Appalachian Studies Commons^™

Photographic Slides Of Appalachia, Appalachian Museum. Berea College.

Morehead State University Manuscripts Collections

No abstract provided.

Narrative Transportation In Documentary Film: How Immersion Into The Documentary Film Hillbilly Affects Viewers' Attitudes, Alayna G. Fuller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For decades, film has relied on stereotypical misconceptions to depict Appalachian people on screen. Research has demonstrated that visual narratives and the experience of narrative transportation has the power to change individuals’ perceptions about information conveyed implicitly or explicitly within a story. Presently, no empirical research has examined how viewer attitudes form based on their level of immersion into an Appalachian documentary film. To fill this gap, this study offers a quantitative approach to examine if the documentary Hillbilly narratively transports the viewer into the world of Appalachia and shifts audience perceptions of the stereotypical Appalachian persona or “hillbilly.” The …

The Vanishing Frontier: Economic And Social Change In Western North Carolina, 1945-1970, Elisabeth Avery Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation works to integrate the growth of regional tourism into the existing historiography of economic development in Appalachia and the postwar American South. Regional leaders introduced an economic transition throughout western North Carolina that emphasized the growth of regional tourism. By centering this study on the growth of regional tourism, this research also analyzes regional boosters’ efforts to manufacture and commodify a racialized and classed folk culture within the region for tourist consumption. In the late nineteenth century, journalists and folklorists had emphasized the deviance of mountain life and simultaneously romanticized the area as a land of rugged, white …

All Roads Lead To Darrington: Building A Bluegrass Community In Western Washington, James W. Edgar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the mid-twentieth century, a significant pattern of migration occurred between Appalachia and the Pacific Northwest, with Washington’s thriving timber industry offering compelling economic opportunities. Many workers and families from western North Carolina settled in the small mountain town of Darrington, Washington, frequently accompanied by their banjos and guitars. As a group of young bluegrass enthusiasts from Seattle established relationships with Darrington’s “Tar Heel” musicians, a collaborative music community formed, laying the foundation for the region’s contemporary bluegrass scene.

Drawn from a series of ethnographic interviews, this project illuminates the development of a bluegrass community in western Washington, while identifying …

Kemper Family Papers, Kemper Family.

Morehead State University Manuscripts Collections

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Experiences, Behaviors, Beliefs, And Well-Being Among Students And Employees At A University In Rural Appalachia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lauren Wisnieski, Kimberly A. Carney, Jenny L. Thornley

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: In response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, most universities experienced drastic operational changes with shifts to online learning, work-from-home policies, and social distancing measures. These changes have caused concern for social isolation and mental health.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study explores differences in COVID-19 experiences, behaviors, beliefs, and well-being among students and employees (faculty and staff) at a rural Appalachian university.

Methods: Data were collected with an online anonymous survey in September-October 2020 using convenience sampling. The survey measured multiple domains including COVID-19-related 1) beliefs, 2) symptoms and diagnoses, 3) exposure and preventive behavior, and 4) social, mental, and …

Comparisons Of Cooking, Dietary, And Food Safety Characteristics Of Food Secure And Food Insecure Sophomores At A University In Appalachia, Hannah Boone, Melissa D. Gutschall, Alisha Farris, Kimberly Fasczewski, Don Holbert, Laura Mcarthur

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Food insecurity means lacking access to adequate, nutritious, and safe food. Collegiate food insecurity rates at ten Appalachian campuses range from 22.4% to 51.8%, and have been associated with unfavorable health and academic outcomes.

Purpose: This study compared cooking, dietary, and food safety characteristics of food secure (FS) and food insecure (FI) sophomores at a university in Appalachia in the context of the USDA definition of food security.

Methods: Data were collected using an online questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential procedures compared FS and FI sophomores (p < 0.05).

Results: Participants (n = 226) were 65.0% females, 76.1% …

Understanding Polarizing Community Perspectives On Harm Reduction Strategies: Challenges To Addressing The Opioid Crisis In Appalachian Pennsylvania, Stephanie L. Creasy Mph, Jessica R. Thompson Med, Christina F. Mair Phd, Jessica G. Burke Phd

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Rural communities face barriers to opioid treatment and overdose prevention including concerns about stigma and lack of harm reduction services.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore community perspectives and understanding of harm reduction approaches to opioid use and overdose in a high-risk Northern Appalachian case community in Pennsylvania.

Methods: A small town approximately 10 miles from Pittsburgh was identified as the community with the greatest predicted probabilities of epidemic outbreak using posteriors from spatial models of hospitalizations for opioid use disorders. We interviewed 20 key stakeholders in the case community in using a semi-structured interview guide …

Access To And Use Of Technology For Health: Comparisons Between Appalachian Kentuckians And The General U.S. Population, Robin C. Vanderpool, Lindsay R. Stradtman, Anna Gaysynsky, Quan Chen, Meghan Johnson, Bin Huang

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Technology may increase the availability of health information and enable health promoting behaviors. However, lack of access to and use of technology may also exacerbate disparities, particularly in rural communities with limited Internet access.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare Internet access, device ownership, and use of technology for health between Appalachian Kentuckians and the general U.S. population.
Methods: Findings from the 2017 Assessing the Health Status of Kentucky (ASK) survey were compared to national estimates from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, Cycle 1 (2017), with a particular focus on degree of rurality. …

Risk Factors Associated With Passenger Vehicle Fatal Rollover Crashes In West Virginia, 2001-2018, Yuni Tang, Toni Marie Rudisill, Ruchi Bhandari

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: Rollover crashes cause more injuries and fatalities than other types of motor vehicle crashes. West Virginia (WV) has high rates of drug overdose deaths and motor vehicle crash fatality. However, no studies have investigated risk factors associated with fatal rollover crashes in WV.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate whether drug use and other risk factors are associated with fatal rollover crash fatalities in WV.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized the Fatality Analysis Reporting System dataset from passenger vehicle crashes involving WV drivers ≥ 16 years of age with known drug test results who died within …

Perceived Hearing Loss And Availability Of Audiologists In Appalachia, Charles B. Pudrith, Ellyn Grider, Blythe Kitner

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: There is a high demand for audiologists throughout the United States. Previous research has supported an additional demand for these providers within Appalachia.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine if Appalachia has a disproportionally high demand for audiologists compared to the rest of the United States.

Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed with population data from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the American Academy of Audiology, and the United States Census Bureau. County-level population-weighted averages of individuals with perceived hearing loss and number of audiologists per capita were compared between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties. …

Review Of Liberia, South Carolina: An African American Appalachian Community, By John M. Coggeshall, Cicero Fain

History Faculty Research

Examining 150 years of history of a small, rural African American community, John M. Coggeshall’s Liberia, South Carolina: An African American Appalachian Community, contributes to recent studies elevating Black Appalachian voices, perspectives, and cultures previously historically elided. Located in Pickens County in the Blue Ridge region of western South Carolina, Liberia, like a lot of rural communities, exists less “as a legally defined entity and more a culturally defined area of recognized neighborly ties.”

The Library Of Appalachian Preaching At Marshall University, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

This note discusses the Library of Appalachian Preaching, an online project that provides access to sermons and other addresses delivered in Appalachia, or elsewhere by preachers with some kind of connection to the region. It describes the scope of the project, provides an overview of the Library’s website, and suggests several research topics and areas of inquiry that might emerge from the materials included in the project.

Matthew Brown Fellowship Brochure, Matthew Brown

Brown, Matthew, 1776-1853

In the early 2000s, the First Presbyterian Church of Washington, Pennsylvania established the Matthew Brown Fellowship. In the words of this informational brochure, the Fellowship is a "college-aged ministry program" that seeks to "increase this church's involvement with its oldest friend, the College, and to extend its ministry...to meet the growing needs throughout the greater Washington Community."

Review Of: Appalachians For Medicaid Website, Kendra Barker Dnp

Journal of Appalachian Health

The Journal of Appalachian Health is committed to reviewing published media that relates to contemporary concepts affecting the health of Appalachia. Access to care and the health disparities we face have a direct effect on our experience of illness. Dr. Kendra Barker reviews the website: Appalachians for Medicaid.

Geospatial Analysis Of Rurality And Food Banks In Appalachian Ohio, Cooper T. Johnson, Rebecca Fischbein, Kristin Baughman

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Food insecurity is a problem for individuals across Ohio, including those living in Appalachia. Adequate access to resources that help combat food insecurity is important for these populations.

Purpose: To examine how rurality relates to food insecurity and need for food resources, as well as availability of those resources including food pantries and soup kitchens, in 15 northern Ohio Appalachian counties.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with a geographical analysis was conducted using data from the American Community Survey census data, County Health Rankings data, and regional foodbank websites.

Results: Rural counties had a higher ratio of potential clients per …

Triple Negative Breast Cancer In An Appalachian Region: Exponential Tumor Grade Increase With Age Of Diagnosis, Gina Sizemore, Toni Marie Rudisill

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Triple negative breast cancer is an aggressive breast cancer with decreased five-year survival, increased risk for recurrence, and higher risk for metastases. Unlike other breast cancers, it has no targeted treatment and has heterogeneous genetics which make classification and treatment difficult.

Purpose: The purpose of our research was to compare triple negative breast cancer to non-triple negative breast cancer to identify key epidemiologic factors that might lead to improved basic science directives for biomarkers, treatments, and classification.

Methods: The state cancer registry was used to provide the first West Virginia state-wide population evaluation of triple negative breast cancer.

Results: …

Case Study Of A Comprehensive Team-Based Approach To Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening, Lauren E. Wright, Adam Baus, Andrea Calkins, Holly Hartman-Adams, Mary E. Conn, Susan Eason, Stephenie Kennedy-Rea

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women in West Virginia. In addition, 51% of all colorectal cancers diagnosed in West Virginia from 2012 to 2016 were detected at either regional (31%) or distant (20%) stages indicating a need for improved early detection.

Methods: West Virginia University Cheat Lake Physicians participated in the West Virginia Program to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening, a program of Cancer Prevention and Control at the WVU Cancer Institute. As a result, Cheat Lake Physicians assembled a team of health care professionals to implement evidence-based interventions and …

Addressing Diabetes Distress In Self-Management Programs: Results Of A Randomized Feasibility Study, Ranjita Misra, Samantha Shawley-Brzoska, Raihan Khan, Brenna O. Kirk, Sijin Wen, Usha Sambamoorthi

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: West Virginia ranks 1st nationally in the prevalence of hypertension (HTN; 43.8%) and diabetes (16.2%). Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are distressed over physical and psychological burden of disease self-management.

Methods: This study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce diabetes distress and outcomes [glycemic control, blood pressure (BP)] among T2DM adults with comorbid HTN. Participants were randomized to a 12-week diabetes and hypertension self-management program versus a 3-month wait-listed control group. Trained health coaches and experts implemented the lifestyle program in a faith-based setting using an adapted evidence-based curriculum. Twenty adults with T2DM and HTN …

Emergence Of Covid-19 And Patterns Of Early Transmission In An Appalachian Sub-Region, Abbey K. Mann, Timothy A. Joyner, Ingrid E. Luffman, Megan Quinn, William Tollefson, Ashley Frazier

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: In mid-March 2020, very few cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the Central Blue Ridge Region, an area in Appalachia that includes 47 jurisdictions across northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwest Virginia. Authors described the emergence of cases and outbreaks in the region between March 18 and June 11, 2020.

Methods: Data were collected from the health department websites of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia beginning in mid-March for an ongoing set of COVID-19 monitoring projects, including a newsletter for local healthcare providers and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) dashboard. In Fall 2020, using these databases, authors …