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A Portrait Of Rural Health In America, Jin Young Choi
A Portrait Of Rural Health In America, Jin Young Choi
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
introduction to special issue
Assessing Barriers To Health Care Services For Hispanic Residents In Rural Georgia, Michele Vitale, Conner Bailey
Assessing Barriers To Health Care Services For Hispanic Residents In Rural Georgia, Michele Vitale, Conner Bailey
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Since the 1990s, many Hispanics have been relocating to the rural South and their permanency (although beneficial to the economy) poses new challenges at the institutional level. One area of major concern is the adequate provision of health care. Our article evaluates the socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic/transportation barriers that Hispanic residents face when seeking primary health care services in Toombs County, Georgia. Data were acquired through personal interviews with Hispanic residents, local health professionals, and key community informants by using a combination of opportunity sampling and a snowball approach. Results indicate that the local health system and the county as …
The School Neighborhood Environment For Childhood Obesity In A Rural Texas Community, Jin Young Choi, David Pate
The School Neighborhood Environment For Childhood Obesity In A Rural Texas Community, Jin Young Choi, David Pate
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
This paper examines the school neighborhood environments related to childhood obesity in a rural community in Texas, focusing on the assessment of three aspects: socioeconomic characteristics, food environment, and physical activity environment. Different methodological approaches were employed to characterize the aspects of the school neighborhood environments. Most public schools in the community were located in low-income neighborhoods. There were disproportionately high concentrations of fast food restaurants and convenience stores within the active travel-to-school zone. Most of the students who lived in the active travel-to-school zone did not walk or bike to school, and student safety was identified as the predominant …
Ruptured Identity Of Male Farmers: Subjective Crisis And The Risk Of Suicide, Anthony Hogan, Edward Scarr, Stewart Lockie, Brett Chant, Sylvia Alston
Ruptured Identity Of Male Farmers: Subjective Crisis And The Risk Of Suicide, Anthony Hogan, Edward Scarr, Stewart Lockie, Brett Chant, Sylvia Alston
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Suicide among male farmers is frequently discussed in the literature. While a wide range of factors are associated, a coherent theoretical framework that incorporates the various factors associated with male farmer suicide has not been developed. Moreover, the insights offered to date have not opened a more systemic approach to prevention. Drawing on substantive contributions from sociological theory, this paper proposes a framework for progressing understanding of the causes of this phenomenon and offers insights for prevention. The paper argues that ontological security is central to identity and social competence, and that loss of the coherency of identity and the …
A Demographic Analysis Of Metro/Nonmetro Differences In Adult Normal Weight, Overweight, And Obesity, P. Johnelle Sparks, Susanne Schmidt
A Demographic Analysis Of Metro/Nonmetro Differences In Adult Normal Weight, Overweight, And Obesity, P. Johnelle Sparks, Susanne Schmidt
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Overweight and obesity prevalence is increasing throughout the United States, and these two health conditions seem to disproportionately affect certain segments of the adult population. To date little research has examined adult differences in normal weight, overweight, and obesity by metropolitan or nonmetropolitan residential status while controlling for important demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and health status characteristics. This research helps to fill this gap. We used data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to empirically assess predictors of overweight and obesity risk for all adults and then by residential location. Multinomial logistic regression techniques were used to estimate …
Partnering To Enable Active Rural Living: Pearl Project, Deborah H. John, Barbara Mccahan, Suzanne Gaulocher
Partnering To Enable Active Rural Living: Pearl Project, Deborah H. John, Barbara Mccahan, Suzanne Gaulocher
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Rural residents in communities face opportunities and obstaclesfor physical activity (PA), health, and wellbeing that differ from those experienced in non-rural settings. Yet, rural people’s interpretations of PA and experience of the PA environment are understudied. This study utilized a descriptive case study approach in three rural New Hampshire communities and engaged rural residents in community participatory action research of the experiential factors that enable or prevent PA for adults and youth in their communities. Qualitative data were collected using photo mapping surveys, participant observations, interviews, and focus groups, analyzed using a constant comparative method, and triangulated across multiple sources. …
Imagination Enviro-Station: Students Connecting Students To Ecological Sustainability, David Burley, Natalie Shelton, Chris Daunis, Jessica Cuifi, Jamie Walker, Maria Coleman, Bertha-Fabianna Matheu
Imagination Enviro-Station: Students Connecting Students To Ecological Sustainability, David Burley, Natalie Shelton, Chris Daunis, Jessica Cuifi, Jamie Walker, Maria Coleman, Bertha-Fabianna Matheu
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
The development of an environmental identity is viewed by many as essential if we are to reorganize our societies toward ecological sustainability (Bell 2009; Clayton and Opotow 2003; Thomashow 2002). That, along with an eye toward environmental justice, was the major impetus for our graduate seminar in applied environmental sociology to partner with an elementary school in our small city of Hammond, LA, during the spring semester of 2010. After conducting focus groups with a group of fourth to sixth grade students and holding decision-making discussions with them for this community-based research (CBR) project, we went about two projects – …
Insider, Outsider, Or Somewhere Between: The Impact Of Researchers’ Identities On The Community-Based Research Process, Katie Kerstetter
Insider, Outsider, Or Somewhere Between: The Impact Of Researchers’ Identities On The Community-Based Research Process, Katie Kerstetter
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Sociologists and qualitative researchers have engaged in an extensive debate about the merits of researchers being “outsiders” or “insiders” to the communities they study. Recent research has attempted to move beyond a strict outsider/insider dichotomy to emphasize the relative nature of researchers' identities, depending on the specific research context. Using the Institute for Community-Based Research in Mississippi as a case study, this article presents findings from qualitative interviews with academic researchers and community partners involved in four different research projects. These findings examine how researchers and community partners characterize researchers’ identities and the impact that those identities have on the …
Lifting Spirits And Changing Lives: Analysis Of Outcomes From One Organizations Journey With Community-Based Research, Anna M. Kleiner, Sarah D. Walker
Lifting Spirits And Changing Lives: Analysis Of Outcomes From One Organizations Journey With Community-Based Research, Anna M. Kleiner, Sarah D. Walker
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, local nonprofit service providers in the Gulf Coast region faced numerous challenges responding to people’s immediate and long-term needs. Experiencing increased demand for services, limited resources, and vulnerability to future crises,several organizations commenced systematic planning, capacity development, and evaluation projects to help mitigate the effects of disaster and to promote long-term sustainability at the organizational and community levels. One such organization, Visions of Hope (VOH), Inc., in East Biloxi, Mississippi, participated in a collaborative community-based research (CBR) and evaluation process with a sociology, community development, and public health interdisciplinary team. Combining our academic and …
Community-Based Research And The Two Forms Of Social Change, Randy Stoecker
Community-Based Research And The Two Forms Of Social Change, Randy Stoecker
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
As community-based research (CBR) takes hold in academic settings, where there is vast expertise in producing research but a dearth of experience in producing practical outcomes, there is a risk that CBR will produce little of consequence. This paper begins by arguing that part of the problem is the result of CBR practitioners assuming that research is, in itself, causal. Yet it is only when research is embedded in an effective overall social change strategy that it matters. The present paper develops a model specifying the role of research in both local and broader social change strategies. The overall model …
Who Counts Reality And Why It Counts: Searching For A Community-Based Approach To Quantitative Inquiry, John J. Green
Who Counts Reality And Why It Counts: Searching For A Community-Based Approach To Quantitative Inquiry, John J. Green
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Community-based research is often discussed in a way that assumes an inherent qualitative methodological approach. This includes discussions of research design, data collection, and analysis. The limitations of quantitative research aside, ignoring this strategy for developing knowledge may result in many project outcomes going undocumented and unmeasured, and it may ultimately be disempowering for the people and organizations that community-based researchers seek to assist. On this basis, I argue that researchers should take a more holistic and pragmatic approach to methods and analysis, following efforts to go beyond the traditional qualitative-quantitative divide. Doing so will provide the basis for addressing …
Community-Based Research: Analysis Of Outcomes For Learning And Social Change: An Introduction, Anna M. Kleiner, Katie Kerstetter, John J. Green
Community-Based Research: Analysis Of Outcomes For Learning And Social Change: An Introduction, Anna M. Kleiner, Katie Kerstetter, John J. Green
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Broadly defined, community-based research (CBR) is a process of conducting research that embraces and integrates the participation and local knowledge of people in communities and organizations with the goal of informing efforts to achieve social change. Although several publications on CBR exist, they primarily focus on processes, methods, and tools for developing and implementing CBR projects. This special issue of the Journal of Rural Social Sciences builds from that knowledge base, analyzes the outcomes of real-world CBR projects, and assesses learning outcomes for students, faculty, organizations, and community residents. This introduction to the special issue provides an overview of the …
Phillip Vannini, Ferry Tales: Mobility, Place And Time On Canada’S West Coast, Maximiliano E. Korstanje
Phillip Vannini, Ferry Tales: Mobility, Place And Time On Canada’S West Coast, Maximiliano E. Korstanje
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Review of Ferry Tales: Mobility, Place and Time on Canada’s West Coast, by Phillip Vannini
Frans Schryer, Farming In A Global Economy: A Case Study Of Immigrant Farmers In Canada, Cornelia Butler Flora
Frans Schryer, Farming In A Global Economy: A Case Study Of Immigrant Farmers In Canada, Cornelia Butler Flora
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Review of Farming in a Global Economy: A Case Study of Immigrant Farmers in Canada, by Frans Schryer
Increasing Community Participation With Self-Organizing Meeting Processes, Philip H. Howard
Increasing Community Participation With Self-Organizing Meeting Processes, Philip H. Howard
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Involving many people in community-based research provides many benefits, such as more labor power and increased buy-in. Traditional meeting formats, however, are not well suited to attracting broad engagement. One way to address this challenge is to instead employ self-organizing meeting processes, which are designed to invite active participation from attendees, and do not predefine the agenda. This article describes three such processes, 1) Open Space Technology, 2) World Café, and 3) Dynamic Facilitation, followed by my observations on their advantages and disadvantages when employed in community-based research efforts. Their use requires giving up a great amount of control when …
History As Community-Based Research And The Pedagogy Of Discovery: Teaching Racial Inequality, Documenting Local History, And Building Links Between Students And Communities In Mississippi And Tennessee, Spencer D. Wood, Ricardo Samuel
History As Community-Based Research And The Pedagogy Of Discovery: Teaching Racial Inequality, Documenting Local History, And Building Links Between Students And Communities In Mississippi And Tennessee, Spencer D. Wood, Ricardo Samuel
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
In this article we describe the process of implementing a community-based research project that linked student learning with documenting elements of local histories surrounding the civil rights movement in Mississippi and Tennessee. We show that developing a dialogue among community members, ourselves, and our students worked to democratize the research project, produce strong support among the community members, and contribute to an improved understanding of racial inequality for our students. We rely on our accounts of the process, student journals, and oral histories compiled during the research. Our findings show that there are considerable opportunities for community-based research around documenting …
Examining Community-Based Research As An Application For Public Health Training, Jolynn P. Montgomery, Dana L. Thomas
Examining Community-Based Research As An Application For Public Health Training, Jolynn P. Montgomery, Dana L. Thomas
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
The University of Michigan School of Public Health provided community-based research (CBR) opportunities to masters-level students through week-long field experiences in two communities in Mississippi through interdisciplinary collaboration with Delta State University. This article examines the learning outcomes of those field experiences in the context of CBR and the value that those experiences added to their public health proficiency. Quantitative and qualitative data from post-deployment evaluations were examined to determine strengths and weaknesses of this approach to the public health learning process. Overall, students found this approach to provide a rich context for research, help put a face to the …
A Comparison Of Metro And Nonmetro Incomes In A Twenty-First Century Economy, Don E. Albrecht
A Comparison Of Metro And Nonmetro Incomes In A Twenty-First Century Economy, Don E. Albrecht
Journal of Rural Social Sciences
Recent developments in information and communication technology have reduced the relevance of location and created optimism that the historic economic advantages of metro areas relative to nonmetro areas may be diminished. This manuscript utilized data from the 2009 Current Population Survey to compare the incomes of the residents of metro compared with nonmetro counties. It was found that nonmetro incomes remain significantly lower than metro incomes even when considering the effects of intervening variables. Metro/nonmetro income differences were especially pronounced among persons with advanced educations and those employed in high-pay service industries. Consequently, many people who choose to live in …