Rural Texas Community Research Articles

See Me, Hear Me, Know Me: Perspectives on Diet and Physical Activity Influences among Teens Living in Rural Texas Communities

Teens in rural communities are at greater risk of obesity than teens in urban areas. Diet and physical activity influence obesity risk. Understanding their perspectives is an important step in intervention design. This qualitative investigation explored teen perspectives on how living in a rural community influenced their diet and physical activity choices. Forty parent–teen pairs were recruited. Data collection included surveys and telephone interviews. This paper reports teen perspectives identified in the first interview. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the data. Findings revealed that the primary factor driving teens’ diet and physical activity behaviors was the teens themselves. They clearly understood their role in the choices they made, although they acknowledged not always making the healthiest choice. This belief was driven by their motivation to engage in healthy behaviors, which was influenced by the perceived benefits derived from making healthy choices and from the synergistic relationship between diet and physical activity. Diet and physical activity, in turn, were influenced by the environment, particularly the home, social, and community environments. Family and friends were particularly influential, as well as resource availability. These findings can serve as a foundation for designing interventions tailored to this population.

Mental Health, Chronic Disease, and Substance Use: Findings From Rural Texas

There are vital links among mental health conditions, chronic diseases, and substance use disorders. Simultaneous examination of the relationship among these three conditions is essential for providing well-integrated care to rural residents who have limited resources and for representing medically underserved areas. We aimed to assess the burden of behavioral health conditions and chronic diseases from a rural Texas community to garner context-specific insights and inform effective health promotion strategies in similar communities. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 181 residents from various zip codes in a rural Texas county. A self-administered, 18-item health-needs questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Of the total participants, 30.0% reported mental health conditions, 16.0% reported substance use disorders, and 44.2% reported having at least one type of chronic disease. Overall, mental health conditions were associated with substance use disorders [OR: 1.58 (95% CI: 0.73–2.42)] and chronic disease [OR: 1.07 (95% CI: 0.39–1.75)], but no associations were observed between substance use and chronic disease [OR: 0.62 (95% CI: -0.20–1.43)]. The economic and accessibility barriers that rural residents commonly face call attention to the need for integrated care that combines primary care and behavioral health services.

Culture\u2019s influence on social network vulnerabilities for ethnic minorities in rural disaster events

This paper aims to explain survey findings regarding disaster recovery processes among ethnic groups in a rural Texas community. The research was conducted over a 4-year period with most of the survey data collected over the summer of 2004. The research was descriptive in nature, attempting to document processes and sources of recovery aid acquisition following a natural disaster, and viewed through the lens of cultural and ethnic literature regarding minorities and disaster recovery processes. The difficulty in explaining research findings comes from the fact that data was collected at the household level, yet the explanations which best elucidate the findings are derived from a different level of analysis than that of the survey. The variation in aid acquisition between ethnic groups is best understood as a manifestation of community cultural norms, which implies both individual, cognitive norms, as well as social norms. Ethnic literature focused on minorities in disaster situations, excerpts from qualitative data, and personal observations are used to support the interpretation of the data presented herein pointing to cultural flexibility in recovery processes, which are stifled by institutional barriers hampering recovery efficiencies.

Impact of a pilot pharmacy health-care professional out-of-school time physical activity and nutrition education program with exercise on fourth and fifth graders in a rural Texas community.

Objectives:Childhood obesity continues to be a problem. Children in rural populations are more likely to be overweight or obese and a lack of resources in those areas may contribute to this problem. We aimed to assess the impact of a pilot pharmacy health-care professional out-of-school time vigorous physical activity and nutrition education program on fourth and fifth graders in a rural Texas community.Methods:We conducted a prospective 12-week cohort study from August to November 2012. Thirty-three children, aged 8–11 years, in Bailey County, Texas, were enrolled in the study. Body mass index, body mass index percentile, blood pressure, waist circumference, and a diet preferences and activities knowledge survey were obtained at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Study participants completed a twice weekly physical activity and nutrition education program with exercise over weeks 1–4 with no intervention during weeks 5–12.Results:Thirty-one (94%) of the 33 children, predominately Hispanic girls, completed the program. Body mass index (−0.30 (95% confidence interval, −0.44 to −0.17); P = <0.0001), body mass index percentile (−2.75 (95% confidence interval, −4.89 to −0.62); P = 0.0026), systolic blood pressure (−1.9 (95% confidence interval, −2.9 to −0.9); P = <0.0001), and waist circumference (−0.47 (95% confidence interval, −0.85 to −0.10); P = <0.0001) mean change decreased between baseline and week 12 with no intervention for 8 weeks. Positive survey results at 3 months indicated a decrease in fried/sweet foods; increase in exercise; decreases in video games and computer use; and a change in knowledge regarding the selection of the most healthy food group servings per day.Conclusion:In this pharmacy health-care directed pilot study, participants had a reduction of body mass index, body mass index percentile, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, and improvement in certain survey results at the end of 12 weeks despite no further intervention after 4 weeks.

Use of Technology to Increase Access to Mental Health Services in a Rural Texas Community

The Leon County Health Resource Commission sought to increase access to mental health services for their rural community. The commission formed a network of partners who collaborated to increase free transportation to mental health services outside the community and developed a telehealth-based counseling program through a counseling psychology training program. Learning opportunities emerged during the development and implementation of these activities for both the students and the community in how to successfully utilize and sustain this service. This article describes the telehealth counseling model, presents lessons learned in the process, and presents recommendations for others interested in utilizing similar strategies.

An Attachment Based Approach to Child Custody Evaluation: A Case Study

This child custody consultation, conducted in a rural Texas community, addressed the immediate placement needs of a 5-year-old female, Jamie. The child had been in foster care for 1 year, and her biological mother was seeking reinstatement of full custody. During supervised visitation sessions, Jamie displayed behaviors that are associated with a disorganized attachment style and/or seizure activity, while the mother exhibited behaviors indicative of an insecure attachment style and the inability to be emotionally available to her child. The Adult Attachment Inventory was administered to the mother as a measure of attachment while Jamie was tested for neurotransmitter activity at baseline and immediately after visitation. The results of these objective measures are presented and the implications for their use in child custody cases are discussed.

Determinants of genocide fear in a rural Texas community: a research note.

Data were collected via a questionnaire administered to females 15-44 years of age and their most significant male partner from a 7% stratified random sample in Waller County, Texas. Analysis revealed that five independent variables combined explained 19% of the variance in race genocide fear (R2 = .19; p less than .01). The most important predictors of genocide fear were sex (Beta = .33; p less than .001) and education (Beta = .14; p less than .01).

Impact of Industrialization on Employee Income Distribution in Rural Texas Communities

A basis of concern for rural development has been lagging economic growth in rural communities. Many rural areas have long been faced with the dilemma of low income, inadequate or expensive community services, net out-migration and high dependency rates. Numerous programs have been enacted over the years to alleviate these problems. A recent program, the Rural Development Act of 1972, interprets the main objective of rural development as encouraging and speeding economic growth in rural areas providing for jobs, improving quality of rural life, and doing so on a self-earned, self-sustaining basis. One chief component of all these programs has been promoting industry location in rural communities.

Costs of Solid Waste Management in Rural Texas Communities

Nationally, expenditures for solid waste collection and disposal are exceeded only by spending on schools and roads [3, p. 1]. In Texas, recent legislation which establishes minimum acceptable standards for disposal of municipal solid wastes materially affects the future costs of operating solid Waste management systems for smaller rural communities.The 1969 amendment to the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act establishes the minimum legal standards for disposal operations in rural communities. The State Department of Health was given the responsibility for enforcement of regulations involving the collection, handling, storage and disposal of municipal solid wastes. After January 1, 1973, data presented in support of the disposal operations in Texas communities larger than fifteen hundred people must be prepared by a registered professional engineer and submitted to the State Department of Health for approval. Under the auspices of this act all towns with a population of between three thousand and five thousand are required to operate a sanitary landfill with compaction and cover at least twice per week.