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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

Safety First: New Partnership Pushes Safer Streets


Latino health physical activity traffic safety walkability vision zero

Although walking has numerous mental and physical benefits-and is fun-many people avoid walking if the streets aren't safe, which limits their mobility and access to basic necessities like schools, work, grocery stores, parks, healthcare, and other cultural and historical community resources. When it comes to safe streets, the U.S. lags far behind other countries. Given the inequity in access to safe streets and the disparities in fatalities and injuries among minorities, the issue of safe streets extends far beyond transportation planning and requires collaboration with public health and social justice researchers and practitioners. “We won’t save the number of lives we aim to without shifting our understanding of traffic violence from an individual behavior problem to a ...

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New White Paper on Health, Behavioral Design, and the Built Environment


Latino health physical activity behavioral design

Food and physical activity are both continuous and cumulative habits. Small changes every day can drastically improve your health and quality of life. However, the built world, whether intentional or not, influences the human experience. Many people live and work in places that impede or reduce physical activity and sell or promote unhealthy food. The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) brings together four of the nation’s leading research funders—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—to accelerate progress in reducing childhood obesity in America. Their new white paper builds on a series of behavioral ...

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2017 Active Living Summit


Latino Health Active Living

Are you interested in changing people's health outcomes through programs, policy changes, and infrastructure improvements? Check out the inaugural Active Living Summit hosted by Movement Makers in Richmond, VA, May 17-19, 2017. We will be there to learn and present! Hear stories about policies changed, advocacy wins, innovative school initiatives, and more. Discover how to build play in urban environments on a playability walk. Learn more about setting expectations with the funding community and creating better tools online to support physical activity in your city. Key note speakers include: Gabe Klein, Co-founder of CityFi and former Commissioner of Chicago and Washington D.C. Departments of Transportation. Dominique Dawes, Olympic Gold Medalist, and former Co-chair ...

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Report: Parents’ Attitudes Towards Food Marketing


Latino Health

The newly released UConn Rudd Center Parents’ Attitudes Towards Food Marketing Report highlights parents’ views about food marketing to children and food self-industry regulation, and their support for policies to help encourage healthy eating for their children. The Rudd Center surveyed over 3,500 parents with children ages 2 to 17. Researchers used a cross-sectional sample of parents, including black, Hispanic, and low-income parents, and assessed changes from 2012 to 2015. Because we don't live in a bubble, building a culture of health requires a look at food companies' marketing practices. For example, baby food marketing to Latino parents does not align with expert opinion, and 90% of snack food ads push unhealthy options to Latino kids. according to two other reports by ...

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Parenting Master Classes Use Latino Cultural Perspective



Many factors influence early childhood development, school readiness, and health. For example, Latino parents are less likely to engage their children in preliteracy activities or read books to them leading to cognitive and oral communication gaps in Latino children. Culturally relevant parent counseling, education and support can play a huge role in childhood literacy and health, because kids who do better in school become healthier adults. Three groups in Walla Walla, Washington (21.6% Latino) worked together to create a 10-week series of FREE parenting master classes, Abriendo Puertas-Spanish for Opening Doors-that use a Latino cultural perspective and are taught in Spanish. The three groups are, Walla Walla Valley Early Learning Coalition,  the Walla Walla Community College ...

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Physical Activity, Not Body Mass Index, Predicts Less Disability Before and After Stroke


Latino health walking physical activity

Stroke is the most frequent cause of adult-onset disability in the US. Sadly, there are disparities in average age for stroke, meaning some populations are at an increased risk at a younger age and some populations live with the physical, emotional, and financial burdens at a younger age. For example, the average age for stroke in Latinos is 67 compared to 80 for non-Latino whites. Physical activity may be your best bet to not only prevent a stroke, but to reduce disability or impairment after a stroke. People who are less physically active are less likely to be able to do basic self-care functions like bathing, eating and getting in and out of bed after a stroke compared to those who were regularly physically active, according to a new report. The act of being active may be ...

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Elementary Students Can Take “Body Break” Any Time During Class



When we are talking about academic performance, there is no right or wrong way to "workout." Any physical activity to get you moving and to get your blood pumping is beneficial and can boost your mood and help you reset and focus. Confederation Park Community School in Saskatoon Canada opens their gym all day and allows students to leave class at any time to burn off some energy. The goal is to empower kids to explore different kinds of physical activity when they feel like they can't concentrate in class. They can walk or run, do weights, play on gymnastics rings, flip big tires over, throw weighted balls, do yoga, dance, and many more activities. "Brain breaks" are one effective method to get kids moving in the classroom, but, as parents and teachers know, kids come to ...

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San Antonio Launches New Nutrition Education Campaign


Latino Health Viva Nutrition

People care deeply about health; however, with so many complicated messages from health experts and contradicting messages from food manufacturers, as well as lack of access to affordable healthy food, it can be very difficult for families to make truly healthy choices. Latinos, in particular, face additional barriers to access healthy food, thus face higher rates of obesity and related chronic diseases. The City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) launched a new ¡Viva Health! Eat well, feel great. Come bien, sientete bien. campaign in March 2017 to target the biggest public health threats of this generation—obesity and diabetes. Obesity is linked to numerous burdensome chronic diseases and diminished quality of life, and diabetes can lead to blindness, ...

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Digital CATCH Website for School Health in English and Spanish


LAtino health physical activity school CATCH

The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program is an evidence based physical activity and nutrition program for schools that promotes healthy food choices among children. For over 25 years, the CATCH platform has been the most cost effective means of preventing childhood obesity, in an environment that’s fun and easy to sustain. They are the originators of "GO, SLOW, and WHOA" for identifying healthful foods. CATCH has a new digital website! In Spanish, too! "The program aims to impact messaging a child receives in physical education, the lunchroom, the classroom, and the home, to form an effective resource that impacts a child’s choices not only in school, but lifelong." Share this with teachers, PE teachers, principals, school administrators, and student ...

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