Articles by Amanda Merck

#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 8/25/15: The Nursing Mom: A Look at Benefits & Barriers to Breastfeeding

August 20, 2015

Some children between the ages of 0-5 are at a higher risk than their peers for being overweight. Research shows that breastfeeding may be one important way to promote a healthy weight for both moms and their babies. Yet, while breastfeeding is strongly encouraged up to 2 years of age, many moms lack the support they need to continue breastfeeding. Join us for a #SaludTues tweetchat on August 25, 2015, to learn more about the importance of breastfeeding and how to support an environment that encourages moms to continue breastfeeding. • WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The Nursing Mom: A Look at Benefits & Barriers to Breastfeeding” • DATE: Tuesday, August 25, 2015 • TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT) • WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues • HOST: ...

Ask Food Companies to Advertise Healthier Foods and Drinks to Kids

August 11, 2015

On Spanish-language TV, food and beverage advertising is out of whack. Just 1% of food ads show water, fruits, or veggies, and 70% of ads show fast-food or other restaurants, candy, gum, snacks, and sugary drinks, according to a study by the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Salud America!, and others. Those are discouraging numbers...but there’s good news! The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) is a voluntary self-regulation program for food and drink companies to create healthier advertising to kids under age 12. Who’s in? McDonald’s, Burger King, General Mills, PepsiCo, Kraft, Kellogg’s, Hershey, Mars, Nestle, Campbell Soup and more. We’d like to thank them for getting involved when it comes to healthier advertising to ...

Two Major League Baseball Parks Provide Breastfeeding Lounges

August 7, 2015

Cincinnati Reds Pampers Nursing Suite Breastfeeding Lounges

Policies to accommodate breastfeeding are extending beyond hospitals and workplaces and into professional baseball parks. The Cinncinati Reds opened the Pampers Nursing Suite at the Great American Ball Park in March and the Washington Nationals opened the Lansinoh Nursing Lounge at the Nationals Park during National Breastfeeding Week. These lounges or suites provide mothers with the option to nurse or pump in a cool, quiet and private place, rather than in the rowdy stands or in a public restroom. The purpose of breastfeeding policies are to make breastfeeding more accommodating and acceptable in order to support mother's breastfeeding goals, no matter what they are. Policies supporting mother's options to breastfeed could influence a shift back to breastfeeding, which has ...

Grocery Store Provides Healthy Shopping Guide to Help Parents Navigate Supermarket

August 6, 2015

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health partnered with AltaMed Services and Superior Grocers to help Maywood residents (97.4% Latino) shop for healthy foods. AltaMed provides health care services to underserved populations in Southern California. Obesity rates in Maywood, CA are 30% for adults and almost 28% for children, and the Medicare population with diabetes is 31.99% compared to 26.64% in California. Parents may struggle to navigate supermarkets due to flashy packaging and clever marketing by the food industry, which spends $2 billion annually on kids alone. Additional challenges are due to ambiguous health claims, confusing nutrition labels and cost. 28.3% of Maywood residents live under the federal poverty level compared to 15.9% in California. Superior ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 8/11/15: The Crisis of Junk Food Marketing to Kids

August 5, 2015

SaludTues junk food marketing 8-11-15 small

Some kids are a particularly attractive target for food marketers because of their increasing population size, spending power, and media exposure. Who’s targeting these kids? Do they see more healthy or junk food ads? Use #SaludTues to tweet with us on Aug. 11, 2015, as we unveil the results of a new study that explores the targeting of unhealthy foods and drinks to some kids, and which companies are doing the most targeting: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The Crisis of Junk Food Marketing to Kids" TIME/DATE: 1-2p ET (Noon-1 p CT), Tuesday, August 11, 2015 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity (@UConnRuddCenter); the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network ...

Resilience: It’s Not About Grit, It’s About Relationships

July 31, 2015

Resilience is the key to overcoming adverse childhood experiences. Often, public programs and policies demand an element of individual motivation and grit in order to overcome adverse experiences, which sends the message that disadvantaged kids are to blame if they don’t. As a motivational anecdote, the concept of grit can be encouraging; however, early childhood development research suggests that overcoming adverse experiences requires relationships, not grit. A recent report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, “which seeks to unite the science of early childhood development with the policies we devise to support" children, explores policy implications of supporting relationships to build resilience. To learn more about public policy and ...

What Happens to Your Body 1 Hour After Drinking Soda?

July 30, 2015

A new infographic shows what a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola does to your body within the first hour of drinking it, the Huffington Post reports. The infographic comes from the website the Renegade Pharmacist, led by Niraj Naik. He writes on the site: "Coke is not just high in high fructose corn syrup, but it is also packed with refined salts and caffeine. Regular consumption of these ingredients in the high quantities you find in Coke and other processed foods and drinks, can lead to higher blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity." However a small amount now and then wont do any major harm. The key is moderation!" See the full infographic ...

#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 7/28/15: “How to Open Outdoor School Facilities in Neighborhoods”

July 23, 2015

Mom and son playing at park on cold winter day.

Regular physical activity is a vital component of every child’s life, yet many children lack access to safe spaces to be physically active. Opening existing school facilities will reduce challenges and support the addition of physical activity options locally. Join #SaludTues on July 28, 2015 to tweet about how community members and schools can increase access to safe spaces for children to be physically active outside of regular school hours by using existing school resources. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How to Open Outdoor School Facilities in Neighborhoods” DATE: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: @SafeRoutesPNW, @ChangeLabWorks, @HealthierGen, and ...

Toolkit: 7 Elements of a Complete Park System

July 17, 2015

Many communities often lack access to safe parks and green spaces. This Complete Parks Playbook by ChangeLab Solutions can help decision makers in communities assess and improve their park system. Decision makers cannot determine park access by park existence alone, but they must take into account numerous factors: how people travel to parks; how parks are designed; what types of activities and amenities are provided; how, by whom and when parks are used; what types of plants and trees are planted in parks; how parks are maintained; and how parks are funded. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the following 7 elements when determining the status of a park system: Connect: creating safe routes to parks Locate: ensuring access to park Grow: planting and maintaining ...

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Amanda Merck

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