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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 Synthesis: Minorities Reside in Communities that Lack Physical Activity Options



A new research synthesis by Active Living Research examines studies indicating that racial/ethnic minorities and lower-income people live in communities that are not as supportive of physical activity. The synthesis summarizes research on racial/ethnic and economic disparities in obesity and physical activity rates among children, and highlights policy recommendations for decision-makers who can support physical activity among people in lower-income communities and communities of color. Key research results suggest that racial/ethnic minorities and lower-income people: are more likely to live in neighborhoods with fewer and lower-quality sidewalks, and fewer aesthetic amenities like scenery that make walking safer, easier and more appealing; tend to live in neighborhoods ...

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Growing Number of Hispanics Affected By Diabetes



Diabetes, a disease that is expected to affect 9.9% of the world's adult by 2030, takes an especially heavy toll on U.S. Hispanics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Huffington Post reports. Hispanics have double the risk of developing diabetes compared with non-Hispanic whites, according to a CDC a study on diabetes prevalence among Hispanics in California, Florida, Illinois, New York/New Jersey, Texas, and Puerto Rico from 1998 to 2002. The CDC study also found that: Hispanics tend to develop diabetes at a younger age The prevalence of diabetes decreased with higher education levels; among Hispanics with less than a high school education, 11.8% had diabetes, compared to 7% of college graduates Read the full news report. Watch an ...

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San Antonio Teacher Named a Champion of ‘Healthy Schools’



Yvette White, a P.E. teacher from Carroll Bell Elementary School in Harlandale Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, was selected as one of the 21 champions for the Healthy Schools Program of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Champions are selected based on their commitment and passion to motivate and lead students and staff toward a healthier school environment. According to KENS-TV report, here's what she did: Specifically, White helped convince her school to remove unhealthy snacks available to the children and replace them with healthy alternatives. She worked with the food service director to remove some of the unhealthy items that peppered the school cafeteria menu. And she created teaching plans that teachers can use to instruct their students about ...

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News: Latino Health Research, Stories & More



Find the latest in Latino health—from fighting Latina breast cancer to helping Latinos pursue doctoral degrees—in the new E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The E-newsletter has these stories: Story and Video: Giving Latinas a Chance vs. Breast Cancer (Pg 1) Story: How a Typewriter Helped a Latina Launch a Career in Health Promotion (Pg 2) Story and Video: Depression after Cancer Keeps Latinas from Follow-Up Care (Pg 3) Story: Apply by 3/1/12 for Éxito Program to Get Help Pursuing a Doctoral Degree (Pg 5) Story: San Antonio Schools Get Salad Bars (Pg 6) Story and Video: Latino Man Works to Interrupt Street Violence (Pg 8 ) The E-newsletter is jam-packed ...

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Sugary Beverage Companies Are Targeting Hispanic Kids, Teens



Children and teens—especially Hispanics—are exposed to a substantial amount of marketing for sugary drinks, such as full-calorie sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks, according to a new report from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The report indicates that sugary beverages are specifically targeting Hispanic and black youth: Beverage companies have indicated that they view Hispanics and blacks as a source of future growth for sugary drink product sales. Marketing on Spanish TV is growing. From 2008 to 2010, Hispanic children saw 49% more ads for sugary drinks and energy drinks, and teens saw 99% more ads. Hispanic preschoolers saw more ads for Coca-Cola Classic, Kool-Aid, 7 Up and Sunny D than Hispanic older children and teens did. The ...

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VIDEO: Why Are Latinos Popular Targets of Food/Beverage Companies?



Here’s a day in the life of two fictional—but not unusual—youth, Pedro and Javier. Morning: Listen to a J.Lo song Javier downloaded from Dr. Pepper’s website, which tells of Latina Grammy street parties and truck tours to find to get free sodas. Lunch: Use downloaded coupons to get free hot chocolate at McDonald’s. After school: Go to a Cinco de Mayo music concert sponsored by Burger King and get free burgers; at home, eat cookies and go to Nabisco’s branded website to play video games; go to McDonald’s Latino website and play brand-and-sports-mixed video games. Dinner: Drink Coca-Cola and eat food as Pedro’s mother takes photo of meal to upload to Univision contest sponsored by Coca-Cola. “What we have here is non-stop target marketing” among Latino ...

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Summit Tackles Latino Childhood Obesity Problems, Discusses Solutions



Let’s pretend you know nothing about Latino childhood obesity, but you want to learn. What do you do first? Google, of course. So you head online and type “Latino childhood obesity” in the search box. The No. 1 search result is Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, followed by the Salud America! Latino childhood obesity video at No. 2. The 3rd Annual Salud America! Scientific Summit on Sept. 14-16, 2011, in San Antonio, showcased several reasons why Salud America! is No. 1—the network continues to raise awareness of Latino childhood obesity, stimulate collaboration to combat the epidemic, and feature 20 research grantees. The summit highlighted the work of the 20 grantees and innovative experts ...

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CDC Nutrition Expert Driven by Experience in Honduran Village



Editor's Note: This story appears in the latest E-newsletter of Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids, directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Laura Kettel Khan rarely stepped foot outside Arizona as a child. She raised horses and enjoyed church-based activities there. Her family didn’t travel much. She even went to study at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her life changed when she joined the Peace Corps in the 1980s. Kettel Khan—despite not knowing Spanish at the time—was assigned to nutrition issues in Latin America. She found herself in a 300-person Honduran village, helping raise animals and building chicken coops at the village ...

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Nourishing Latino Families: Challenges & Solutions



How can... Latino families overcome barriers to healthy eating? (Page 1) "Walking school buses" keep Latino kids fit? (Page 3) Health coaching improve Latino child and family health? (Page 4) Find answers in the new Salud America! E-newsletter. Also find out the latest in Latino childhood obesity policy, news and updates on Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, which developed SaludToday. Visit Salud America! here. To sign up to receive Salud America! E-newsletters, go ...

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