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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

VIDEO: Creating ‘Policy Change Agents’ to Reduce Latino Childhood Obesity



In its effort to reduce the Latino childhood obesity epidemic, Salud America!—through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)—funded 20 pilot research projects to build the field of Latino researchers and increase evidence to fight Latino childhood obesity. The resulting 20 Salud America! pilot grantees have since tested innovative interventions and evaluations in Latino childhood nutrition, fitness and policy. The grants are "career-builders," helping grantees leverage their data to get a foothold at their institutions, as well as embark on larger-scale work based off their successful pilot results. The 20 grantees already have accrued more than $30 million in new funding, and more proposals are in review and development. They also are sharing their individual research ...

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VIDEOS: Latinos Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes, Lose Weight



Kaiser Permanente has released several videos of Latinos who are making healthier lifestyle choices. Jesus Lopez, for example, began avoiding his scale when his weight passed 220 pounds. Jesus, a department administrator and registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center, learned that he was pre-diabetic after a concerned physician friend convinced him to get blood work done. Finding out that his weight posed a health risk spurred Jesus to started walking before breakfast, working out, and reducing portion sizes at meal times. Those changes led to a 50-pound weight loss. At 27, Jorge Hernandez stood 5'10" and tipped the scale at 270 pounds. In 2007, he got a literal wake-up call when vibrations running through his chest jolted him awake. Dr. David Townsend of ...

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Should Everything Be Bigger in Texas (i.e., Even Waistlines)?



Check out this infographic on obesity in Texas from the Cancer Alliance of ...

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99% of Kid’s Meals Are of Poor Nutritional Quality



Given the importance of helping children eat healthier food, we wanted to share with you a brief report on the nutritional values of kid’s meals at America’s top chain restaurants that involved research by Salud America! advisor Dr. Mary Story. The report, published in the journal Childhood Obesity, evaluated restaurants such as Arby’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, McDonald’s, Sonic, Subway and more. Of the 22 restaurants that had kid’s menus and available nutrition information, researchers found that 99 percent of 1,662 children’s meal combinations were of poor nutritional quality, based on key nutrition recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. At 15 of the chains, 100 percent of kid’s meal combinations failed to meet ...

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A Discussion of Childhood Obesity in the Latino Community: What Issues, Solutions Can Hispanic Media Highlight?



Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s work in Latino communities across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) are joining forces next week for an important discussion on childhood obesity in the Latino community. The event will take place June 23 during the NAHJ Region 8 conference in Los Angeles and will focus on the role Hispanic media can play in reducing the epidemic. Research shows Latino youth in the United States are more likely to be overweight or obese than their White peers and are at greater risk for developing heart disease, asthma, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and other health problems. The same holds true in ...

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San Antonio Researcher Elected to Council Targeting Pediatric Obesity



Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, professor and researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, was elected to The Obesity Society’s Pediatric Obesity Section, which supports scientific efforts to understand child obesity and inform its treatment and prevention. The Obesity Society aims to advance the science-based understanding of the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of obesity to improve the lives of those affected by creating the leading professional society in the field. The Society’s Pediatric Obesity Section aims to: promote networking and collaboration among pediatric obesity researchers and practitioners; promote pediatric obesity clinical practice; and increase the national ...

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SaludToday Blog & Twitter Now ‘Award-Winning’ SaludToday Blog & Twitter



Improving Latinos' health is certainly rewarding enough. But we're especially honored today that SaludToday, the Latino health website, blog and social media campaign directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, was recognized by the 14th annual Web Health Awards, which laud honors the nation’s best digital health resources. SaludToday earned a "silver" award for its blog and a "merit" award for its Twitter feed. The IHPR also earned a "merit" award for its quarterly E-newsletter, IHPR Noticias, which trumpets the latest advancements in Latino health disparities news and research. For the Web Health Awards competition, which is held twice yearly, a panel of 32 experts in digital health media served as judges ...

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Targeting Latino Liver Cancer and Improving the Lives of Cancer Survivors



Find the latest in Latino health—from fighting Latino liver cancer to innovative ways to improve life for Latino cancer survivors—in the new E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The IHPR E-newsletter has these stories: Story and Video: Study Links Diabetes, Obesity to Liver Cancer in Latinos (Pg 1) Story: How a Professional Abuela Spawned a Health Career (Pg 2) Story: Clinical Trials & You (Pg 2) Story: Join Study Motivating Cancer Survivors to Get Fit (Pg 3) Story and Video: Closing Health Gaps for Latino Cancer Survivors (Pg 4) Videos: Health Novelas, Stories of Latino Diabetics, & More (Pg 10) The E-newsletter is jam-packed with even more info on the latest ...

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EVENT 5/23-26/12: New Insights into Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity



The 2012 International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting, set for May 23-26, 2012, in Austin, Texas, is a unique opportunity to learn about behavioral nutrition and physical activity, interact with a broad constituency of leaders, and gain new insight into innovations in research, policy and practice. Register here. See a list of key speakers and special features here. Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, is an event sponsor. Salud America! is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Salud America! Director Dr. Amelie Ramirez is chairing two sessions: Environmental Determinants of Nutrition in Latinos (featuring ...

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