Rural Sociology Commons^™

Extending The Concept Of Community Interaction To Explore Regional Community Fields, Courtney G. Flint, A. E. Luloff, Gene L. Theodori

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Interactional approaches to community development routinely focus on the community field concept at a local level. This paper expands the field concept to a regional level of analysis. It suggests a regional community field emerges through interactions among communities at a regional scale, particularly in rural areas lacking a dominant metropolitan core. Recent contributions by human geographers highlight the emergent characteristics of regions in contrast to the static, bounded regions conceptualized in the past. Such logic is compatible with community field theory. This paper explores the generalizability of the community field concept and assumptions to larger levels of analysis and …

Nonmetropolitan Population Trends: Twenty-First Century Updates, Don E. Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Population trends in the nonmetropolitan counties of the United States continue to be erratic. This study used 2008 population estimates to make comparisons of 2000-2008 population changes with those of the decades of the 1980s and 1990s. Findings showed that population changes during the early years of the 21st century were more reminiscent of the 1980s than the 1990s, as overall population growth was minimal and the number of counties losing population exceeded the number of counties with population growth. It appears that the first decade of the 21st century can be labeled as the “Rural Rebound Reversal” decade. The …

Applying Craft For Sociological Practice: Place In Odyssey, George K. Floro

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this presentation it is assumed that craft for sociological practice, an applied side of the discipline, could be expanded if sociologists knew how to do the craft or, if they already know, want to engage in the practice. Its potential is illustrated in one sector. The selection, when associated with decisions or action, comes out of public participation in collective life, often in the framework of an entire society or some action center in it. The name often associated with it is Sociological Imagination. An associated task is to identify “contradictions” and to explore ways to resolve them as …

Household Food Insecurity And Depression Among Single Mothers In Rural Alabama, Andrew A. Zekeri

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Although we live in a wealthy nation, food insecurity, whereby individuals and families have limited or uncertain access to food due to lack of financial resources, continues to affect millions of American families. The objective of this study was twofold: to determine the prevalence of food insecurity among single mothers in rural Alabama; and to determine the extent to which food insecurity is associated with depression. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 300 single mothers living in five rural counties in Alabama using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and Center for Epidemiologic Study of Depression (CES-D) scale. About 36% …

Economic Restructuring And Education In The Nonmetropolitan United States, Don E. Albrecht, Carol Mulford Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Nonmetropolitan communities in the United States have historically depended on natural resources industries and manufacturing for their employment and sustenance. In recent decades, the number of jobs in these goods-producing industries has steadily declined, and this trend is likely to continue. The loss of goods producing jobs has been offset by increased employment in the service sector. A prominent concern resulting from this economic structure transformation is the impending mismatch in the education and skills of nonmetro workers and the education and skills needed to obtain high quality employment in the service sector. The data presented in this manuscript show …

Homeless Teens And Young Adults In New Hampshire, Barbara Wauchope

Carsey Publications

More than 1,000 adolescents and young adults in New Hampshire are homeless, and their numbers are growing. The brief, co-published with the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, provides an estimate of homeless youth in New Hampshire calculated from and state data and describes the needs of homeless youth based on interviews and a survey of providers of homeless services in the state.

Civic Engagement: Volunteer Opportunities For The Bemidji State University Community, Krista Stowe

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (Nasis) 2010 Methodology Report, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Mode Selection 1

Design & Item Selection 1

Sampling Design 1

Experimental Design Treatment 2

Data Collection Process 2

Response Rate 3

Data-Entry Training, Supervision, and Quality Control 3

Processing of Completed Surveys 3

Data Cleaning 4

Representativeness of the Survey 4

NASIS Sample Weights 5

Questions 5

Appendix A: Cover Letter 9

Appendix B: Formatted Mail Survey 11

Appendix C: Future Research Interest Card 20

Appendix D: Reminder Postcard 21

Appendix E: City and County FIPS Codes 22

Appendix F: Variables and Descriptions 27

Youth Opinions Matter: Retaining Human Capital In Coos County, Cesar J. Rebellon, Nena F. Stracuzzi, Melissa Burbank

Carsey Publications

As Coos County youth age, their attachment to their communities may deteriorate. This brief presents new data from the Coos Youth Study. This research indicates efforts to keep young people in Coos may benefit from efforts to show students that their views matter to adults in their communities.

Race, Class, And Community In A Southern Forest-Dependent Region, Chris R. Colocousis, Luke T. Rogers

Carsey Publications

Based on a Community and Environment in Rural America survey, this brief looks at four counties in Alabama. It finds blacks and whites have different outcomes in the community, despite expectations of regional stability and greater equality. Though they reported similar rates of social mobility, African Americans in the "Black Belt" of Alabama are disproportionately poorer and employed in lower-skill jobs than whites.

Working Parents And Workplace Flexibility In New Hampshire, Kristin Smith, Malcolm Smith

Carsey Publications

This report, a joint effort between the Carsey Institute, UNH Cooperative Extension, and New Hampshire Employment Security, looks at working parents and their job flexibility and the importance it has for families trying to achieve a work-life balance.

Challenges In Serving Rural American Children Through The Summer Food Service Program, Barbara Wauchope, Nena F. Stracuzzi

Carsey Publications

When the school year ends, many low-income children rely on the USDA's Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to supplement their diet. But less than one-third of SFSP sites are located in rural communities and rural children participate at a lower rate than those in more urban areas.

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Prenatal Care, Smoking During Pregnancy, And Birth Outcomes In South Dakota, Saileza Khatiwada, Jake Cummings, Diane Kayongo-Male

Census Data Center Newsletter Archive: 2007-2010

The birth of a baby can be a momentous occasion, but when an infant is born prematurely and/or with low birth weight, it can place a considerable amount of financial and emotional strain on families. In addition, poor birth outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm births put financial pressure on state and federal budgets. More specifically, Cassandra O’Neill (2004) reports that Medicaid covers “40 percent of the four million annual births” nationwide. O’Neill adds that Medicaid “pays for 50 percent of hospital stays for premature and low birth weight infants.”
There are a number of maternal characteristics that …

What's For Dinner? Finding And Affording Healthy Foods In New Hampshire Communities, Nena F. Stracuzzi, Sally Ward

Carsey Publications

Access to healthy food is becoming increasingly difficult for some households in the Granite State, as grocery stores relocate or consolidate, leaving some residents to depend on convenience stores for basic groceries. This brief looks at recent data on food deserts in New Hampshire.

Over 3 Million Low-Income Children In Rural Areas Face Cut In Child Tax Credit If Recovery Act Improvement Expires, Arloc Sherman, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

According to this new research, at the end of 2010, the Child Tax Credit improvements that were included in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will expire if Congress does not extend them. If this happens, low-income working families across America will be affected.

Out-Of-Home Care By State And Place: Higher Placement Rates For Children In Some Remote Rural Places, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Melissa Wells, Michael Dineen

Carsey Publications

This fact sheet examines out-of-home placement rates for children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. The data finds that children in remote rural areas have overall higher rates of out-of-home placements. It also provides data on placement rates by rural or urban status to help inform policy makers as they discuss the child welfare system.

Too Much Free Time: Coos County Youth Who Are Least Involved In Out-Of-School Activities Are Most Likely To Use Drugs And Alcohol, Erin H. Sharp

Carsey Publications

Carsey Institute researchers are seeing links between the self-reported substance use and involvement in out-of-school activities. As part of a ten-year tracking survey of high school students in Coos County, New Hampshire, this brief finds that those most involved with constructive activities report the least amount of substance abuse.

Help In A Haystack: Youth Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services In The North Country, Meghan L. Mills

Carsey Publications

A new brief from Nordblom Fellow Meghan Mills at the Carsey Institute finds that youth in New Hampshire's North Country have challenges in accessing support for substance abuse and mental health issues. Mills also finds that the providers face unique challenges, from getting referrals to hiring professionals, all while working without a functional network.

Indicators Of New Hampshire Youth Well-Being , Barbara Wauchope

Carsey Publications

According to a new study, New Hampshire youth, ages 13 to 24, are more likely to complete school, be employed, and have lower obesity rates than their peers nationwide but fare worse in measures of alcohol and substance abuse. This brief, a co-publication with the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, provides an overview of youth well-being in New Hampshire calculated from and state data and compares Granite State youth with peers across the country.

New Hampshire Demographic Trends Reflect Impact Of The Economic Recession, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

Between July 2008 and July 2009, more people left New Hampshire than moved to it, reversing a trend of domestic migration that had fueled the state's population growth over the past decade, according to U.S. Census Bureau data in released March 2010. This fact sheet summarizes the data.