About the Author

Author Picture

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.

Connect with Amanda:
Twitter Link

Articles by Amanda Merck

Salud America! Gets $2.1M to Expand Network, Fuel Advocacy to Reduce Latino Childhood Obesity



Mexican-American children ages 2-19 are more likely to be obese or overweight than their peers. That’s why we're excited to announce that Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children has received a two-year, $2.1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) for its ongoing pursuit of policy and environmental solutions to the epidemic of Latino childhood obesity across the nation. Salud America! will expand its 2,000-member network and develop an innovative system to support, inform, and empower advocates to prevent Latino childhood obesity. This Web-based advocacy support system will unite science and multimedia experts to produce a continuous stream of evidence-based news, research, training, and education on Latino ...

Read More

Latino Parents: Get Your Kid Active Through Tennis



September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and tennis is a great sport to get your kids active. Attend a United States Tennis Association (USTA) Free Tennis Play Day in celebration of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day. From Sept. 1-Oct. 6, there are thousands of events taking place across the country, and there’s sure to be one near you. USTA Free Tennis Play Days are free to attend and welcome to all skill levels. The Free Tennis Play Day is part of the USTA's commitment to encourage kids to live healthy and active lifestyles through tennis. To find an event near you, go ...

Read More

Study: Reducing Adult Obesity Rates Could Save States Billions by 2030



States could dramatically cut health care costs and prevent obesity-related diseases if they reduce the average body mass index (BMI) of their residents by just 5% by 2030, according to a new analysis in the F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012 report. The report, released this week by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), also shows that if adult obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030 all 50 states could have rates above 44% and a quarter could have rates above 60%. With that, the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, hypertension and arthritis could increase 10-fold by 2020—and double again by 2030. Like obesity, these are diseases that disproportionately ...

Read More

Real-Life Story: How Can a Latina Break Tradition and Make a Healthy Lifestyle Change?



By SaludToday Guest Blogger: Lizbeth Barrera I come from a Mexican-American family where food is part of our culture. Coming together and enjoying our traditional plates is something I cherish. I grew up eating chilaquiles, enchiladas, sopes—basically all those yummy "antojitos." My struggle with my own weight caused me to realize that we need to eat these traditionally fried foods in moderation. Our cuisine is delicious and unique, but we must think twice before consuming it daily. The peak of my weight gain occurred in college. At the University of California, Berkeley, I cooked what I learned from my mom's kitchen, and ate a lot of fast food. I had a college degree under my belt, but also 155 pounds. It might not seem like a lot, but I am only 5-feet, 1-inch ...

Read More

Video: A Latino Teen’s Story of Weight Loss



Check out this cool video about Jesse Campos, who weighed 220 pounds at age 9, but was inspired by his pediatrician to lose weight by eating healthier and exercising. Campos, now 17, is 46 pounds lighter at 174 pounds. "Not only did I gain self confidence from losing weight, but I also [feel] better physically," said Campos, who appears in the video produced by Kaiser ...

Read More

Latino Students, Families Urged to Join ‘No-Soda’ Challenge



Latinos kids: Don't drink sodas during the school week. This is the no-soda challenge being asked of Austin, Texas, students and their families by a Latino group, Manantial de Salud, a federally funded grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in Austin's Dove Springs neighborhood. The pledge—which essentially asks students and their families to "don't do the Dew" from Monday to Friday during the school year—is now being adopted citywide by the Austin Independent School District (ISD), Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas and other local groups as a small-but-serious step toward curbing childhood obesity. Families who accept the challenge are urged to text "nosodas" to 84444 or email nosodatx@gmail.com, or share their stories ...

Read More

Study Uses Promotoras to Increase Physical Activity among Latinas



Latinas are less physically active than Latino men and are less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than other population groups. This inactivity may lead to obesity and associated conditions like diabetes and heart disease. To improve Latinas’ health, a new five-year, $3.48 million study will use promotoras—trained community health workers—to lead culturally appropriate group education and exercise sessions for Latinas in community centers in South Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley, says study leader Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) in the School of Medicine of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Participants also will get newsletters and telephone counseling. The effort, ...

Read More

Infographic: ‘The Busine$$ of Obesity’



Increased medical costs, gasoline, diet products, plus-size clothing—it isn't cheap to be obese, according to a new infographic by Top-Nursing-Programs.com, via ...

Read More

Poll: Hispanics Cite Obesity, Lack of Exercise as Biggest Health Problems for Kids



U.S. adults rate "not enough exercise" at the top of the list of top health problems for children in their communities, according to the sixth annual survey of top health concerns conducted by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Other top overall health concerns include childhood obesity, smoking, drug abuse and bullying. Hispanic adults were more likely to rate childhood obesity first, followed by "not enough exercise." Hispanics also rated drug abuse higher than smoking and tobacco use. Hispanic and black adults both identified sexually transmitted infections as a greater concern for kids in their communities than did white adults. Despite these differences, Hispanic, black and white adults agreed that "not enough ...

Read More