Texas A&M’s Border Environmental Health Coordination Program

A program of the School of Rural Public Health at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center

The School of Rural Public Health at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center is conducting a project to investigate childhood exposure to pesticides in rural Texas colonias.  In addition, a promotoras-led health education intervention has been developed and is being tested as an intervention method to reduce exposures. 

The initial phase of the program has been completed.  Promotoras have administered a questionnaire regarding pesticide usage and a visual assessment of pesticide use in the home to each of 90 families.  Three rounds of exposure studies have been completed in two communities in Hidalgo and Webb Counties.  Three separate urine samples have been collected from 90 children between the ages of 2 and 6 years.  Concentrations of organophosphate pesticide metabolites and pyrethroids will be measured in the urine samples.   These data provide information on levels of exposure to these pesticides over a six week period during the months of April and May.

The next stage of the program delivers information on home safety to individual families in each of the colonias.  To determine the utility of health education, 45 families will receive the health education module, and 45 families will only be administered a test of knowledge and will serve as controls.  Then, a second inventory of pesticide usage and exposure measurement will be obtained.  The goal of this program is to determine the utility of promotoras-led environmental health education as an intervention method in rural Texas border colonias.

The health education component of the program is a module on "Home Safety".  The module consists of a flip-chart, approximately 90 slides. The material on the slides includes an overview of house safety, causes of injury to children in the house, and a more detailed presentation on pesticide use and storage.  A health educator (in this case a promotora) delivers the module during a house visit.  The promotora shows one side of the chart to the family, while reading the side facing the promotora.  Most modules take approximately 45 minutes to deliver, after which the promotoras discuss the material with the families.  A pre- and post-test of knowledge is also included to determine the utility of the modules.

For more information on the Border Environmental Health Coordination Program contact Michelle Bosenbark at kmbosenbark@srph.tamhsc.edu