College of Health Sciences
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Item Examining the association between acculturation indicators and metabolic syndrome among Hispanic adults(11/4/2019) Quezada, Alejandra; Massey-Stokes, MarilynThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between acculturation indicators and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Hispanic adults living in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas. MetS is a pressing public health problem, and Hispanics have the highest prevalence among all ethnic groups in the United States (35.4%). MetS is a cluster of five risk factors (blood pressure, waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides) that increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Currently, Hispanics are the second-largest ethnic group in the United States, and more than one-third of the U.S. Hispanic population is foreign-born. As immigrants and subsequent generations are exposed to the mainstream U.S. culture, the process of acculturation impacts their lifestyle behaviors and health. Acculturation indicators (nativity, duration in the United States, and scores from the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics) and the five MetS markers were assessed among 128 adult participants. Logistic regression modeling was conducted to predict MetS status (present/not present) by acculturation indicators and covariates (sex, age, and education). Additional analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between each individual MetS marker, acculturation indicators, and the identified covariates. For every one-unit increase in a participant’s duration in the United States (measured in years), the likelihood of having abnormal blood pressure increased by 6% and the likelihood of having abnormal blood glucose increased by 5%. Results indicate increasing exposure to the mainstream American culture negatively impacts health risks and status among Hispanics. The primary treatment for MetS is lifestyle modification that includes regular physical activity, healthy eating, and weight loss. Health care providers can aid in reducing MetS prevalence by raising awareness of the condition and associated risk factors among their patients as well as recommending lifestyle modification to reduce their risk. Study results can aid health educators in planning, implementing, and evaluating health communication campaigns and health education/promotion programs to prevent MetS among Hispanics. Further examination of what changes occur in health behaviors that increase risk of MetS would provide further insight into why duration in the United States is associated with elevated blood pressure and elevated fasting blood glucose levels.Item Effect of tryptophan catabolites on the development of heat resistance in Bacillus cereus spores(Faculty Press, Cambridge, 1970) Prasad, Chandan; Srinivasan, V.R.Ethyloxamate and nicotinamide inhibited the development of heat resistance and the biosynthesis of pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (dipicolinic acid) in Bacillus cereus spores. Addition of quinaldic acid or hydroxyanthranilic acid to an ethyloxamate-grown culture resulted in an increase in the number of heat resistant spores. Nicotinamide induced heat sensitivity could be reversed to different degrees by the addition of kynurenine or xanthurenic acid. Explanations which may account for these observations are presented.Item Initiation by methionine of mouse immunoglobulin light chain containing NH-2terminal pyroglutamic acid(Elsevier, 1975) Prasad, Chandan; Peterkofsky, A.The mechanism of biosynthesis of NH2-terminal pyroglutamic acid has been studied in a mouse plasmacytoma (RPC-20) which produces an immunoglobulin light (lambda) chain containing NH2-terminal pyroglutamic acid. To this end, initation of lambda chain synthesis in plasmacytoma cell suspensions has been investigated. The analysis of radioactive lambda chain synthesis by these cells was accomplished with an antibody preparation specific for the precipitation of lambda chain protein from total plasmacytoma protein. NH2-terminal analysis of plasmacytoma cells labeled with [35S]methionine showed that the ratio of radioactivity in NH2-terminal methionine to total incorporation in lambda chain was greater at 2 min of labeling than at 60 min. However, such a pattern of transient labeling of the NH2 terminus of the lambda chain was not obtained when cells were incubated with tritiated leucine, arginine, or tryptophan. The data indicate that methionine is the initiator amino acid for the synthesis of lambda chain containing NH2-terminal pyroglutamic acid.Item Involvement of the glucose enzymes II of the sugar phosphotransferase system in the regulation of adenylate cyclase by glucose in escherichia coli(Elsevier, 1976) Harwood, J.P.; Gazdar, C.; Prasad, Chandan; Peterkofsky, A.; Curtis, S.J.; Epstein, W.The nature of the interaction of glucose with toluene-treated cells of Escherichia coli leading to inhibition of adenylate cyclase was examined by the use of analogues. Those analogues with variations of the substituents about carbon atoms 1 or 2 (e.g. alpha-methylglucoside or 2-deoxyglucose) are inhibitory, and they are also substrates of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system. Analogues with changes in other parts of the molecule (e.g. 3-O-methylglucose or galactose), L-glucose and several disaccharides and pentoses, do not inhibit adenylate cyclase and are not substrates of the phosphotransferase system. This correlation suggests some functional relationship between the adenylate cyclase and phosphotransferase systems. Further studies were done with mutants defective in glucose enzymes II of the phosphotransferase system (designated GPT and MPT); these two activities are measured by phosphorylation of alpha-methyl-glucoside and 2-deoxyglucose, respectively. The wild-type parent phosphorylates both analogues, and both inhibit adenylate cyclase. In the GPT- mutant, alpha-methylglucoside does not inhibit adenylate cyclase and is not phosphorylated, while 2-deoxyglucose is inhibitory and phosphorylated. In the GPT- MPT- double mutant, adenylate cyclase activity is present, but neither alpha-methylglucoside nor 2-deoxyglucose inhibits adenylate cyclase, and neither sugar is phosphorylated. These studies demonstrate that glucose inhibition of adenylate cyclase in toluene-treated cells requires an interaction of this sugar with either the GPT or mpt enzyme II of the phosphotransferase system.Item Demonstration of pyroglutamylpeptidase and amidase activities toward thyrotropin-releasing hormone in hamster hypothalamus extracts(Elsevier, 1976) Prasad, Chandan; Peterkofsky, A.Using a radioimmunoassay method for thyrotropin-releasing hormone, the presence of thyrotropin-releasing hormone-metabolizing activity in various hamster tissues was demonstrated. While there was substantial activity degrading thyrotropin-releasing hormone in hypothalamus, there was a notable absence of such activity in pituitary. The enzymatic activity in the hypothalamus was shown to be soluble and separable into two fractions. Analysis of the metabolic products formed by the two enzymes indicated that one possessed an amidase activity (less than Glu-His-Pro-NH2 leads to less than Glu-His-Pro) and the other possessed pyroglutamylpeptidase activity (less than Glu-His-Pro-NH2 leads to less than Glu+His-Pro-NH2). Other peptides containing NH2-terminal pyroglutamic acid or COOH-terminal amide groups did not block the hydrolysis of thyrotropin-releasing hormone, suggesting that the enzymes were specific. Some inhibitors preferentially blocked the activity of one or the other enzymes. Of possible biological significance is the observation that thyroid-stimulating hormone inhibited the amidase activity while hydrocortisone inhibited the pyroglutamylpeptidase activity.Item Metabolism of thyrotropin releasing hormone in brain extracts. isolation and characterization of an imidopeptidase for histidylprolineamide(Elsevier, 1979) Matsui, T.; Prasad, C.; Peterkofsky, A.An extract of porcine brain acetone powder incubated with thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH; pGlu-His-ProNH2) produces acid TRH (pGlu-His-Pro), histidine, and prolineamide. Fractionation of the brain extract by DEAE-cellulose chromatography produces three protein fractions which metabolize TRH. The activity of these fractions was characterized using TRH with a 3H-label on the histidine or proline as well as [His-3H]His-ProNH2. Fraction I contains pyroglutamate aminopeptidase and Fraction II contains TRH deamidase. Fraction III was found to contain a previously unrecognized enzyme which cleaves His-ProNH2 to histidine and proline. The histidylprolineamide imidopeptidase has been characterized. A competition study using a variety of compounds containing histidine or proline suggests that the best substrates for the imidopeptidase contain a free alpha-amino group on histidine and a blocked carboxyl group on proline, as is found in His-ProNH2. A survey of a variety of polypeptide hormones indicates that many of them inhibit the imidopeptidase activity. A kinetic study of the inhibition of the enzyme by adrenocorticotropic hormone (1-24) shows that the inhibition by polypeptide hormones is noncompetitive. We hypothesize that pituitary hormones may stimulate the production of (cyclo)-His-Pro by inhibiting alternate routes of TRH metabolism.Item The subcellular and organ distribution and natural form of histidyl-proline diketopiperazine in rat brain determined by a specific radioimmunoassay(Elsevier, 1980) Yanagisawa, T.; Prasad, Chandan; Peterkofsky, A.Histidyl-proline diketopiperazine is produced in brain as a product of the metabolism of thyrotropin-releasing hormone. A number of the previously observed central nervous system and pituitary activities resulting from an exposure to thyrotropin-releasing hormone appear to involve the conversion of the releasing factor to the cyclic dipeptide. In the present study, the development of a rabbit antiserum that is highly specific for histidyl-proline diketopiperazine is described; the antiserum has essentially no capability to bind thyrotropin-releasing hormone or a number of other related peptides. The antibody can also distinguish between the natural form of the cyclic dipeptide and a diastereomer containing D-proline. A procedure for extraction, with high yield, of histidyl-proline diketopiperazine from brain is described. With the aid of the specific antiserum it was found that the preponderance of the cyclic dipeptide in rat brain is bound to high molecular weight material, mainly in the range of Mr = 70,000; histidyl-proline diketopiperazine can be disassociated from this material by boiling in salt/methanol solution. The concentration of the dipeptide in rat brain is in the range of 275 to 565 pmol/brain, approximately 2.5 times the concentrations determined for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (113 to 210 pmol/brain). A study of the subcellular distribution of histidyl-proline diketopiperazine and thyrotropin-releasing hormone suggests that the releasing factor is concentrated in synaptosomal vesicles while the diketopiperazine is not. A determination of the regional distribution of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and histidyl-proline diketopiperazine indicated that both peptides are found in highest concentrations in pituitary and hypothalamus, but are detectable in other areas of brain as well.Item Synthesis of phosphatidylcholine from phosphatidylethanolamine by at least two methyltransferases in rat pituitary extracts(Elsevier, 1981) Prasad, Chandan; Edwards, R.M.Rat pituitary extracts contain at least two methyltransferases that methylate phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine using S-adenosylmethionine as the methyl donor. The first enzyme methylates phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine and has a high Km (40-42 microM) for S-adenosylmethionine, whereas the second enzyme(s) catalyzes two successive methylations of phosphatidyl-N-monomethylethanolamine to phosphatidyl-N,N-dimethylethanolamine and then to phosphatidylcholine and has a low Km (6.7 microM) for S-adenyl-L-methionine. The first enzyme is loosely bound to the membrane fraction; therefore it appears in both particulate (20,000 X g) and supernatant (20,000 X g) fractions, whereas the second enzyme(s) is tightly bound to the membrane and thus appears only in the particulate fraction. Both methyltransferases have two pH optima of 6.5 and 9.5 (9.5 activity greater than 6.5 activity) and they do not require Mg2+.Item Eccentric/concentric torque deficits in the quadriceps muscle(The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®, Inc. (JOSPT®), 1989-10-01) Trudelle-Jackson, Elaine; Meske, Neil; Highgenboten, Carl; Jackson, AllenThe purpose of the present investigation was to estimate the percentage of asymptomatic subjects who demonstrate an eccentric/concentric torque deficit in leg extension. One hundred and five subjects with a mean age of 23.51 were tested on the KIN-COM® dynamometer for maximum eccentric and concentric torque during leg extension using an 80° range of motion at 50°/sec velocity. The subjects were categorized as demonstrating a deficit if at any point in the range of motion the eccentric torque was 85% or less of the corresponding concentric torque. The results revealed that 35–54% of the subjects, depending upon sex or leg tested, demonstrated a deficit. These results suggest that many asymptomatic individuals possess an eccentric/concentric torque deficit. These findings question the validity of previous clinical research indicating that patients with anterior knee pain tend to possess an eccentric/concentric torque deficit and that correction of the deficit alleviates the pain.Item Lower extremity muscular flexibility in long distance runners(The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®, Inc. (JOSPT®), 1993-02-01) Wang, Sharon; Whitney, Susan; Burdett, Ray; Janosky, JanineMuscle tightness is often considered to be a predisposing factor in muscle injuries. The purpose of this study was to assess the muscle flexibility of the hamstrings, rectus femoris, iliopsoas, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles in long distance runners. Range of motion measurements of five movements, including hip flexion with knee extended, hip extension with knee flexed, hip extension with knee extended, ankle dorsiflexion with knee extended, and ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexed, were evaluated to determine muscle tightness. Twenty runners and 20 nonrunners volunteered for the study. Each group consisted of 10 males and 10 females. The observed means were compared between runners and nonrunners, males and females, plus the dominant and nondominant leg using a three-way analysis of variance. The runners were found to have tighter hamstrings (p < .05), and soleus (p < .05) muscles than nonrunners. There was no significant difference in rectus femoris and iliopsoas muscle tightness in runners compared with nonrunners. In addition, the males had tighter hamstring muscles than the females in both runners and nonrunners (p < .05). The hamstring muscles of the dominant leg were tighter than the hamstrings of the nondominant leg in all subjects (p < .05). In conclusion, long distance runners appear to have posterior muscle tightnesc in the lower extremity.Item Interdevice reliability and validity assessment of the Nicholas Hand-Held Dynamometer(The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®, Inc. (JOSPT®), 1994-12-01) Trudelle-Jackson, Elaine; Jackson, Allen; Frankowski, Carolyn; Long, Kara; Meske, NeilThe Nicholas Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD) has been shown to have excellent interday and intraday reliability when using the same HHD. Since clinics may haw more than one HHD with which to evaluate patients, it would be of value to know if two identical HHDs measure the same variable consistently. The purpose of this investigation was to assess interdevice reliability of the Nicholas HHD as well as to determine its validity. Thirty healthy female subjects between the ages of 20 and 56 years () were tested for hamstring strength. Three measurements of maximum hamstring contractions were obtained using the first HHD (Device A). The average of these three measurements was compared with the average of three measurements obtained after a brief rest using a second HHD (Device B). Measurements from the two HHDs were also compared with measurements obtained from a Kin-Com isokinetic dynamometer. The Kin-Com measurements were used as criteria to determine validity of the HHD. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) calculated to determine reliability between the two HHDs was low (ICC = .58). Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated between the Kin-Com and each of the two HHDs. These values were .85 and .83 for Device A and B, respectively. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference between the Kin-Com and Device A but a significant difference between the Kin-Com and Device B(p < .001). Measurements obtained from two identical HHDs may be significantly different and should not be compared.Item Food, mood and health: A neurobiologic outlook(Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica (ABDC), 1998) Prasad, ChandanHippocrates was the first to suggest the healing power of food; however, it was not until the medieval ages that food was considered a tool to modify temperament and mood, although scientific methods as we know them today were not in use at the time. Modern scientific methods in neuroscience began to emerge much later, leading investigators to examine the role of diet in health, including mental well-being, with greater precision. This review shows how short- and long-term forced dietary interventions bring about changes in brain structure, chemistry, and physiology, leading to altered animal behavior. Examples will be presented to show how diets alter brain chemistry, behavior, and the action of neuroactive drugs. Most humans and most animal species examined in a controlled setting exhibit a fairly reproducible pattern of what and how they eat. Recent data suggest that these patterns may be under the neurochemical and hormonal control of the organisms themselves. Other data show that in many instances food may be used unconsciously to regulate mood by seemingly normal subjects as well as those undergoing drug withdrawal or experiencing seasonal affective disorders and obesity-related social withdrawal. We will discuss specific examples that illustrate that manipulation of dietary preference is actually an attempt to correct neurochemical make-up.Item Using the Adaptive Navigation support technique of link hiding in an educational hypermedia system: An experimental study(Proquest, 1999-05-15) Mann, Mark DavidThis study was conducted to provide new knowledge about adaptive hypermedia systems (AHMS) and the adaptive navigation support technique of link hiding. AHMS have been shown to increase efficiency in time required to work through a series of tasks, and to minimize wandering through an information space. Specific objectives of this research were to identify (a) the significance of the AHMS and the navigation support technique of link hiding to improve posttest performance on the hypertext markup language competency examination (HTMLCE) which measures student proficiency in the hypertext markup language (HTML), and (b) to identify the extent of the significant differences in means between control and experimental groups who participated in differing learning environments in a series of lessons on the subject of HTML.Item The effect of the McConnell shoulder taping technique on people with anterior shoulder pain(1999-12) Wang-Price, Sharon; Olson, Sharon; Hanten, William; Etnyre, BruceThis study was to investigate the effect of the McConnell shoulder taping in people with anterior shoulder pain. There were two phases in this study. In phase one, the purposes were to determine the immediate effect of the taping on (1) activity of the upper and lower trapezius and the infraspinatus muscles during shoulder scaption; (2) pain level during shoulder scaption and (3) range of shoulder scaption. (ROM). In phase two, the purposes were to determine the effect of a six-week course of the taping combined with an exercise program as compared to the effect of an exercise program only on (1) ROM and (2) pain level and functional status. In phase one, twenty-three subjects and twenty-four shoulders were accepted for the study. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to detect muscle activity. A standard goniometer was used to determine ROM and a visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure pain level. The EMG data, ROM measurements and VAS pain scores were collected from each subject under the taping and no taping conditions on the same day. Results revealed no difference in EMG data between the two conditions. Results showed improved VAS pain scores and ROM with the taping condition. In phase two, twenty-three subjects and twenty-four shoulders were accepted for the study. The Shoulder Pain And Disability Index (SPADI) was used to determine subjects' pain level and functional status. Twelve subjects in the exercise only group performed a specific exercise program for six weeks. Twelve subjects in the exercise with taping group were taped daily for the first two weeks and performed the same exercise program for six weeks. SPADI scores and ROM measurements were collected on four different days. Results revealed no difference in SPADI scores or ROM between the two groups. Results indicated the McConnell shoulder taping technique may be beneficial for temporary pain relief and an increase in ROM when treating people with anterior shoulder pain. However, the taping technique may not add any effect to the exercise program. Therefore, it may not be cost-effective to introduce the taping technique for people with anterior shoulder pain.Item Evaluation of ergonomic dental stools through clinical simulation(Academy of General Dentistry, 2000) Parsell, Douglas E.; Weber, Mark D.; Anderson, B. Craig; Cobb Jr., George W.Work-related musculoskeletal pain occurs commonly within the dental community. Three stool designs were utilized in this study: a standard dental stool, a stool with dual arm supports, and a stool with dual arm supports and chest support. Electromyographic data from four muscle groups were collected on 13 clinicians during a simulated crown preparation procedure. Clinical simulation suggests that a potential musculoskeletal benefit to the clinician exists through utilization of dental stool designs which incorporate static arm supports.Item Outcomes of total hip arthroplasty: A study of patients one year postsurgery(The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy®, Inc. (JOSPT®), 2002-06-01) Trudelle-Jackson, Elaine; Emerson, Roger; Smith, SueSTUDY DESIGN: Ex post facto research using prospective analysis of differences between the involved hip and uninvolved hip. OBJECTIVES: To assess outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) by comparing range of motion (ROM), muscle strength, and postural stability in the surgical hip to those of the uninvolved hip 1year postsurgery. An additional objective was to assess degree of relationship among ROM, strength, and postural stability impairments to a measure of self-assessed function. BACKGROUND: Most patients who have THA receive physical therapy that consists mainly of self-care instructions and an exercise protocol that emphasizes mobility during the acute phase ofrecovery. But,outcomes of THA 1 year postsurgery indicate that current physical therapy programs used during the acute phase of recovery do not effectively restore physical and functional performance. METHODS AND MEASURES: Subjects consisted of 11 women and 4 men (mean age ± standard deviation = 62 ± 8 years) with unilateral THA performed 1 year prior to data collection. Assessment variables consisted of self-assessment of function and measures of postural stability, muscle strength, and hip ROM. The 12-Item Hip Questionnaire was used for self-assessment of function. Three separate repeated measures MANOVA were used to compare the involved side to the uninvolved side in measures of postural stability, strength, and ROM. The Spearman's rho was used to assess degree of association between the subjects' score of self-assessed function and impairments in strength and postural stability. RESULTS: Measures of postural stability were significantly lower (P ≤ 0.01) on the side of the replaced hip. Differences in strength values between the involved and uninvolved sides were not statistically significant. Correlations between scores of self-assessed function and hip abductor and knee extensor strength were statistically significant (r = 0.56, P ≤ 0.03). Self-assessed function was not significantly correlated to postural stability impairments. CONCLUSION: The brief postsurgical rehabilitation program received by patients with THA may not be sufficient. A second phase of rehabilitation implemented 4 months or more after surgery that emphasizes weight bearing and postural stability may be advisable.Item EMA compatibility of the Clarion 1.2 cochlear implant system(Acoustical Society of America, 2003-06) Katz, William F.; Bharadwaj, Sneha V.; Gabbert, Gretchen J.; Tobey, Emily A.Three experiments examined whether the Clarion 1.2 S-Series cochlear implant could be safely and effectively used within a Carstens Medizinelektronik EMA (electromagnetic articulography) system. Experiment 1 indicated no measurable effects of EMA magnetic fields on implant function. Experiment 2 showed no influence of the implant on the accuracy of EMA measurements. Experiment 3 found no indication of reduced sentence repetition abilities when EMA fields were present. The results suggest experiments with the Clarion 1.2 cochlear implant and the Carstens AG100 articulograph are safe and feasible.Item Tips for full participation(Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (TAHPERD), 2004) Silliman-French, Lisa; Thelen, LucindaWhen students who are low skilled, particularly those who also may be disabled, are placed in general physical education programs, activities may be too difficult for full participation. Therefore, activity modifications are a key to involving all. When activity modifications are implemented, not only will a positive environment be created, but it also creates a safe and successful program.Item Feng Shui elements and life areas approach for older persons in a nursing care facility(2004-05-31) Sit, William; Reid, Cynthia; Schultz, Sally; Schocken, MonicaThe main purpose of this series of studies is to explore, compare, and apply the Feng Shui approach to older persons in a nursing care facility who often need to adapt to a new environment away from home. This research includes both qualitative and quantitative studies. A questionnaire about the harmony of the residents' environment was established through literature review. interviews, and observations. A correlation between the Occupational Environment Harmony Questionnaire (OEHQ) and a physical symptom inventory was established. The questionnaire was used as a screening tool for measuring imbalance within the occupational environment of the residents in a nursing care facility before the F eng Shui approach was given. The first phase of this research emphasized expanding the knowledge about a subsystem of occupational environment through interviews and observations of the residents in a nursing home. The aim of the study was to explore the phenomena of energy flow within the context of Feng Shui elements and life areas. The results showed the elements and life areas ofFeng Shui were meaningful and important to residents, even though some of them reported a lack of current experience with some elements. The second phase of this study focused on investigating the correlation between the Wahler Physical Symptom Inventory (WPSD and OEHQ, which was created according to Feng Shui life areas and essential themes of the results from the first phase. The results showed a high correlation indicating the residents wbo bad the most symptomatic complaints also had greater imbalance among the Feng Shui elements and life areas. The third phase of this study focused on the clinical practice of a Feng Sbui approach. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how the sensory stimulation modalities according to Feng Simi elements were associated with a decrease of physical symptoms. Residents in the Feng Shui treatment group lessened their perception of physical symptoms significantly more than those in the control group. In summary, the elements and life areas of a Feng Shui approach related to the physical symptoms of the older persons in a nursing care facility.Item Factors influencing applicant selection of entry-level physical therapist education programs in the United States(Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, 2005) Wilcox, Kim Curbow; Weber, MarkPhysical therapist education programs must compete for qualified applicants due to a nationwide reduction in the applicant pool. To develop successful recruitment strategies, faculty members need information on factors influencing applicant selection of a program. The purpose of this study was to analyze factors influencing selection of an entry-level physical therapist education program. Survey subjects were students enrolled in the first professional year of an accredited entry-level physical therapist education program. A survey instrument was developed based on the literature and interviews with physical therapist students and faculty members. Results of pilot studies to determine face and content validity were acceptable. Stratified random cluster sampling was applied to select 66 entry-level physical therapy programs from an available population of 150 of the 199 accredited programs. Forty-nine programs were not included in the population for various reasons. Using a five-point Likert scale, subjects rated the influence of 51 items on their selection of a specific physical therapist education program. The overall return rate was 70.4% (1,250 surveys returned). Data were analyzed by response frequency. Four factors were selected as "very influential" by 50% or more of the subjects: degree offered, accreditation status, perception of educational quality, and program atmosphere. Additional factors selected by 45% or more of respondents as "very influential" were pass rate on licensing examination, marketability of degree, student/faculty ratio, and small class size. Factors rated "not influential" by 50% or more of subjects included ethnic, cultural, and gender issues. Since 1998, the physical therapy profession has experienced changes in entry-level degree requirements, practice requirements, and employment opportunities, resulting in increased competition for qualified applicants to education programs. The information gained in this study may assist faculty in the development of recruitment strategies.