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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

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Statistics



According to the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Information Center, poor quality facilities, like sidewalks, are the leading cause of pedestrian injury, and being struck by cars is the leading cause of bicyclist injuries. The total cost of pedestrian injury among children ages 14 and younger is $5.2 billion per year, and the total cost of bicyclist injury and death is over $4 billion per year. Latino neighborhoods are often disproportionately burdened by poor or unsafe places to walk and bike. Learn more about pedestrian and bicyclist crash statistics here. Access more fact sheets from the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Information Center here. Copy and Share: Cost of #pedestrian injury amng #kids under 14 is $5.2 billion/year. Kids ...

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What to Do When You Hear: “You Have a Cavity.”



SaludToday Guest Blogger Jefferson Dental Clinics "You have a cavity." You've probably heard this exact phrase from your dentist about your teeth. In fact, 82% of Latino adults have had a cavity. What should you do? First, bone up on what cavities are. "Demineralization" is the process of how tooth enamel loses minerals. Tooth enamel is comprised of a pattern of minerals and when they are lost, gaps in the pattern form that eventually widen and deepen as minerals are lost faster than the rate of rebuilding occurs. A common misconception is that sugar itself erodes tooth enamel; however, the sugars simply act as a food for the bacteria. The bacteria produce lactic acid, which erodes the enamel when it is left to settle onto teeth. Can you see or feel a cavity? If ...

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Let’s Move! Outside Initiative Growing in San Antonio, Texas



Launched in 2010, the Let's Move! Outside initiative is the outdoor activity component to First Lady Michelle Obama's, childhood obesity prevention campaign, Let's Move!. Through public-private partnerships, the Department of Interior leads Let’s Move! Outside to inspire kids and families to play, learn, serve, and work in America’s great outdoors. In 2015, the YMCA partnered with the National Park Service (NPS); created a special summer Play, Learn, Serve, Work (PLSW) outdoor program for low-income, minority youth; and joined forces with the Department of the Interior and the National League of Cities to grow the Let's Move! Outside initiative. The program is largely funded through a $5 million donation by the American Express Foundation and will provide two years of ...

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Latino Health in Focus: Yoga vs. Gym Workouts


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Find the latest advances—such as the benefits of yoga for breast cancer survivors—in the Noticias from Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio: Is Yoga Better than Gym Workouts? Study results, led by the IHPR's Dr. Daniel Hughes, surprised all participants (Pg. 1). Lisa Ellis-Veraza's Revelatory Mission Trip to Guatemala. "I realized that not only having access to health care is needed, but also clear and culturally appropriate education." (Pg. 2). Why Don’t Latinas Get Genetic Testing? The answer may lie in their attitudes toward genetic testing (Pg. 3). Salud America! Gets $1.3M. The national Latino childhood obesity prevention program gets new funds to develop ...

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1 in 3 Americans Don’t Get Enough Sleep


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On average, Americans are not getting enough sleep according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study found that, on average, over 60% of Latinos ages 18 to 60 get the recommended hours of sleep compared to Whites (67%) and African Americans (54%). “As a nation we are not getting enough sleep,” said Dr. Wayne Giles, director of CDC’s Division of Population Health. According to the CDC, sleeping less than 7 hours each day is associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and mental distress. “Lifestyle changes such as going to bed at the same time each night; rising at the same time each morning; and turning off or removing televisions, computers, mobile devices from the bedroom, can help ...

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Minnesota DOE Releases Statewide Swimming Resources Inventory and Work Group Reports: Now What?



UPDATE on the August 2015 post: The "Land of 10,000 Lakes" Could be the First State to Mandate Swimming in Schools. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) released two reports in February 2016 to identify existing resources and best practices in swimming instruction provided in Minnesota (5.1% Latino) public schools. These reports are the result of the 2015 special session law requiring the state to examine and develop statewide swimming resources for kids, thanks to the work of Hannah Lieder, founder of Minneapolis Swims, and Representative Karen Clark. The following two reports were developed by a workgroup of stakeholders established by the commissioner of education to assess statewide access to swimming resources and provide recommendations for the March 2016 ...

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Teacher Helps Get Water Safety Classes for Students with Special Needs



Linda Joseph, a special needs teacher in Florida, with some of the highest drowning rates in the country, wanted to make sure her students could swim and weren’t afraid of the water. As someone who values whole-child health, Joseph knows that water safety boosts confidence and opens doors to many water-based physical activities and associated mental and physical benefits. She went to a nearby pool for information and learned about and enrolled her students in free water safety education lessons through SWIM Central. Fear of Drowning is High in Florida  Linda Joseph, a special needs teacher at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (13.7% Latino), lost both of her parents to a drowning accident when she was 16. She became fearful of water and didn’t learn to ...

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Drowning Prevention Advocates Teach Water Safety to Kids Under 5



In the past 15 years, the drowning rate of school-age children in Broward County, Fla., has plummeted thanks in part to SWIM Central, a program that provides free water safety education classes and transportation for public school children. However, drowning rates remain the No. 1 cause of death among children younger than 5. SWIM Central’s manager and primary funder, the Children’s Services Council, teamed up to develop a voucher program for parents to get their children under 5 into water safety education classes for free or very low cost. Drowning is No.1 Killer in South Florida  Cindy Arenberg Seltzer and Jay Sanford have long been advocates for water safety education for children in Broward County, Fla. (27.5% Latino). Seltzer is president and CEO of the ...

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Latina Researcher Continues Blazing Leadership Trail



Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, a Latino health researcher and professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, recently became a national research fellow, and is co-leading regional health education centers in South Texas. Parra-Medina was named a Fellow by the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB), a national group of researchers who apply study results to improve public health. Fellows are selected for their significant contributions to advancing health behavior knowledge, as well as a strong record of scientific investigations, publications, and presentations. She is being recognized at the AAHB’s scientific meeting Feb. 21-24, 2016, in Florida. Parra-Medina also ...

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