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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

San Antonio Families, Get Ready for Síclovía Oct. 2



Síclovía is a San Antonio, Texas, event to get people and families involved and active! From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, Síclovía will open up 2-plus miles along Broadway for biking, running, skating, and just playing in the street and adjacent parks, while redirecting cars elsewhere. A joint venture by the City of San Antonio and the YMCA, Síclovía is a Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative to prevent and reduce obesity in our community. Find out more here. To volunteer, send your contact info ...

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Study: Mexican Immigrants Quickly Adopt U.S. Diet



Mexicans who migrate to the U.S. often begin eating a typical “American diet,” which may put their health at risk, a new study shows, Futurity reports. Study researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found immigrants improved their diets in some aspects—more fruits and vegetables, low-fat meat and fish, high-fiber bread, and low-fat milk than they had in Mexico—but mostly in the U.S. they ate more saturated fat, sugar, salty snacks, pizza, and french fries. This could spell higher rates of obesity, diabetes and related diseases for Mexican immigrants. More from Futurity: Traditionally, overall mortality rates and death rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer are lower among Hispanic immigrants than non-Hispanic whites, but diet changes are ...

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WATCH: Webinars Tackle Latino Child Fitness, Nutrition & More



The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and PreventObesity.net have teamed up for a webinar series on Latino obesity issues. Register here for the third webinar, “Physical Activity in Communities and Schools: The Impact on Latino Childhood Obesity,” at 2 p.m. EST Sept. 14, 2011. You can also watch recordings of the first webinar, “Nutrition in Communities and Schools: What is at Stake for Latino Children,” and second webinar, “Food Marketing and the Consequences for Latino Children and Youth.” Please also check out this toolkit, "How Advocates Can Fight Junk Food Marketing to Kids," in English and Spanish from the Berkeley Media Studies Group. The group also has accompanying videos in ...

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Video Series Documents Challenges Latino Communities Face When it Comes to Healthy Eating



Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series that will highlight the work the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports in Latino communities across the country. SaludTodayGuest Blogger: John Govea Childhood obesity and child hunger both plague the U.S. Latino community. Today, nearly 40% of our nation’s Latino children are overweight or obese. Latino children also account for about 40% of the one million children in this country who are living with hunger. Through its video project, Comer bien: The Challenges of Nourishing Latino Children and Families, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) sheds light on these problems and the need for far-reaching solutions to help families and children eat well. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the project features ...

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Check Out the Latest in Latino Cancer Survival, Exercise, Obesity, Videos &More



Check out the latest in health disparities—from new efforts by promotoras to help Latino cancer patients to a new study to see what type of exercise best prevents breast cancer recurrence—in the latest E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. View the IHPR E-newsletter to see: Story and Video: Promotoras Help Latino Cancer Patients (Pg 1) Story: IHPR Staffer Learns ‘True Meaning of Despair’ in Brazil (Pg 2) Story: Exito! Program Trains Latino Doctoral Hopefuls (Pg 4) Story and Video: Local Cancer Survivors Help Test Which Exercise is Best (Pg 5) Story and Videos: Addressing Texas’ Latino Obesity Epidemic (Pg 6) Story: Like Mother, Like Daughter: Rodriguez Duo ...

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VIDEO: Telenovela Spins Plot Twists on Hispanic Obesity, Diabetes



Skipping the perhaps familiar soap opera themes of betrayal and love spats, a telenovela from the Colorado Health Foundation spins plot twists and cliffhangers on Hispanics and obesity and diabetes. The foundation's first telenovela in 2009, "Encrucijada: Sin Salud No Hay Nada," or "Crossroads: Without Health, There Is Nothing," which focused on Latino healths issues and informed about health services provided by the state, was successful, drawing 35,000 households one night, Fox News Latino reports. Taping on a sequel, "Encrucijada 2," is expected to start filming this fall in Los Angeles. In the mean time, learn more about the first telenovela here or ...

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VIDEO: The Obesity Epidemic



Watch a new video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that explains the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic and showcases several community initiatives taking place to prevent and reduce obesity. Obesity is a national epidemic and a major contributor to some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. Latinos have some of the highest rates of overweight and obesity, and suffer a larger burden of diabetes. The CDC urges communitywide changes that strongly support healthy eating and active ...

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Profile in Health/Prevention: Dr. Amelie Ramirez


Amelie Ramirez

UT Health Science Center at San Antonio researcher Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez "has impacted the health and lives of thousands of South Texans" through her 30 years of health education, promotion and research in and with Latino communities, according to a health/prevention profile article in the San Antonio Business Journal. Dr. Ramirez currently targets Latino health issues as director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the Health Science Center. The IHPR is the research team behind national research networks on Latino cancer (Redes En Acción) and Latino child obesity (Salud America!). Dr. Ramirez, in the article, says prevention is the key to improving health: “We’re not just doing research for the purpose of doing research,” says Ramirez. “We are doing ...

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‘F as in Fat’ Report: Latinos Among the Fattest Americans



Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Twelve states now have obesity rates above 30% (vs. only one four years ago). Racial/ethnic minorities continue to have the highest overall obesity rates: Latino adult obesity rates topped 35% in four states (Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas) and at least 30% in 23 states. Black adult obesity rates topped 40% in 15 states, 35% in 35 states, and 30% in 42 states and D.C. Meanwhile, white adult obesity rates topped 30% in just four states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and no ...

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