Rural Families Speak About Health

The Rural Families Speak about Health study (Kentucky is one of 18 states contributing data to the NC-1l71 multi-state project) uses an ecological and systemic perspective to frame the objectives emphasizing the multiple influences on mental and physical health among rural low-income women and their children. Good mental and physical health are important for quality of life. However, research shows rural residents experience health disparities in the incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality rates for disease. Understanding the factors or combination of factors that contribute to these disparities can help to improve the quality of life among low-income rural families. This phase of data collection focuses on individual-level factors such as adult female and target child health statuses, family-level factors such as relationship status, household income, labor force participation, and access to health insurance as well as food security, parenting, and family stress, and community-level factors such as degree of rurality and perceived community support or hostility. Through a 90-minute interview (including weight and girth measurements to determine BM!) we will seek to understand the health of rural low-income families.