East Texas Wellness

Hello, my name is Grant, and I'm a research assistant and student in the UT Health Science Center at Tyler's Masters of Public Health program. Today, I'd like to talk a little bit about some of the biggest public health issues in Texas during the pandemic.

According to a 2021 report from UT Tyler's School of Community and Rural Health, the leading cause of death in the U.S. and Texas, as of 2019, was heart disease. Coronary artery disease is the most common form of this condition, which involves plaque formation in the major arteries and can lead to a heart attack if left untreated.

The pandemic has led to significantly worse outcomes from heart disease and increased mortality from heart disease in the U.S. and around the world in 2020. These worse outcomes have been attributed both to heart inflammation and other complications of the virus itself, as well as decreases in healthcare delivery. Many patients chose not to seek care during the pandemic due to fear of exposure to the virus in hospitals, and many hospitals experienced staff shortages, as well as a lack of rooms and ventilators, due to a massive influx of critically ill COVID patients. All of these factors have increased the burden of heart disease on Texas health systems.

Even though the mortality rates for heart disease in Texas and the U.S. are similar, the mortality rate in the Northeast Texas region is over 30% higher than the national average. However, there are many aspects of heart disease that are easily treatable through lifestyle changes, including lowering the amount of cholesterol in one's diet, avoiding alcohol and tobacco consumption, and increasing physical activity levels. In addition, seeking preventive screenings and getting treated for elevated blood pressure and cholesterol as early as possible are crucial when it comes to minimizing the harmful effects of heart disease.

Another major problem in Texas is mental health, one of the most discussed, yet still underappreciated, public health issues of the last few years. In Texas, the pandemic was especially hard on the folks whose job hours were altered by these unforeseen circumstances. Back in May of 2020, UT Tyler surveys found that Texans who had to work overtime were over twice as likely as those who didn't to suffer from moderate to severe anxiety and depression. Texans with children were at a similarly increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes.

Despite telemedicine and remote office visits showing some promise early in the pandemic, there is still a severe shortage of mental health professionals throughout the nation, especially in Texas. Some of the best ways to protect one's mental health, especially during uncertain circumstances like an outbreak of COVID-19, are reaching out to individuals going through similar circumstances, taking time to practice mindful meditation, and finding videos and other resources online.

Finally, COVID-19 itself has, of course, been a major challenge for Texans since 2020. During the pandemic, COVID-19 has led to the untimely deaths of 93,000 Texans and hospitalized thousands more. Over 6.5 million Texans have been infected with COVID-19.

I've been involved in surveying Texans about their pandemic experiences the last few years, including their response to the COVID vaccine. One thing I found interesting in our research was that reasons for vaccine hesitancy have changed over the course of the pandemic. Six months after the nationwide rollout of the COVID vaccine, most of the Texans who didn't want the vaccine were concerned about possible side effects. In June of 2021, over one-third of the folks who hadn't gotten the vaccine yet in Texas did so because they were worried about side effects.

More recently, in an August 2022 survey, the number of Texans concerned about side effects had fallen considerably to less than 10% of the unvaccinated respondents to the survey. In this survey, unvaccinated Texans were more likely to decline the vaccine because they already had COVID-19 or because they were waiting to see about the vaccine and wanted more research and more proof that it was safe and effective.

Even though infection does provide some temporary antibodies, research suggests that the antibodies produced by the vaccine are more long-lasting and more effective. According to the CDC, individuals who haven't gotten the vaccine yet are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and multiple infections with COVID-19 are becoming more and more common over time.

Also, a lot of folks across Texas, about 22% of unvaccinated Texans as of August 2022, say that they're waiting to see if the vaccine is safe and effective. The vaccine is based on thoroughly tested technology, and teams of researchers across the world have been working tirelessly to ensure the booster doses remain effective against new variants. After two years of worldwide availability of the vaccine, over 99% of the 270 million vaccinated Americans have experienced only mild side effects or none at all.

Yet another big reason for not getting vaccinated in Texas is not having enough information. Research has found that increased health literacy and understanding the science behind the COVID vaccine was correlated with being more likely to take the vaccine. Also, being exposed to misinformation from sources like social media significantly decreases the likelihood that an individual will decide to take the COVID vaccine at all.

Although taking the COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of serious infection and death, the vaccination rate in Texas is only 28th in the nation. Time is of the essence here. As the months go by, the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate, producing variants that have the potential to be deadlier with each mutation. The longer we go with a population that isn't fully vaccinated, the more time the virus has to mutate and spread to more folks who don't have immunity and are at risk of serious complications.

So, if someone you know is still on the fence about the COVID vaccine, don't be afraid to reach out. Let them know how to protect themselves and their families from one of the deadliest viruses in history.

Even though the cluster of simultaneous public health crises unleashed on Texas by the pandemic may look daunting, there are many simple things that we all can do to keep ourselves and each other safe.

Thank you for listening, and have a great day.