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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

Healthy School Spotlight: Carroll Bell Elementary School



Check out this video about the great fitness and healthier eating going on at Carroll Bell Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, a mainly Latino city. This video is from the Alliance for a Healthier ...

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Web Forum 4/16/13: Mobilizing Latinos to Address Obesity



Latinos have among the highest rates of obesity in the United States. A new web forum series, “Why Obesity Is Important to the Latino Community,” is launching at 12:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, April 16, 2013, focusing on the Latino community and obesity and overweight prevention. The series, organized by the Public Health Institute (PHI) of California, will air on PHI's Dialogue4Health web platform in both English and Spanish. Presenters will: Outline the epidemiology of obesity in accessible terms, and the underlying factors contributing to the obesity epidemic; Elaborate upon the link between obesity prevention and other social issues; Discuss the role of community empowerment through leadership and capacity building for policy advocacy and systems change; and Provide ...

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Latino TV Producer/Director Puts Spotlight on Health



In the movie The Killing Strain, Juan "Rick" Carrillo plays a soldier who escapes a helicopter crash to lead a small group of flu-epidemic survivors to safety. On screen, he was a tough, nothing-can-stop-him hero. Off screen, though, Carrillo struggled fighting the elements—mountain cedar had him blowing his nose, taking antihistamines and using his inhaler between takes. “I wasn’t feeling 100%, but the scenes captured during filming were very effective in telling the story of this gutsy soldier,” Carrillo said. “This always reminds me the great power a camera has on creating a world for audiences to absorb and be part of.” Today, Carrillo is putting his acting and film-making experience to work as a TV producer/director for the Institute for Health Promotion ...

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Report: A Mostly Latino Area of South Texas is Most Obese Region in United States



A predominantly Latino region of South Texas is the most obese area of the United States for the third year in a row. Residents of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area have a 38.5% rate of obesity, according to a new Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Along with McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas; Reading, Pa.; and Huntington-Ashland, W.Va.-Ky.-Ohio, are among the 10 areas with the highest obesity rates for three years in a row. Nationwide, 26.2% of American adults were obese in 2012, unchanged from 26.1% in 2011. Residents of the cities with the highest obesity rates receive on average lower annual wages and are less likely to be able to consistently afford food and healthcare than residents of the cities with the lowest obesity rates, ...

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Video: Latino Couple Support Each Other’s Weight-Loss Goals



When Albert Hernandez made a bet with a co-worker to lose his extra weight, his wife, Adriana Hernandez, joined him, and they experience success supporting each other's weight-loss goals, according to a new video about the Latino couple from Kaiser Permanente. The couple began measuring their food and keeping track of what they ate. When they started to see results, they began an exercise regimen as well. "The secret to my success is my wife," Albert said, according to Kaiser Permanente. After losing more than 50 pounds, Albert and his wife feel great. "I think just about anybody with a little support and commitment could lose the weight," Albert ...

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Survey: Hispanics More Concerned with Family, Community Health than Average American



U.S. Hispanics emphasize family priorities and the need for access to recreational opportunities and facilties far more than the average American, and Hispanics also place greater responsibility for community health on local health departments and healthcare providers, according to a new survey. The newly released National Community Health Survey, from The Atlantic in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, indicates many Americans are not convinced that their communities provide sufficient access to key resources for good health. The survey sheds light on Hispanics' beliefs on health responsibilities: 84% of Hispanic say that “taking care of my family” is their top priority (vs. 70% nationally). 49% of Hispanics say local health departments are responsible for community ...

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Video: Puppets and Peers for Latino Obesity Prevention



Check out this great video about the Hispanic Health Council’s (HHC) comprehensive approach to the prevention of childhood obesity, through promoting healthy eating physical activity and access to healthy affordable food. HHC uses community-based research, evidence-based direct services and policy advocacy to improve the health and well-being of Latinos and other diverse communities. The video is among the winners from the Let's Move! Communities on the Move Video Challenge announced recently by First Lady Michelle ...

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Video: Investing in the Health of Youth in Santa Cruz County, California



Check out this new video about healthy changes being made in Santa Cruz County, Calif., one of six winners of the inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Roadmaps to Health Prize, which honors outstanding community partnerships helping people live healthier lives. Using their Community Assessment Project Report's local data as a guide, public and private community partners have pinpointed areas where they can make the biggest difference. Santa Cruz County's population is about 32% ...

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New Research Discovers Promising Approaches to Prevent Latino Childhood Obesity



Guided grocery store trips, menu labeling at restaurants, community gardens, and video-game-based exercise programs are among several promising, culturally appropriate ways to prevent obesity among Latino children, according to a new collection of studies from Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children published in a supplement to the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Salud America! is a national network of researchers, advocates, and policymakers established in 2007 that seeks environmental and policy solutions to Latino childhood obesity, an American epidemic. The supplement focuses on Salud America! achievements in the past five years and features 19 papers of groundbreaking research on ...

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