No local birth sex ratio changes following the August 2019 shootings in Montgomery county, Ohio and in El Paso county, Texas

Objective In humans, males are born slightly in excess of females. Many factors have been shown to affect this ratio, including stressful events such as terrorist attacks. Two shootings in 2019 occurred in early August 2019 in the United States: in the Oregon District in Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio and in El Paso county, Texas. This study was carried out in order to identify whether there were any effects on sex ratio at birth at state or county level 3-5 months later. Subject and Methods Births by sex, month of birth (2015-2019) and county were obtained for Ohio and Texas from the website of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ordinary linear logistic regression was used to assess the time trend in the probability of boys and to investigate changes in the trend functions. Poisson regression (SAS GENMOD) and linear logistic regression using SAS procedure LOGISTIC was applied. Results This study analysed 2,623,714 live births, 1,939,938 in Texas (sex odds (SO) 1.044) and 683,776 in Ohio (SO 1.045). The only significant effect noted was seasonality (month) at the state level. Conclusion It has been postulated that male foetal loss in pregnant women during stressful periods may occur in accordance with the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis. Several studies have found significant effects after terrorist attacks in the United States (as well as in other countries) but this study failed to do so. This may be due to several reasons including underpowered datasets and the possibility that populations may be becoming relatively immured to these events.

Surveillance of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Triatomine vectors, feral dogs and cats, and wild animals in and around El Paso county, Texas, and New Mexico

The causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted by triatomine vectors. The insect is endemic in the Americas, including the United States, where epidemiological studies are limited, particularly in the Southwestern region. Here, we have determined the prevalence of T. cruzi in triatomines, and feral cats and dogs, and wild animals, the infecting parasite genotypes and the mammalian host bloodmeal sources of the triatomines at four different geographical sites in the U.S.-Mexico border, including El Paso County, Texas, and nearby cities in New Mexico. Using qualitative polymerase chain reaction to detect T. cruzi infections, we found 66.4% (n = 225) of triatomines, 45.3% (n = 95) of feral dogs, 39.2% (n = 24) of feral cats, and 71.4% (n = 7) of wild animals positive for T. cruzi. Over 95% of T. cruzi genotypes or discrete typing units (DTUs) identified were TcI and some TcIV. Furthermore, Triatoma rubida was the triatomine species most frequently (98.2%) collected in all samples analyzed. These findings suggest a high prevalence of T. cruzi infections among triatomines, and feral and wild animals in the studied sites. Therefore, our results underscore the urgent need for implementation of a systematic epidemiological surveillance program for T. cruzi infections in insect vectors, and feral and wild animals, and Chagas disease in the human population in the southwestern region of the United States.

Using Electronic Medical Record Data to Better Understand Obesity in Hispanic Neighborhoods in El Paso, Texas

The prevalence of obesity has been persistent amongst Hispanics over the last 20 years. Socioeconomic inequities have led to delayed diagnosis and treatment of chronic medical conditions related to obesity. Factors contributing include lack of insurance and insufficient health education. It is well-documented that obesity amongst Hispanics is higher in comparison to non-Hispanics, but it is not well-understood how the socioeconomic context along with Hispanic ethnic concentration impact the prevalence of obesity within a community. Specifically studying obesity within Hispanic dominant regions of the United States, along the Texas–Mexico border will aid in understanding this relationship. El Paso, Texas is predominantly Mexican-origin Hispanic, making up 83% of the county’s total population. Through the use of electronic medical records, BMI averages along with obesity prevalence were analyzed for 161 census tracts in the El Paso County. Geographic weighted regression and Hot Spot technology were used to analyze the data. This study did identify a positive association between Hispanic ethnic concentration and obesity prevalence within the El Paso County. Median income did have a direct effect on obesity prevalence while evidence demonstrates that higher education is protective for health.

Abstract P103: Tobacco-21 Policy Implementation In A Texas Community: Utilizing Interorganizational Network Analysis To Evaluate Tobacco Coalition Dynamics

Introduction: In El Paso County, TX, a local tobacco coalition is working in partnership with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Heart Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program to focus efforts on aligning local activities with the new, statewide Tobacco-21 policy. As coalitions have been on the forefront of spearheading policy implementation efforts, understanding and quantifying coalition dynamics is necessary to increase collaboration and leverage resources. The purpose of this study is to highlight the findings of a baseline Interorganizational Network (ION) analysis of a tobacco coalition in El Paso County, TX in order to determine current levels of collaboration between organizations and strength of relationships. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that by using ION analysis, we can characterize relationships between organizations, identify organizations that are working in silos, and leverage ties between organizations to implement new, tobacco control initiatives that support the Tobacco-21 policy. Methods: Evaluators from Texas A&M University worked in conjunction with the AHA to conduct an ION survey that assessed information sharing and joint planning of organizations involved in the tobacco coalition (n=18). Using UCINET© network analysis software, density and centrality scores at the network-level were calculated. Network diagrams were then developed to depict relationships among partners using Gephi© visualization software. Results: Network collaboration related to information sharing had a network density score of 0.340 (SD=0.474) while joint planning had a network density score of 0.297 (SD=0.457). The centralization index for information sharing was 0.055 and 0.0729 for joint planning with the coalition as the most central for both domains. Conclusion: This study shows how determination of organizational relationships within a coalition can be leveraged for strategic planning. Density measures were useful to understand the connectedness of the network, and centrality measures at the network-level were helpful in determining network structure. In conclusion, results from this study informed program implementers on how to better foster collaboration among organizations. Subsequent iterations of the survey will allow for documentation of changes in the strength of relationships over the project period.