Performing Department
College of Education & Human Sciences
Non Technical Summary
This project will be uniquely positioned to increase understanding regarding mental and physical health and economics in rural America and the role that community plays in the overall well-being of rural, low-income residents. A better understanding of what promotes and inhibits rural family health can lead to improved quality of life for rural families, thus strengthening the vitality and sustainability of rural communities. Unhealthy families are not able to fully socially and economically contribute to their communities. These outcomes and impacts correspond to USDA Strategic Plan 2005-2010 Goals number 3 and 5: "Support Increased Economic Opportunities and Improved Quality of Life in Rural America" and "Improve the Nation's Nutrition and Health" and USDA North Central region priority "Social Change and Development." This project will assist in improving quality of life in rural America by demonstrating those factors which successfully contribute to positive mental and physical health and economic well-being within a family's ecological context.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Objectives 1.Overall research objective, To determine the interactions of individual, family, community, and policy contexts on physical and mental health outcomes in diverse rural low-income families 2.To examine individual and family level characteristics which impact physical and mental health in diverse rural low-income families 3.To examine community contexts that impact family mental and physical health in diverse rural low-income families 4.To examine policies that impact family mental and physical health in diverse rural low-income families 5.To examine the interactions of individual, family, community, and policy on mental and physical health in diverse rural low-income families Outputs 1. Quantitative multistate data set containing predictor and outcome variables for approximately 600 families over two waves of data collection 2. Qualitative multistate data set containing approximately 80 transcribed interviews from primary caregivers and community stakeholders 3. Quantitative multistate data set containing community variables for each community participating in the study 4. Qualitative multistate data set containing transcribed interviews with community professionals 5.Qualitative and quantitative dataset linking NC223/1011 data with new project data 6. Refereed journal articles and conference presentations (approximately 6 from each working group for a total of 30 publications and presentations) 7. Training of masters' and doctoral students, approximately 15 students 8. Development of training materials for community leaders to use to enhance the lives of diverse rural low-income families 9. Presentation of webcasts to inform county-based extension educators and other local community professionals of the research findings and implications for practice 10.Policy and information briefs focused on the findings of the project Outcomes or projected Impacts: 11.Improved understanding of the experiences of diverse rural low income families in relation to all aspects of the research project 12. Improved policy for strengthening the mental and physical health and economic well-being of diverse rural low-income families based upon their unique community needs 13. New and strengthened relationships with state and county organizations to improve physical and mental health and economic well-being of diverse rural low-income families 14. Development of master's and doctoral trained researchers in multi-method data collection and analysis focused on rural low-income families 15. Better informed county-based extension educators and their community partners regarding rural low-income families' physical and mental health and economic well-being 16. Locally developed curricula by county-based extension educators and their community partners to inform other professionals about rural low-income families' physical and mental health needs and strengths of diverse rural low-income families, and strategies to help them meet their needs 17. Improved understanding of the interrelationships among community structure, family mental and physical health outcomes and economic well-being
Project Methods
Methods Our overall project objective requires that we quantitatively measure predictors and outcomes and also qualitatively understand processes and contexts. We want to develop a complete picture of the impacts of and contextual interactions among individuals, families, communities and policies for physical and mental health in diverse rural low-income families. Therefore, this project will utilize a mixed methods approach. Mixed methods research involves the collection, analysis, and integration of quantitative and qualitative data to provide a better understanding of a phenomenon than could be achieved with either approach alone (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007). Specifically, we will use a triangulation mixed methods design to collect complementary quantitative and qualitative data. Using the common sampling plan, each state will recruit 30 participants from two communities for a total of 60 participants per state. This will result in a manageable amount of data and allow for statistical comparisons within states and an overall database of at least 600 individual families (assuming at least 10 participating states). Acknowledging that experience is shaped at least partly by individual's racial/ethnicity backgrounds, the team will recruit to produce a final sample consisting of 40-60% minority (e.g., African American, Native American, Latino, or Asian) participants. The quantitative analyses will be guided by our objectives and quantitative research questions. Appropriate analyses (such as repeated measures, hierarchical linear modeling [HLM] for nested data, and path models) will be conducted considering individual and family-level characteristics at Wave 2 in addition to Wave 1. A small number of families will be selected as a subset of the quantitative dataset to allow for in-depth qualitative investigations. Each state will conduct case studies with 8 families (4 from each of 2 communities during a 12-month time between the quantitative data collection waves. The selection of the families for the qualitative component of this study will be guided by maximum variation sampling (Patton, 2002) to capture a diverse set of experiences and perceptions. Parameters for the selection criteria will be established for all states in Year 2, but generally families will be selected based on variation in health status, ethnicity, gender of child, and utilization of community or national resources. Where feasible, the SPSS database and qualitative databases will be linked. In particular, the quantitative variables for the case study families can be imported into MAXqda and used to query the data (e.g., Do families on TANF discuss access to health care differently than those who are not on TANF). Also, quantitative code frequencies can be produced by MAXqda and imported into the SPSS data set for the 80-120 case study families permitting quantitative analyses based on the qualitative data.