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Cardiovascular disease education in Texas health education classes -- a needs assessment.

This study ascertained to what extent cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors are taught in public secondary health education classes in Texas, the disparity between what is taught and what is desired in terms of time allotment and educational materials, to what extent health education teachers are academically prepared to teach cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors, and to what extent teachers utilize self-instructional materials. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of health education teachers in Texas. There was a return of 45.4%. The findings indicated that more time is devoted to teaching the cardiovascular system than disease and risk factors; there is a disparity between what is taught and what is desired; the teachers rated their preparation as average; and the use of self-instructional materials by high school students as average to excellent.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

Comprehensive school health programs in Texas public schools.

One goal of the Texas Comprehensive School Health Initiative (TCSHI) involves assessing the status of comprehensive school health (CSH) programs in Texas public schools. This project used a case study approach to establish baseline information regarding CSH programs in selected school districts across the state. Eight researchers were trained to use a case study instrument and procedures for conducting interviews. Seven school districts participated in the survey during fall 1990. Results indicated considerable concern and support for CSH programs but little coordination of programs was evident. Six districts were not organized to address health comprehensively. Generally, school districts were overwhelmed with other responsibilities, so CSH programming was not a priority. Results will be used to revise the survey instrument and further expand the data base.

Adolescent↗

Who teaches health education in Texas secondary schools?

Although school health education now is seen as a national priority, little descriptive data on teachers responsible for delivering school health education have been collected. This survey provided baseline data on secondary health educators in Texas that, in turn, can be used to compare with data from other states. Questionnaires were received from 205 randomly selected secondary health educators in Texas. Subjects were sorted into two groups, full-time health educators or part-time health educators, based on the number of hours/classes spent teaching health education. Less than 50% of respondents held a degree in health education, 30% did not have a teaching certification in health education, and 10% had no academic background in health education. Those with no background in health education showed significantly less confidence and competence in their teaching ability than those with some background in health education. Almost all felt health education was as important as other courses, but slightly more than one-half felt their administration shared that view. Less than 36% felt other faculty members viewed health education as important as other courses.

Educational Status↗

Child sexual abuse prevention programs in Texas public elementary schools.

This survey determined if selected Texas public school districts provided an established child sexual abuse prevention program for elementary schools. The survey examined the type of program being implemented, training available for faculty and staff type of evaluation used, involvement of local agencies, and type of funding sources. Survey data were obtained from a nonrandomized sample of 89 largest public school districts in Texas, all recording an average daily attendance over 5,000. Fifty-eight of the 89 districts addressed child sexual abuse as a formal prevention program or as an awareness program. Training for child sexual abuse prevention program presenters was offered in 89% of districts. Consistent, effective evaluation was minimal. Funding for prevention programs was limited or unknown. Results confirmed the need for consistent, effective child sexual abuse prevention programs in elementary schools.

Child↗

Texas public school nurses' assessment of children's oral health status.

Researchers investigated the amount and types of dental morbidity that Texas public school nurses observed in an average school week. Two thousand nurses were randomly selected and surveyed by mail with 54% responding. Respondents reported 3.5% of the student population sought the nurses' services for a dental problem. Twelve school nurses reported that, of all health problems they observed, more than 50% were dental-related. Approximately 48% indicated oral health screenings occurred at least once every other year. Data suggest children are suffering dental problems that could possibly be detected and treated by oral health screenings, thus preventing more serious morbidity. As part of the Texas public school admissions protocol, like required immunizations, children suffering dental problems could be referred for preadmission oral examinations to identify early any dental problems, and thus improving the children's oral health and preventing school absenteeism.

Child↗

Access to health care among Latinos of Mexican descent in colonias in two Texas counties.

CONTEXT: Critical to resolving the problem of health disparities among Latinos is examining the needs within ethnic subpopulations. This paper focused on the unique challenges encountered by one ethnic subpopulation-Latinos of Mexican descent living in colonias. Findings reaffirm the importance of looking within ethnic subpopulations to understand the complexities of health disparities. PURPOSE: This paper reports on data collected measuring access to health care among Latinos of Mexican descent living in several colonias in two southern Texas counties. METHOD: Observations are based on data gathered from a non-probability sample obtained through a face to face questionnaire focusing on health care access. Persons living in two Texas counties near the US border were included in this sample, and demographic data were compared to county, state and national statistics to examine the comparability of the sample to similar populations. FINDINGS: Findings from this snowball sample, N=271, suggested lower rates of health insurance coverage compared to the Latino population nationwide, decreased patterns of preventive screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, cancers (ie, breast, cervical, and prostate), and regular access to health care in Mexico by slightly more than half the sample. CONCLUSIONS: Seeking care in Mexico may be a viable solution for many indigent people of Mexican descent living in close geographic proximity to the border because it surmounts the political, cultural, linguistic, or economic barriers to health care services in the United States. Nonetheless, there are longer term questions regarding quality of care and health and wellness for this group of people.

Adolescent↗

Comparative description of migrant farmworkers versus other students attending rural south Texas schools: substance use, work, and injuries.

CONTEXT: Little is known about substance use, work characteristics, and injuries of youth from migrant farmworker families. Some evidence suggests that migrant youth may be at greater risk for substance use and work-related injuries than nonmigrant youth. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to compare substance use, employment, and injury data from migrant and nonmigrant youth residing in rural South Texas. METHODS: Anonymous cross-sectional survey data were collected from 7,302 middle and 3,565 high school students during a regular class. Classification as a migrant student occurred if the student responded positively to: "Does your family move around the state or nation to pick fruits or vegetables for work?" RESULTS: About 5% of South Texas middle and high school students reported belonging to a migrant family. Compared to nonmigrant students, migrant youth were more likely to report frequent substance use. Youth belonging to migrant families were less likely to work for pay on weekends but more likely to work for pay on weekday mornings before school. These youth were also more likely to have ever been injured while working than nonmigrant students. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate a need for additional interventions in this most vulnerable rural population. Specifically, targeted educational programs to enhance the occupational safety and health of migrant youth, further research into effective substance abuse treatment and prevention programs in rural areas, and enhancement of child labor laws are recommended.

Accidents, Occupational↗

Absence of sporidesmin production by twelve Texas isolates of Pithomyces spp.

Twelve isolates of Pithomyces spp. from Texas were tested for sporidesmin toxin production, using both high-performance and thin-layer chromatography techniques. None of the Texas isolates produced the toxin under the conditions used. A control toxigenic New Zealand isolate, Pithomyces chartarum strain C, was grown simultaneously under the conditions tested and was found to produce sporidesmin in all cases.

Indoles↗

Environmental investigations of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in oysters after outbreaks in Washington, Texas, and New York (1997 and 1998).

Total Vibrio parahaemolyticus densities and the occurrence of pathogenic strains in shellfish were determined following outbreaks in Washington, Texas, and New York. Recently developed nonradioactive DNA probes were utilized for the first time for direct enumeration of V. parahaemolyticus in environmental shellfish samples. V. parahaemolyticus was prevalent in oysters from Puget Sound, Wash.; Galveston Bay, Tex.; and Long Island Sound, N.Y., in the weeks following shellfish-associated outbreaks linked to these areas. However, only two samples (one each from Washington and Texas) were found to harbor total V. parahaemolyticus densities exceeding the level of concern of 10,000 g(-1). Pathogenic strains, defined as those hybridizing with tdh and/or trh probes, were detected in a few samples, mostly Puget Sound oysters, and at low densities (usually <10 g(-1)). Intensive sampling in Galveston Bay demonstrated relatively constant water temperature (27.8 to 31.7 degrees C) and V. parahaemolyticus levels (100 to 1,000 g(-1)) during the summer. Salinity varied from 14.9 to 29.3 ppt. A slight but significant (P < 0.05) negative correlation (-0.25) was observed between V. parahaemolyticus density and salinity. Based on our data, findings of more than 10,000 g(-1) total V. parahaemolyticus or >10 g(-1) tdh- and/or trh-positive V. parahaemolyticus in environmental oysters should be considered extraordinary.

Animals↗

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis in Texas and Mexico.

Seventy-nine Mycobacterium bovis isolates recovered from Mexican and Texas cattle were categorized into 16 and 25 distinct types on the basis of IS6110 and direct-repeat fingerprint patterns, respectively. By using a combination of both fingerprint patterns, 30 distinct restriction fragment length polymorphism types were defined. Fifty-eight of 79 isolates (73%) were distributed among nine clusters. Clustered isolates were identified within herds, as well as in geographically disperse herds in Texas and Mexico. This observation is consistent with active transmission within herds and among herds, presumably as a result of active or historical cattle movements. The majority of bovine isolates (64 of 79) exhibited a single copy of IS6110. Interestingly, in contrast to previous studies, a high percentage of bovine isolates (15 of 79) exhibited multiple IS6110 copies (two to five) distributed among 11 different restriction fragment length polymorphism types. It is speculated that transmission from noncattle sources may be responsible. Continued fingerprinting of isolates originating from nonbovine sources and herd surveys is expected to provide useful information regarding the epidemiology of tuberculosis in this region.

Animals↗

Characterization of a West Nile virus isolate from a human on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Genetic characterization of a human cerebrospinal fluid West Nile virus isolate from Beaumont, Texas, revealed several nucleotide changes and amino acid substitutions that differentiated it from all other North American strains isolated to date, suggesting that isolates from the Texas Gulf Coast may form a unique genetic group among North American strains.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

H5N2 avian influenza outbreak in Texas in 2004: the first highly pathogenic strain in the United States in 20 years?

In early 2004, an H5N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) that met the molecular criteria for classification as a highly pathogenic AIV was isolated from chickens in the state of Texas in the United States. However, clinical manifestations in the affected flock were consistent with avian influenza caused by a low-pathogenicity AIV and the representative virus (A/chicken/Texas/298313/04 [TX/04]) was not virulent for experimentally inoculated chickens. The hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the TX/04 isolate was similar in sequence to A/chicken/Texas/167280-4/02 (TX/02), a low-pathogenicity AIV isolate recovered from chickens in Texas in 2002. However, the TX/04 isolate had one additional basic amino acid at the HA cleavage site, which could be attributed to a single point mutation. The TX/04 isolate was similar in sequence to TX/02 isolate in several internal genes (NP, M, and NS), but some genes (PA, PB1, and PB2) had sequence of a clearly different origin. The TX/04 isolate also had a stalk deletion in the NA gene, characteristic of a chicken-adapted AIV. By analyzing viruses constructed by in vitro mutagenesis followed by reverse genetics, we found that the pathogenicity of the TX/04 virus could be increased in vitro and in vivo by the insertion of an additional basic amino acid at the HA cleavage site and not by the loss of a glycosylation site near the cleavage site. Our study provides the genetic and biologic characteristics of the TX/04 isolate, which highlight the complexity of the polygenic nature of the virulence of influenza viruses.

Animals↗

A pentamer-repeat-containing DNA sequence in Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis Hook.)

A 654-bp EcoRI restriction fragment called Lup4 was shotgun cloned from Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis Hook.) nuclear genomic DNA that had been extracted from plant leaves. Its sequence was determined on both strands. Southern blot analysis of EcoRI-digested Texas bluebonnet DNA revealed clone hybridization throughout the approximately 1.0 to > 23 kb size range; the darkest hybridization was in the high molecular weight range (approximately 6 to > 23 kb). Using dot blot analysis, the copy number of the 654-bp clone was estimated to be approximately 4.75 x 10(4) copies per haploid genome, and thus this repetitive sequence comprises 3.5-4.1% of the nuclear genome. Sequence analyses showed that this clone contains multiple repeats: mainly the ATTGG pentamer, but also derivative pentamers (e.g., GTTGG, TTTGG, ATAGG, and GGATT). Examination of DNA base occurrence revealed a strand bias in base composition. Data-base searches using the algorithm FASTA revealed no alignment with existing plant data base sequences, but showed sequence identity with several telomeric and satellite DNA sequences. The two highest-scoring alignments were with another pentamer-containing sequence from a telomeric region of the nematode Parascaris univalens.

Base Sequence↗

Phenotypic characterization of the Xenorhabdus bacterial symbiont of a Texas strain of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema riobrave, and characterization of the Xenorhabdus bovienii bacterial symbiont of a Newfoundland strain of Steinernema feltiae.

Two bacterial symbionts of entomopathogenic nematodes, one of which originated from Texas, U.S.A., and the other from Newfoundland, Canada, were characterized phenotypically. These strains belonged to the genus Xenorhabdus. The Newfoundland (NF) strain was shown to be X. bovienii but the Texas (TX) strain was not identified at the species level. Four additional cultures of Xenorhabdus were included in the study. These were a strain of X. bovienii (Umeå), which was from a nematode of European origin, and strains of X. nematophilus, X. beddingii, and X. poinarii. The tests used in this study indicated identical properties for the NF (North American) and Umeå (European) strains of X. bovienii. These could be differentiated from the other strains studied by their failure to grow at 34 degrees C and resistance to low concentrations of a mixture of amoxilline and clavulanic acid. The Xenorhabdus TX strain could be differentiated from the other strains studied by its failure to grow at 10 degrees C. Of the tests done, approximately 30 were useful in distinguishing between the strains and species studied.

Animals↗

Incidence and risk factors for Bell's palsy in Laredo, Texas: 1974-1982.

Incidence rates of Bell's palsy in the predominantly Mexican-American population of Laredo, Texas, USA, are higher than those reported elsewhere, reaching 23.5 per 100,000 among males and 32.7 per 100,000 among females. During childbearing years (15-44) the risk of Bell's palsy was greater for women than for men (incidence density ratio 2.0; 95% confidence interval 1.3-3.1). No evidence for seasonality or epidemicity was obtained. Using prevalence estimates from community surveys in south Texas or the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Survey, standardized prevalence ratios (SPR) calculated for hypertension revealed a 10 or 20% increased risk for women and a 50 or 60% increased risk for men. SPRs calculated for diabetes among men with Bell's palsy were twice that expected, while risks of 60% or 90% were noted for women. The increased incidence of Bell's palsy observed in Laredo appears to be due to the high prevalence of diabetes in Mexican-Americans and, to a lesser extent, uncontrolled hypertension.

Adolescent↗

Antituberculosis drug resistance in south Texas.

The incidence of antituberculosis drug resistance in South Texas has been tabulated. Age, sex, and ethnic group were not found to significantly influence the incidence of resistance. The incidence of resistance to isoniazid (NH) was 16.4%, ethambutol, 3.9%, rifampin, 10.6%, and streptomycin, 7.8%. There was a 7.3% rate of resistance to INH and/or ethambutol or rifampin for any individual organism (i.e., to 2 of the 3 most commonly used antituberculosis drugs). We conclude that the incidence of single and multiple antituberculosis drug resistance in South Texas is higher than previously reported.

Adolescent↗

The Texas Medication Algorithm Project: development and implementation of the schizophrenia algorithm.

The Texas Medication Algorithm Project is a program designed to improve the quality of care of persons with serious mental disorders across sites in the Texas public mental health system and to create a uniform clinical environment from which cost estimates can be made. This paper describes the process of developing a pharmacological treatment algorithm for schizophrenia that addresses use of antipsychotics as well as other medications for side effects and co-existing symptoms. Input from clinicians, consultants, and consumers informed development of the algorithm, which was based on existing expert consensus guidelines. Information about the project can be found on the Internet at www.mhmr.state.tx.us/meds/tmap.htm. The authors present and describe the original and current versions of the algorithm, outline the feedback process by which it will be refined, and discuss how new medications will be incorporated as they enter the market.

Algorithms↗

Settlement-funded tobacco control in Texas: 2000-2004 pilot project effects on cigarette smoking.

Because settlement proceeds allocated for tobacco control in Texas are insufficient for statewide activity at federally recommended funding levels, the Texas Department of State Health Services has used the available funds in quasi-experimental pilot studies in which varying amounts of support are provided for selected parts of the state. Trends in tobacco use were measured in telephone surveys of 7,998 (2000), 5,150 (2002), and 5,721 (2004) adults. Prevalence of cigarette smoking declined by almost one-third in the pilot area where comprehensive and sustained pilot activities to reduce tobacco use were organized at close to the federally recommended funding level. Significantly smaller reductions were observed in other parts of the state. In the group with the highest use, white non-Hispanic men, cigarette consumption declined by half in the pilot area. It is reasonable to expect similar reductions in tobacco use if funds are provided for statewide expansion of the pilot activities.

Adult↗