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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

3 Cancer-Fighting Foods


beans peas lentils plant-based proteins dietary guidelines - Copy

Cancer is a top killer of Americans. While in some instances cancers are genetically inherited in the majority of cases, they’re preventable with a good diet and plenty of exercise. Here are top cancer-fighting superfoods, according to Health: 1. Berries Berries are packed with phytonutrients, especially black berries which contain a high concentration of phytochemicals called anthocyanins. These "slow down growth of premalignant cells and keep new blood vessels from forming (and potentially feeding a cancerous tumor).” 2. Walnuts Phytosrerois—cholesterol like molecules “have been shown to block estrogen receptors in breast cancer cells, possibly slowing the cells' growth.” 3. Beans Researchers and numerous studies have found that black and navy beans can ...

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Exercise Linked to Survival After First Heart Attack


heart health first heart attack

Exercise can increase the chances of survival after a heart attack, a new study by a team of researchers at John Hopkins and Henry Ford Health System suggests, Health reports.   "Our data suggests that doctors working with patients with cardiovascular risk factors should be saying, 'Mr. Jones, you need to start an exercise program now to improve your fitness and chance of survival, should you experience a heart attack,'" says Dr. Clinton Brawner, Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Senior Bioscientific Clinical Staff Researcher at Henry Ford Health System. "These findings suggest that higher aerobic fitness before a heart attack is associated with better short-term survival after the first heart attack." The results of the study, which focused on 2,061 patients who ...

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Salud America! Gets $1.3M to Fuel Healthy Changes that Reduce Latino Childhood Obesity


Salud America Logo

Salud America!, a national childhood obesity prevention and communication program, has received a one-year, $1.3 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop new, tailored educational content that helps people to work toward healthy changes for children and families. Established in 2007, Salud America!, has recruited a national online network of 50,000 parents, school personnel, health professionals, and community leaders who support its mission. Childhood obesity continues to rise in America. The new funding will allow Salud America! to expand its network and engage members with enhanced educational content, including multimedia role model stories, social media events (like the #SaludTues weekly tweetchat), online resources, digital action campaigns, and ...

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Infographic: Early Childcare & Kids


Early Childcare & Kids

Too many infants watch TV for more than 25 minutes a day and few babies get regular tummy time activity. Guidelines advise no TV watching by kids younger than 2 and 30 minutes a day of tummy time activity for babies, according to our new infographic on early childcare and kids. The infographic is part of the new Salud America! Healthy Weight research package on the latest data and recommendations on how to ensure kids reach a healthy weight by kindergarten. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 2/2/16: Sugary Drinks & Kids


sugary drink facts report by rudd center

Across America, public health leaders in different states across the nation are pushing for various ways to address a rising childhood obesity epidemic. One big issue is sugary drinks. Sugary beverage consumption on a daily basis has been proven in research to be linked to higher risks of health related diseases. Follow #SaludTues to tweet with us on Feb. 2, 2016, as we unveil the results of a new study focusing on kids and sugary drinks. Participants will discuss problems, solutions, and new studies on sugary beverages and kids. We will share research packages that include helpful infographics. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Sugary Beverages & Kids” DATE: Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016 TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag ...

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Infographic: Healthy Moms & Kids


Healthy Moms & Kids

Moms who are obese give birth to kids who are 1.8 times more likely to be obese than kids of healthy weight moms. But, when moms exercise moderately during pregnancy, kids are less likely to be overweight, according to our new infographic on healthy moms and kids. The infographic is part of the new Salud America! Healthy Weight research package on the latest data and recommendations on how to ensure kids reach a healthy weight by kindergarten. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication ...

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Infographic: Breastfeeding and Kids


The infographic is part of the new Salud America! Healthy Weight research package on the latest data and recommendations on how to ensure kids reach a healthy weight by kindergarten. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication network.

A lot of mothers no longer breastfeed their babies by age 6 months. But when workplaces make it easier for new mothers to breastfeed by providing paid maternity leave, break-time from work or provisions for pumping, mothers are 20% more likely to breastfeed 6 months, according to our new infographic on breastfeeding and kids. The infographic is part of the new Salud America! Healthy Weight research package on the latest data and recommendations on how to ensure kids reach a healthy weight by kindergarten. Share this infographic today! Salud America! is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded national childhood obesity prevention and communication ...

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5 Ways to Help Kids Achieve a Healthy Weight by Kindergarten


Healthy Weight by Kindergarten

Obesity is rising among our youngest children. That’s because of a mother's obesity, less exclusive breastfeeding, and workplace and childcare issues, according to a new package of research from Salud America!, a national network for childhood obesity prevention and communication funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Salud America!’s Healthy Weight by Kindergarten research shows that many women, including many Latinos, are overweight/obese when they get pregnant. Obese moms gave birth to kids who were 1.8 times more likely to be obese than their peers. Breastfeeding can reduce obesity by 47% among kids, but some moms are less likely than white moms to exclusively breastfeed their infants through age 1. Solutions are emerging to improve maternal and child ...

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Zika Virus to Spread Across the Americas


zika bug spray mosquito

The World Health Organization(WHO) predicts the Zika virus will spread to all countries in the Americas, including the U.S., except Canada and Chile, Reuters reports. “Twenty-one countries and territories of the Americas have reported cases of the virus since Brazil reported the first cases of local transmission in May 2015,” WHO's regional office for the Americas said in a statement. In the U.S. three cases have been confirmed in Florida, Texas and Illinois. "These imported cases might result in local human-to-mosquito-to-human spread of the virus in limited areas of the continental Unites States that have the appropriate mosquito vectors," according to a new report on the spread of the virus issued by the CDC Friday. According to doctors the symptoms of the virus ...

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