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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

CMS Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Strategy II Initiative Second Annual Evaluation Report



Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their second annual evaluation report for the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Strategy II Initiative. Strong Start is an initiative testing innovative prenatal care enhancements to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in low-income families, particularly to to reduce incidence of preterm birth and low birth weight. Among findings regarding lower rates of cesarean sections are higher rates of breastfeeding than national averages among similar populations. This is likely due to prenatal care enhancements that addressed psychosocial needs, such as care coordination, referrals to local resources, prenatal health education, and peer support for CHIP and Medicaid eligible women. For example, the Special ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/22/16: How YOU Can Be a “Salud Leader” for Latino Kids



Latino kids need your HELP! Over 39% of Latino kids are overweight or obese in the U.S., and many have poor access to fresh fruits and vegetables and face rising diabetes rates. Let’s tweet about what you can do to become a Salud Leader for Latino kids! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How YOU Can Be a “Salud Leader” for Latino Kids” TIME/DATE: Noon CST (1 p.m. EST) Tuesday, March 22, 2016 WHERE: On Twitter #SaludTues HOST: SaludToday (@SaludToday) CO-HOSTS: Community Commons (@CommunityCommon) & Moms Rising (@MomsRising) Be sure to use the hashtag #SaludTues to follow the conversation on Twitter! #SaludTues is a weekly Tweetchat about Latino health at 12p CST/1p ET every Tuesday and hosted by @SaludToday, the Latino health social media campaign for ...

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Do You Eat Enough Fruits?


Girl eating lunch at kindergarten

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Americans don’t come even close to the recommended 7 to 13 servings of fruits. Research has proven that, when we add fruits to our daily diet, we significantly decrease our risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and numerous cancers. Here are 2 "super fruits" that can positively influence your health: Apples I know you’ve heard this before, but according to research an apple a day does literally keep the doctor away. Apples are full of powerful antioxidants, which protect cell damage and significantly reduce the risk of cancer. Blueberries Blueberries are loaded with anthocyanins, which improve vision and brain functions. Blueberries have also been found to help lower the risk ...

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Tweets We Heart: 50 Reasons Why Access to Play is so Important



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Neighborhood-Scale Transformation in Atlanta Creates Lasting Change and Impacts Health



In the 1990's, with initial funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) committed to transforming the East Lake Meadows neighborhood. Atlanta (10.2% Latino) real estate mogul and philanthropist Tom Cousins then founded the East Lake Foundation (ELF) to support more broad goals of the neighborhood transformation, such as incarceration and the notion of place to improve life outcomes. The planning process took two years and the bulk of the project took ten, which included: replacing the substandard public units with high-quality mixed-income housing; creating an education hub with an early childhood education center, a charter school, and robust after school programming; revitalize a nearby private golf course to ...

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University Workers Drive Policy to Support Breastfeeding on Campus



Alena Clark and Yvette Lucero-Nguyen worried that their University of Northern Colorado campus wasn’t breastfeeding-friendly for employees or students. So they worked with faculty, staff, and students to increase awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding. They coordinated with different departments on campus to establish three Lactation Stations to provide breastfeeding parents a private, comfortable place to express breast milk or breastfeed. They also drafted an institution-wide written policy for breastfeeding support to protect employees and students. University Employees and Students Without Breastfeeding Privacy In spring 2011, Alena Clark, Nutrition and Dietetics Associate Professor at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), where about 18% of undergraduates ...

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3 Ways to Have a Healthy Latino St. Patrick’s Day



Are you wearing green? Today is St. Patrick’s Day most commonly known among Latinos as the Irish 5 de Mayo. Here are three ways you can celebrate in a healthy way: Drink a Licuado Verde (Green Smoothie) This green smoothie packs vitamins and proteins that will give you an energy boost! Watch San Antonio-based celebrity Chef Johnny Hernandez demonstrate the recipe. https://youtu.be/4SzD8YVkxp4 Jog Lace up your tennis shoes and go for an evening jog around your neighborhood. A 20-minute jog will give you the right amount of boost to get you through your day like a champ! Dance Play your favorite salsa/merengue tunes. Research has shown that dancing not only is good for your physical health but also for your mental health. Happy St. Patrick’s ...

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School Breakfast Supports Healthy Weight, Study Finds



Did your child have breakfast this morning? New Research by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity and the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) shows that children that have breakfast at school even if they already had breakfast at home significantly reduce their risk of being obese and/or overweight—a condition that affects more than 39% of Latino children, according to Salud America!. “When it comes to the relationship between school breakfast and body weight, our study suggests that two breakfasts are better than none,” said Marlene Schwartz, a study author and Director of the Rudd Center. For the study, researchers tracked 584 middle school students over a two-year period and monitored their weight. Specifically, the study found ...

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Florida Department of Transportation Releases Complete Streets Implementation Plan



Passing a Complete Streets policy is a great first step for many cities and states address multi-modal transportation issues; however, implementation and enforcement are often difficult.  For many years, Florida (24.1% Latino) ranked among the most dangerous states in the nation for pedestrians. In September 2014, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) adopted a Complete Streets policy to help make streets safer-Florida ranked among the most dangerous states in the nation for pedestrians. FDOT then partnered with Smart Growth America's National Complete Streets Coalition program and through their Multimodal Development and Delivery technical assistance process developed an implementation plan for the state. In just over a year after adopting a Complete Streets policy, on ...

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