Opportunities and Rationale for Asian American Representation in 4th Grade Social Studies TEKS

As retired United States Air Force Major Arthur D. Jacob (n.d.) notes, “Their story must not be forgotten. It deserves to be told. To date, it remains shrouded in history.” As educators, we have the power to change that for our students and help them see themselves in the curriculum. In this paper, the researchers completed a structured vignette analysis to position themselves as they analyzed the 4th grade social studies TEKS for opportunities to combat the hegemonic narrative. We reviewed the TEKS to look for standards that allowed for countering this narrative and emerged with a practitioner plan for implementation that addresses the silenced narrative of Crystal City Japanese Internment Camp in Texas

A Community-Academic Partnership to Improve Access to Healthy Foods in Low-Income Communities

Purpose: Access to healthy foods is often limited in low-income communities and prevents the adoption of a healthy diet needed to meet national dietary recommendations, reduce chronic disease, and prevent obesity. The Healthy Harvest Community Gardening Partnership is a community-based participatory research program between faith-based organizations, academic institutions, local philanthropy, and other non-profit institutions, created in 2009 for improving access to healthy foods and quality of life through a community garden network. Methods: Healthy Harvest uses a social ecological framework combining individual, interpersonal, and community level influences into a single program, and employs a train-the-trainer approach for providing expertise in gardening and community-capacity building to low-income, predominately African American communities. Results: To date, garden sites have been constructed at 4 churches (average church size N=353, 98% African American) and one school (287 students, 98% African American) in an inner city, low-income community. Liaisons from each garden site have attended six monthly trainings on gardening and community-capacity building. Monthly evaluations of gardening activity indicate that a total of 139 individual garden plots have been constructed of which 101 show signs of use, 79 have visible plants, 31 have visible produce of which approximately 300 lbs have been donated to local food pantries. A total of 53 community garden volunteer workdays have been conducted with over 90 volunteers participating in garden maintenance and community outreach. Initial data demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for increasing access to fruits and vegetables in low-income communities. Qualitative data is being collected to evaluate the effect of Healthy Harvest on lifestyle (physical activity and diet) and social (perceptions of neighborhood, feelings of connectedness) variables. Furthermore, Healthy Harvest plans to develop a system for distributing produce, therefore providing access to healthy foods on a broader scale. Conclusions: Overall, this novel community-academic partnership has demonstrated initial feasibility to improve access to healthy foods in low-income communities and could provide a model for other communities to prevent obesity

Care Coordination as Part of the Discharge Plan to Support Community Reintegration of Individuals with Stroke Living in Appalachian Rural Communities

Studies indicate a high incidence of readmission within the first 12 months post-discharge home following stroke. In addition, there is a limited awareness of healthcare services, community resources, and lack of access to information in rural communities. Previous work from our group has demonstrated the need for community-based navigational support during community reintegration for survivors of stroke. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of providing community health navigation to facilitate continued communications with healthcare providers and linkages to services and community resources for survivors of stroke in Appalachian rural communities

A Pilot Study of the Effects of a Tailored Web-Based Intervention on Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Intake in African American Families

Background: The current study examined the effects of a Web-based tailored parenting intervention on increasing fruit and vegetable intake in African American families. Methods: Forty-seven African American parents (mean age, 41.32±7.30; 93.6% female) with an adolescent (mean age, 13.32±1.46; 59.6% female) participated in a Web-based autonomy-support parenting tailored intervention session to increase both parent and youth fruit and vegetable (F a Web-based information phase, and a goal-setting and action plan phase. Self-reported measures of parenting skills [based on autonomy (choice), support, and communication] and FandV intake (assessed as average daily intake) were assessed at baseline and at a 1-week follow-up session. Results: There was a significant increase in parents' self-reports of daily fruit intake from pretest to the 1-week follow-up. Parent and adolescent combined FandV intake also significantly increased from pretest to 1-week follow-up. Overall, parents reported that the program was easy to navigate and that they enjoyed participating in the Web-based online program. Conclusions: Current findings provide preliminary support for an autonomy-support parent tailored Web-based program for improving dietary intake in African American families.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140334/1/chi.2013.0070.pd

Care Coordination for Community Transitions for Individuals Post-Stroke Returning to Low-Resource Rural Communities

High rates of hospital readmissions have been shown within 12 months post-discharge from inpatient rehabilitation following stroke. Multiple studies coupled with our previous work indicate a need for care support for stroke survivors’ transitions to the community. The Kentucky Care Coordination for Community Transitions (KC3T) program was developed to provide access to medical, social, and environmental services to support community transitions for individuals with neurological conditions and their caregivers living in Kentucky. This program assessment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using a specially trained community health worker to support community transitions. Thirty acute stroke survivors were enrolled in this program between July 2015 and May 2016. Data collection included: incidence of comorbidities; access to healthcare, insurance, medical equipment (DME), and medications; type of follow-up education provided; and number of 30-day rehospitalizations and Emergency Department (ED) visits. Participants required navigation in their home and community transition with support in: patient-provider communication; insurance support; accessing follow-up care; education on managing chronic health conditions, the stroke process, transfers and mobility; and accessing DME and essential medications. There were no 30-day ED visits for the KC3T participants and only one 30-day hospital readmission, which was not stroke-related. Individuals returning to rural communities following a stroke require, but often don’t receive, follow-up education on chronic disease management, support in navigating the healthcare system and accessing essential resources. KC3T’s navigator program appears to be effective in supporting the community transitions of individuals poststroke

Losartan improves exercise tolerance in patients with diastolic dysfunction and a hypertensive response to exercise

AbstractOBJECTIVESThe aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that angiotensin II (Ang II) blockade would improve exercise tolerance in patients with diastolic dysfunction and a marked increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during exercise.BACKGROUNDDiastolic dysfunction may be exacerbated during exercise, especially if there is a marked increase in SBP. Angiotensin II may contribute to the hypertensive response to exercise and impair diastolic performance.METHODSWe performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of two weeks of losartan (50 mg q.d.) on exercise tolerance and quality of life. The subjects were 20 patients, mean age 64 ± 10 years with normal left ventricular systolic function (EF >50%), no ischemia on stress echocardiogram, mitral flow velocity E/A <1, normal resting SBP (<150 mm Hg), and a hypertensive response to exercise (SBP >200 mm Hg). Exercise echocardiograms (Modified Bruce Protocol) and the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure questionnaire were administered at baseline, and after each two-week treatment period, separated by a two-week washout period.RESULTSResting blood pressure (BP) was unaltered by placebo or losartan. During control, patients were able to exercise for 11.3 ± 2.5 (mean ± SD) min, with a peak exercise SBP of 226 ± 24 mm Hg. After two weeks of losartan, baseline BP was unaltered, but peak SBP during exercise decreased to 193 ± 27 mm Hg (p < 0.05 vs. baseline and placebo), and exercise time increased to 12.3 ± 2.6 min (p < 0.05 vs. baseline and placebo). With placebo, there was no improvement in exercise duration (11.0 ± 2.0 min) or peak exercise SBP (217 ± 26 mm Hg). Quality of life improved with losartan (18 ± 22, p < 0.05) compared to placebo (22 ± 26).CONCLUSIONSIn patients with Doppler evidence of diastolic dysfunction at rest and a hypertensive response to exercise, Ang II receptor blockade blunts the hypertensive response to exercise, increases exercise tolerance and improves quality of life