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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

Research: Latino Kids Lack Access to Safe ‘Active Spaces’



Latino kids often have limited access to safe gyms, fields, and playgrounds, but shared use agreements and street-level improvements can improve access to these “active spaces” in underserved communities and may help young Latinos become more physically active and maintain a healthy weight, according to a new package of research materials from Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children. The new Salud America! “Active Spaces for Latino Kids” has a research review of the latest science, an original animated video, and an infographic. A study shows that 81 percent of Latino neighborhoods did not have a recreational facility, compared with 38 percent of White neighborhoods. Fewer schools provided public ...

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Video: Active Spaces and Latino Kids



Check out this cool new animated video on how Latino families need better access to safe playgrounds, gyms, fields, and other "active spaces." The video, which is part of a new Salud America! “Active Spaces and Latino Kids” package of research, which also contains a research review, issue brief and infographic, can be found ...

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Infographic: Active Spaces and Latino Kids



Check out this cool new infographic on how Latino families need better access to safe playgrounds, gyms, fields, and other "active spaces." The infographic, which is part of a new Salud America! “Active Spaces and Latino Kids” package of research, which also contains a research review, issue brief and animated video, can be found ...

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Videos: Latino ‘Healthy Heroes’ in San Antonio



Check out these great videos about Latinos who are changing their San Antonio neighborhoods into healthier places. The videos are from the San Antonio Mayor's Fitness Council, a group of community experts and leaders organized by Mayor Julián Castro to develop ways to spur improved community nutrition and activity across town. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, is a member of the council. Here's a video about the Mayor's Fitness Council Healthy Heroes Awards. Here are videos about awards winners Ivan Bermejo and Makayla and Alyssa ...

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Video: Hispanic Youth Greatly Exposed to Unhealthy Food Ads on TV



Researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have quantified the number of food and beverage ads viewed by Hispanic youth on both Spanish- and English-language TV. Hispanic youth see 12-15 food ads a day. And regardless of language, the majority of ads promote nutritionally poor products, such as fast food, sugary cereals, and candy. Check out this video for more ...

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Survey: Latinos More Strongly Endorse School Nutrition Rules



About 93% of Latinos and 87% of African Americans endorsed the new USDA school nutrition standards, higher percentages than the overall population (83%), according to a recent survey conducted by Field Research Corp. About 78% of all parents think healthier school food will boost academic performance. The phone survey, conducted in 2013, reached 2,104 adults across the country to assess the public's pulse on childhood obesity, and actions schools and communities could take to combat the epidemic. Other key findings include: Among all respondents, 90% believe their local K-12 schools should play the biggest community role in fighting obesity. Among all respondents, 74% believe that community groups and organizations should be involved in reducing obesity, and that it's not a ...

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#FoodFri Tweetchat: Better Food in Latino Neighborhoods



Salud America! and MomsRising invite you to a tweetchat at noon CST Friday, June 21, 2013 to discuss the new Salud America! research package, Better Food in Latino Neighborhoods. We will discuss how exploring policies that introduce supermarkets or farmers’ markets in Latino communities expand healthy offerings in places like bodegas (small grocers) and how reducing costs of healthy foods can improve Latino families' access to, and purchase of, healthier foods. Please join us to share your comments, resources, or questions by adding the hashtag #FoodFri to your tweets at that time. Be sure to follow @MomsRising, @SaludToday (the handle for Salud America!), and the hashtag #FoodFri to participate. FULL DETAILS #FoodFri Tweetchat DATE: Friday June 21, 2013 TIME: 1 p.m. EDT ...

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Video: Philadelphia Bodegas Add Healthier Foods



Many Latino families lack access to healthy food in their neighborhood. Check out this new video about the Healthy Corner Store Network, through which The Food Trust partnered with more than 600 stores—including many bodegas that serve Latino communities—to help them introduce healthier foods and provide training on how to properly stock, display and sell healthy them. The video show one bodega corner store owner, Clara Santos, who is now stocking healthier items, including fruits and vegetables, on her ...

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Salud America! Wins More Web Health Awards for Raising Awareness of Latino Health


mobile social media tablet communication

Spreading the word about how to improve Latino health is a dire need. That's why we at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio created our Salud America! communication program, formerly called SaludToday. We recently won a trio of Web Health Awards for our digital efforts to raise awareness for Latino health from the Health Information Resource Center, which gives awards twice annually for online health information. We earned a “silver” award for our blog and a "bronze" for our @SaludAmerica Twitter feed. We also earned a "merit" award for our quarterly e-newsletter on Latino health. Please help us spread continue to raise awareness of Latino health issues and solutions by following us on Twitter, Facebook and ...

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