer buys, and the top-selling produce items. A Virginia grocer use yellow duct ...

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Latino Health in Focus: Cancer, Obesity and More



Find the latest advances in Latino health—from cancer survivorship to obesity prevention—in IHPR Noticias, the newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. IHPR Noticias has these stories and more: Studies: Three Survivors Find Hermandad (Pg 1) Profile: From Sundae Sunday to Public Health...The Story of the IHPR's Shannon Baldwin (Pg 2) Story: Research Highlights Ways to Prevent Latino Childhood Obesity (Pg 3) Story: Employees Take Healthy Eating, Exercise Challenges (Pg 4) Story and Video: San Antonio Reports Significant Drop in Obesity Rates (Pg 6) Story: Latino Teens Have Low Vaccine Rates (Pg 7) Story: Hispanic High School Grads Pass Whites in Rate ...

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Bilingual Video: The Effect of Food Portion Sizes on Health



Check out a new video in English or Spanish on the effect of food portion size on health. The videos showcase nutritionists from the Saludable Omaha ...

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Webinar: Weight of the Latino Nation



The obesity epidemic poses a growing burden across the U.S., and low-income Latinos lacking insurance coverage are especially hard hit by the cost and disabilities from obesity-related type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Latino communities are fighting back by improving opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity. The second Web Forum in the series Weight of the Latino Nation, set for 1 p.m. CST Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013, will highlight the latest research on the obesity epidemic and the factors impacting Latino communities. Presenters include Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Salud America! recently released several research ...

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How Did a Latino-Majority City Cut Obesity Rates from 35% to 29%?



How do… …city officials cut obesity rates from 35% to 29%? (Pg 1) …Latino families go “a day without sugar”? (Pg 3) …Bodegas add healthier foods? (Pg 5) Find the answers and more in the new Salud America! E-Newsletter. Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program aims to unite and increase the number of Latino stakeholders engaged in community change and research on environmental and policy solutions to the epidemic. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. For more info, go ...

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New York Trainer Helps Teach Healthy Lifestyles to Latino Kids



Jonas Serrano, president and owner of Phyt NYC, a Manhattan, N.Y.-based private training facility, has developed a free community outreach initiative to improve Latino kids' exercise and eating habits. The project was recently featured in a news segment on Telemundo. Find out more about the program on ...

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Latina Chef’s Bilingual Recipes Aim to Help Latinos Manage Diabetes



Chef and cookbook author Leticia Moreinos Schwartz has teamed up with Merck on the Cuida Tu Diabetes, Cuida Tu Corazón campaign to help Latinos learn how to better manage their diabetes. U.S. Latinos have a 66% higher risk of a diabetes diagnosis than non-Latinos. At the campaign website, Chef Leticia shares bilingual recipes and information on how small lifestyle changes and healthier eating can help manage the disease—while also maintaining the flavor of traditional Latino dishes. “My grandfather died from complications from his type 2 diabetes so I know how important it is for people living with type 2 diabetes to manage their disease to help reduce their risk of serious complications, such as heart disease and stroke,” she said. “In the Hispanic community, we ...

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Tweetchat 8/23/13: Marketing, Obesity & Latino Kids



Salud America! and MomsRising invite you to a #FoodFri tweetchat about marketing, obesity and Latino children at noon central Friday, Aug. 23, 2013. #FoodFri is a weekly tweetchat MomsRising hosts on Twitter every Friday at noon central/1 p.m. eastern to provide a platform for our food policy partners and the larger food justice community to address food in schools, food marketing to children and other topics. Follow this week's tweetchat @MomsRising & Salud America! (Twitter handle @SaludToday) DATE: Friday, August 23, 2013 TIME: 1:00 PM EDT (noon CST) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #FoodFri WHO: @MomsRising, @SaludToday and YOU! Be sure to follow @MomsRising, @SaludToday and the hashtag #FoodFri to participate. For other upcoming #FoodFri chats, see here. For ...

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