scholarly journals Rural and Non-Rural Digital Divide Persists in Older Adults: Internet Access, Usage, and Perception

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 412-413
Author(s):  
Hee Yun Lee ◽  
Eun Young Choi ◽  
Youngsun Kim ◽  
Jessica Neese ◽  
Yan Luo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Comprehensive Plans

Abstract Despite the overall increase in Internet use among older adults, the digital divide within older Americans remains substantial. This trend is particularly true for older adults living in rural areas. Informed by the Social Determinants of Health Framework, our study aims to examine how one’s residential area relates to (1) Internet Access, (2) subtypes of usage patterns, and (3) perceptions on technology use. Cross-sectional data were drawn from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The sample consisted of 18,196 older adults aged 50 and above (47.6% rural residents). A series of linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. Our models controlled for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and health conditions. Compared to older adults living in urban areas, those residing in rural areas had 29% lower odds of internet access. Living in rural areas predicted lower levels of all sub-types of technology use (communication, financial, health, and media technology). In addition, non-users in rural areas showed more unfavorable perceptions of technology than urban residents. They were more likely to conceive technology as “too complicated”, “too hard to learn”, and “too difficult to keep up with all changes.” Our findings suggest that substantial segments of older adults in rural areas are still behind in accessing and adopting digital technology. Targeted intervention efforts are urgently needed to reduce technology inequality including comprehensive plans to expand broadband access and building mobile technology infrastructure for rural communities.

scholarly journals Rural–Urban Differences in the Factors Affecting Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults of Two Regions in Myanmar

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2818
Author(s):  
Yuri Sasaki ◽  
Yugo Shobugawa ◽  
Ikuma Nozaki ◽  
Daisuke Takagi ◽  
Yuiko Nagamine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Wealth Index ◽  
School Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle School Level

The aim of the study was to investigate rural–urban differences in depressive symptoms in terms of the risk factors among older adults of two regions in Myanmar to provide appropriate intervention for depression depending on local characteristics. This cross-sectional study, conducted between September and December, 2018, used a multistage sampling method to recruit participants from the two regions, for face-to-face interviews. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Depressive symptoms were positively associated with living in rural areas (B = 0.42; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12,0.72), female (B = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31,0.79), illness during the preceding year (B = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.45,0.91) and non-Buddhist religion (B = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.001,1.15) and protectively associated with education to middle school level or higher (B = −0.61; 95% CI: −0.94, −0.28) and the frequency of visits to religious facilities (B = −0.20; 95% CI: −0.30, −0.10). In women in urban areas, depressive symptoms were positively associated with illness during the preceding year (B = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.36, 1.20) and protectively associated with education to middle school level or higher (B = −0.67; 95% CI: −1.23, −0.11), middle or high wealth index (B = −0.92; 95% CI: −1.59, −0.25) and the frequency of visits to religious facilities (B = −0.20; 95% CI: −0.38, −0.03). In men in rural areas, illness during the preceding year was positively associated with depressive symptoms (B = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.33, 1.42). In women in rural areas, depressive symptoms were positively associated with illness during the preceding year (B = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.36, 1.30) and protectively associated with primary education (B = −0.62; 95% CI: −1.12, −0.12) and the frequency of visits to religious facilities (B = −0.44; 95% CI: −0.68, −0.21). Religion and wealth could have different levels of association with depression between older adults in the urban and rural areas and men and women. Interventions for depression in older adults should consider regional and gender differences in the roles of religion and wealth in Myanmar.

scholarly journals Age-Friendly Online Training Programs for Long-Term Services and Supports Staff to Improve Care for Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 532-532
Author(s):  
Linda Edelman ◽  
Kara Dassel
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Online Training ◽  
Team Leadership ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Term Care

Abstract The purpose of our Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program is to provide geriatric and primary care education and training to long-term care (LTC) providers and staff, health professions students and community members. Our LTC partners and the communities we serve are often very rural and travel to urban areas for training can be difficult. Therefore, we have developed four online training that are offered free to our partners and rural communities statewide. These programs are designed to integrate the aims of the Age-Friendly 4M’s model (i.e., What Matters, Mobility, Medication, Mentation). The LTC nurse residency program provides gerontological nursing and inter-professional leadership training (all 4M’s), in a synchronous online environment. The asynchronous Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias training modules educate LTC staff and family caregivers about types, diagnosis and care of older adults with dementia (Mentation and Medication). The asynchronous Opioid Use in LTC modules were developed with partners to deliver live at LTC staff trainings about opioid stewardship (Medication). The LTC Learning Communities are monthly tele-health sessions for inter-professional LTC teams to discuss current issues and propose solutions (all 4M’s). We have successfully leveraged different synchronous and asynchronous online modalities to increase educational opportunities for formal and informal caregivers, including those in rural areas whose educational opportunities are geographically limited. To date our programs have reached over 500 individuals across our state, increasing knowledge about geriatric concepts, communication and team leadership. Moving forward, we will continue to develop and refine educational programs that promote the Age-Friendly geriatric-focused health care.

scholarly journals Identifying the Transportation Needs of a Rural Aging Community: Findings From a Community Assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 702-702
Author(s):  
Vivian Miller ◽  
Jordan Wilfong ◽  
Melissa Burek ◽  
Logan Lanson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Program Completion ◽  
Senior Center ◽  
Senior Centers ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Transportation Services ◽  
Rural Aging ◽  
Aging Adults

Abstract Community senior centers are tasked with providing aging adults services and programs, congregate meals, and transportation, set forth by the Older Americans Act. The overall function of senior centers is especially critical for rural communities, as rural communities are home to a greater proportion of older adults compared to metropolitan and low-density urban areas. To assess the current needs of the aging population in rural Northwest, OH, a total of 9 focus groups were held (N=45) as part of a larger mixed-methodological study. Through this work, older adults identified limitations of the current senior center transportation. A lack of transportation and accessibility of current transportation were noted as barriers to full senior center use. Findings from this study confirm disparities in rural transportation; a lack of transportation is a major obstacle to program completion. Recommendations address the unique challenges and needs for transportation services for in rural communities are presented.

scholarly journals Family Conditions and the Accessibility of Online Education: The Digital Divide and Mediating Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8590
Author(s):  
Jiafeng Gu
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Broadband Internet ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

This study is an exploration of the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and it was conducted to assess the impact of the minimum living guarantee system on online education in China. The results of the research showed that 83.38% of students in low-income families have been able to participate in online education at home during the pandemic, while 16.62% of students in low-income families have been unable to do so. The absence of computers, smartphones, and broadband Internet access in low-income households reduces the likelihood of children being able to participate in online education at home. In terms of accessing online education at home, students from urban areas have obvious advantages over those from rural ones, and students from minimum living guarantee families have obvious advantages over those from marginal minimum living guarantee ones. This study also showed that the presence of online education-related amenities, including computers, smartphones, and Internet access, mediates the relationship between the subsistence allowance system, Hukou, and accessibility of online education. To address this issue, this paper includes suggestions for bridging the digital divide in online education.

scholarly journals The Impact of IT Development on Rural Communities 1n Korea

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-115
Author(s):  
Junghoon Moon ◽  
Joowon Park ◽  
Gu Hyun Jung ◽  
Young Chan Choe
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Urban Migration ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Impact

The Internet has brought massive changes to human lives. Among the various positive and negative influences are the rural-urban digital divide, which refers to the information technology gap between rural and urban areas. The Korean government has made several effortS to close this digital divide. The main goal of this study is to identify how the personal and social lives of rural residents are affected by IT development in rural areas, and how the residents perceive the effect of IT development. To accomplish this goal, a survey research was conducted. A questionnaire was developed based on the current body of literature, and used to collect data. The questionnaire was distributed to rural residents in Korea and 272 responses our of a total of 300 collected were usable. Regression analysis methods were used for the analysis. On the analysis where the IT development index was used as an independent variable, positive relationships were found between the independent variables and some dependent variables such as perceived usefulness for jobs, IT usage skills, and tendencies of rural to urban migration. Findings show that rural residents are worried that IT development in rural areas may cause job loss in their respective communities, and decrease social interaction. However, positive perceptions were also apparent, as participants believed IT is useful for communications within the community, as well as better education and medical services.

scholarly journals Bridging Indonesia’s Digital Divide: Rural-Urban Linkages?

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aulia Hadi
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Information And Communication

While Indonesia is recorded as one of the greatest social media republics in the world, the gap of rural-urban internet access remains a great challenge. As reported in the 2016 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Indicators, the number of households with internet access in rural areas is nearly half of those in urban areas; 26.3% and 48.5% in a consecutive way. Rather than simply seeing the internet as a medium, this paper discusses the internet as material culture; therefore, it goes beyond the access and focuses on the ways people use the internet to define their culture. From this perspective, this paper draws the two levels of the digital divide of Indonesian rural-urban dwellers. Lack of motivation and limited material access due to social inequality is at the very base of the digital divide. Subsequently, digital skills and usage deepen the digital divide. While splitting people into either rural or urban categories often produces misleading policies, this paper proposes the rural-urban linkages to bridge the digital divide in Indonesia. The rural-urban linkages particularly incorporate the flow of people and information across space as well as the interconnection between sectors, such as agriculture and service.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Determinants of Tuberculosis-Associated Stigma in Rural and Urban Communities of Lagos State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
David A. Oladele ◽  
Mobolanle R. Balogun ◽  
Kofoworola Odeyemi ◽  
Babatunde L. Salako
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Lagos State

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) is an important public health concern in Nigeria. TB-associated stigma could lead to delayed diagnosis and care, treatment default, and multidrug resistance. Understanding of TB-associated stigma is therefore important for TB control. The study is aimed at determining and comparing the knowledge, attitude, and determinants of TB-associated stigma. Methodology. This was a comparative cross-sectional study among adults in urban and rural areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Respondents were selected through a multistage sampling technique and interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire, which contained the Explanatory Model Interviewed Catalogue (EMIC) stigma scale. IBM SPSS Statistics Software package version 20 was used for analysis. Results. A total of 790 respondents were interviewed. High proportions of respondents in rural and urban areas were aware of TB (97.5% and 99.2%, respectively). Respondents in the urban areas had overall better knowledge of TB compared to the rural areas (59.4% vs. 23%; p < 0.001 ), while respondents in the rural areas had a better attitude to TB (60.5% vs. 49.9%; p = 0.002 ). The majority of respondents in rural and urban areas had TB-associated stigma (93% and 95.7%, respectively). The mean stigma score was higher in the urban compared to rural areas ( 17.43 ± 6.012 and 16.54 ± 6.324 , respectively, p = 0.046 ). Marital status and ethnicity were the predictors of TB-associated stigma in the rural communities (AOR-0.257; CI-0.086-0.761; p = 0.014 and AOR–3.09; CI-1.087-8.812; p = 0.034 , respectively), while average monthly income and age of respondents were the predictors of TB-associated stigma in urban areas (AOR–0.274; CI–0.009-0.807; p = 0.019 and AOR-0.212; CI–0.057-0.788; p = 0.021 , respectively). Conclusion. TB-associated stigma is prevalent in both rural and urban areas in this study. There is therefore a need to disseminate health appropriate information through the involvement of the community. Also, innovative stigma reduction activities are urgently needed.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Covid-19 Epidemic on Older Adults in Rural and Urban Areas in Mexico

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez ◽  
Nasim B Ferdows ◽  
Amit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives Mexico is among the countries in Latin America hit hardest by COVID-19. A large proportion of older adults in Mexico have high prevalence of multimorbidity and live in poverty with limited access to health care services. These statistics are even higher among adults living in rural areas, which suggests that older adults in rural communities may be more susceptible to COVID-19. The objectives of the article were to compare clinical and demographic characteristics for people diagnosed with COVID-19 by age group, and to describe cases and mortality in rural and urban communities. Methods We linked publicly available from the Mexican Ministry of Health and the Census. Municipalities were classified based on population as rural (&lt;2500), semi-rural (≥ 2,500 and &lt;15,000), semi-urban (≥15,000 and &lt;100,000) and urban (≥100,000). Zero-inflated negative binomial models were performed to calculate the total number of COVID-19 cases, and deaths per 1,000,000 persons using the population of each municipality as a denominator. Results Older adults were more likely to be hospitalized and reported severe cases, with higher mortality rates. In addition, rural municipalities reported a higher number of COVID-19 cases and mortality related to COVID-19 per million than urban municipalities. The adjusted absolute difference in COVID-19 cases was 912.7 per million (95% Confidence Interval (CI),79.0 – 1746.4) and mortality related to COVID-19 was 390.6 per million (95% CI, 204.5 – 576.7). Discussion Urgent policy efforts are needed to mandate the use of face masks and encourage handwashing, and improve specialty care for Mexicans in rural areas.

scholarly journals What Types of Greenspaces Are Associated with Depression in Urban and Rural Older Adults? A Multilevel Cross-Sectional Study from JAGES

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miho Nishigaki ◽  
Masamichi Hanazato ◽  
Chie Koga ◽  
Katsunori Kondo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Geriatric Depression Scale ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Lower Odds

Depression in older adults is a public health challenge. We aimed to clarify the relationship between depression in older adults and three types of neighborhood greenspaces: trees, grasslands, and fields. We utilized data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) performed in 2016. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used for non-stratified and stratified analyses for the urban–rural regions. The target population comprised 126,878 older adults (age ≥ 65 years) who responded to the depression questions and were living in 881 neighborhoods in Japan. Depression was diagnosed based on a Geriatric Depression Scale score ≥5, and 20.4% of the study population had depression. In the pre-stratification analysis, areas with more greenspaces revealed lower odds of depression (odds ratio (OR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85–0.95). In urban areas, more trees correlated with lower odds of depression (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89–1.00). In rural areas, moderate amounts of grassland were associated with lower odds of depression compared to areas with fewer grasslands (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83–1.00). We found that urban areas with higher tree density and rural areas with moderate amounts of grassland were associated with lower odds of depression.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study on Nutritional Status of Urban and Rural Early Adolescent School Girls of West Bengal, India

1970 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Maiti ◽  
KM Ali ◽  
D De ◽  
TK Bera ◽  
D Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Early Adolescent ◽  
Nutritional Indices ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
School Girls

Objectives: Adolescents remain largely neglected and especially girl from a deprived section in our society. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the nutritional status of early adolescent school girl from rural and urban areas. The study was, therefore, carried out to determine and compare the nutritional status of adolescent girl attending urban and rural secondary schools in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Methods: Cross-sectional data based on anthropometric measurements (height, weight) was collected from 2545 girls aged 10 to 14 years attending Govt. approved schools in Kharagpur town and Dantan-II block. The nutritional status has been assessed with the help of some anthropometric indices. The weight and height were recorded for each girl, and converted to nutritional indices (weightfor- age, height-for-height, BMI-for-age Z-scores of the National Center for Health Statistics reference standrads). Results: The mean nutritional indices (underweight, stunting and thinness) were found to be much lower among the rural girl than urban girl. The overall prevalent rates of underweight, stunting and thinness were 27.9%, 32.5% and 20.2% respectively. In the rural area these were 35.4%, 35.7% and 26.3%, while in the urban they were 19.6%, 29.0% and 13.6% respectively. Conclusions: The present study shows that undernutrition constituted major health problems among early adolescent school girls in rural areas of India. Hence, the special emphases are needed to formulate various developmental and healthcare programmes for rural communities to prevent undernutrition. Key words: Nutritional status; Early Adolescent girls; Rural; Urban DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v31i3.5352 J Nep Paedtr Soc 2011;31(3):169-174

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