scholarly journals No Young Carer Left Behind: A Two-Phased Study to Understand and Address the Needs of Young Carers from Rural and Urban Communities Before and During Covid-19

Author(s):  
Kristine Newman ◽  
Heather Chalmers ◽  
Yana Berardini ◽  
Arthur Ze Yu Wang ◽  
Vivian Stamatopoulos ◽  
...  

Canada has one of the largest cohorts of young carers aged 15 to 24 who provide unpaid care for a family member. Although the body of research on young carers is growing in Canada, knowledge on the experiences and needs of young carers living in remote and rural communities is almost absent. This study aimed to understand and address the needs of young carers in rural/remote communities to support our community partner’s goal of expanding their resources and support of this underserved population. The study was conducted in two phases with the first phase being a needs assessment and the second phase addressed those needs. In Phase 1 (conducted pre-COVID-19), three focus groups were conducted with young carers from rural and urban communities with 20 young carers participating in total. Six themes were identified: Internet Usage in Daily Life; Finding and Filtering Information; Concerns Related to Internet Use; Social and Mental Support; What Makes Caregiving More Challenging; and Designing Something to Make Caring Easier. During Phase 2 (conducted mid-COVID-19), 2 focus groups were held via Zoom for Healthcare with a mix of rural and urban young carers in each group. One of the focus groups was held with those under 18 years old and the other included those between 18 to 25 years old. Four themes were identified: Responses to Emergencies; Awareness of Emergency Planning; Potential Impact on Planned Behaviour; and Considerations and Suggestions for Improvement.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerri Graham

Human services literature from a variety of disciplines demonstrates that rural and urban communities pose different challenges and opportunities for service delivery; however, little research specifically explores early learning and care service delivery in rural communities. This qualitative study draws on a critical ecological systems perspective to examine the experiences of rural parents accessing services through a specific service delivery strategy, Best Start networks. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data gathered from two rural communities as part of a larger study examining parent experiences with Best Start in three communities across Ontario (Underwood, Killoran, & Webster, 2010). Three themes emerged that related specifically to the rural experience: (a) Opportunities for Social Interaction; (b) Accessibility of Services; and, (c) Impact of Personal Relationships. Results indicate that certain factors related to rural life and location affected parents' experiences with Best Start services. Drawing on the broadly defined concept of accessibility, implications for rural service delivery are discussed and recommendations for practice and future research are presented.


2020 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy E. Strowd ◽  
Lauren Strauss ◽  
Rachel Graham ◽  
Kristen Dodenhoff ◽  
Allysen Schreiber ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjective:To describe rapid implementation of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and assess for disparities in video visit implementation in the Appalachian region of the United States.Methods:A retrospective cohort of consecutive patients seen in the first four weeks of telehealth implementation was identified from the Neurology Ambulatory Practice at a large academic medical center. Telehealth visits defaulted to video and when unable phone-only visits were scheduled. Patients were divided into two groups based on the telehealth visit type: video or phone-only. Clinical variables were collected from the electronic medical record including age, sex, race, insurance status, indication for visit, and rural-urban status. Barriers to scheduling video visits were collected at the time of scheduling. Patient satisfaction was obtained by structured post-visit telephone call.Results:Of 1011 telehealth patient-visits, 44% were video and 56% phone-only. Patients who completed a video visit were younger (39.7 vs 48.4 years, p<0.001), more likely to be female (63% vs 55%, p<0.007), be White or Caucasian (p=0.024), and not have Medicare or Medicaid insurance (p<0.001). The most common barrier to scheduling video visits was technology limitations (46%). While patients from rural and urban communities were equally likely to be scheduled for video visits, patients from rural communities were more likely to consider future telehealth visits (55% vs 42%, p=0.05).Conclusion:Rapid implementation of ambulatory telemedicine defaulting to video visits successfully expanded video telehealth. Emerging disparities were revealed, as older, male, black patients with Medicare or Medicaid insurance were less likely to adopt video visits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-115
Author(s):  
Ashley Lockwood ◽  
April Terry

Previous criminological literature has mostly neglected rural communities, often treating these places as smaller pieces of urban culture. Literature suggests rural communities operate differently than urban neighborhoods, with distinctive values, norms, and community cohesion. For example, concepts surrounding collective efficacy may work counterproductively in rural areas—further exploiting outed community members within "close-knit" environments. The current study sought to compare perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion, crime, and victimization between rural and urban counties across one Midwestern rural state. Using a mixed-methods approach, community stakeholders from a variety of professions were surveyed. Quantitative results suggest similar perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion in rural and urban communities while qualitative responses paint a much different picture—an image of rural communities "minding their own business" and both formally and informally intervening only in the most extreme and personalized scenarios.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Leonard G. Dela Luna ◽  
Ernani R. Bullecer

Objective. Rural and urban differences affect food availability, accessibility, and sustainability; thus, it has a greatimpact on household food security and dietary diversity. The relationship between the human environment andother factors threatens different domains of food systems resulting in food security. The objective of this study isto determine significant differences between the prevalence of household food security and diet diversity betweenurban and rural communities in Occidental Mindoro. Specifically, to determine the pattern of usual food intake ofpreschool children between rural and urban communities Methods. This study utilized a comparative, cross-sectional, analytic study design in order to determine theprevalence of each variable of interest in the two study areas. Radimer-Cornell Tool was utilized to assess the foodsecurity status of the household while the FAO-Dietary Diversity Score Questionnaire was used to the diversityof diet among PSC. A total of 480 (rural: n=240; urban: n=240) preschool children were recruited to participatein this study. Ratio and proportion using the point and interval estimate were used to determine the prevalencein different areas, meanwhile, chi-square of homogeneity was used to determine significant difference in the twoareas under study. Results. Food insecurity in rural communities was found to be at 56.25% (95% CI: 49.97% to 62.53%) while theprevalence in urban communities was 45.83% (95% CI: 39.53% to 52.14%). There was a significant differencein the prevalence of household food insecurity between rural and urban communities (p=0.0224). Meanwhile,the prevalence of less dietary diversity among preschool children in rural communities was 37.08% (95%: 30.97%to 43.19%) and 26.25% (CI: 20.68% to 31.82%) for urban communities. There was a significant differencein prevalence of low dietary diversity score among preschool children between rural and urban communities(p=0.0107). Conclusion. There were significant differences in terms of household food insecurity and less diverse dietbetween two community settings. Higher prevalence in rural areas signifies that there is a need to prioritize thesevulnerable communities in terms of hunger mitigation and nutrition programs. A combination of milk-rice-meat-fishwas observed in the diet of preschool children for both communities however, higher prevalence of less dietarydiversity was detected among rural communities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (03) ◽  
pp. 403-406
Author(s):  
Krishna Nalleballe ◽  
Nidhi Kapoor ◽  
Aliza Brown ◽  
Rohan Sharma ◽  
Sen Sheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There are still marked disparities in stroke care between rural and urban communities including difference in stroke-related mortality. We analyzed the efficiency of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) delivery in the spoke sites in our telestroke network to assess impact of telecare in bridging these disparities. Methods We analyzed critical time targets in our telestroke network. These included door-to-needle (DTN) time, door-to-CT (D2CT) time, door-to-call center, door-to-neurocall, and total consult time. We compared these time targets between the larger and smaller spoke hospitals. Results Across all the 52 spokes sites, a total of 825 stroke consults received intravenous tPA. When compared with larger hospitals (>200 beds), the smaller hospital groups with 0 to 25 and 51 to 100 beds had significantly lower D2CT time (p-value 0.01 and 0.005, respectively) and the ones with 26 to 50 and 151 to 200 beds had significantly lower consult time (p-value 0.009 and 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference in the overall DTN time when all the smaller hospital groups were compared with larger hospitals. Conclusion In our telestroke network, DTN times were not significantly affected by the hospital bed size. This shows that a protocol-driven telestroke network with frequent mock codes can ensure timely administration of tPA even in rural communities regardless of the hospital size and availability of local neurologists.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerri Graham

Human services literature from a variety of disciplines demonstrates that rural and urban communities pose different challenges and opportunities for service delivery; however, little research specifically explores early learning and care service delivery in rural communities. This qualitative study draws on a critical ecological systems perspective to examine the experiences of rural parents accessing services through a specific service delivery strategy, Best Start networks. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data gathered from two rural communities as part of a larger study examining parent experiences with Best Start in three communities across Ontario (Underwood, Killoran, & Webster, 2010). Three themes emerged that related specifically to the rural experience: (a) Opportunities for Social Interaction; (b) Accessibility of Services; and, (c) Impact of Personal Relationships. Results indicate that certain factors related to rural life and location affected parents' experiences with Best Start services. Drawing on the broadly defined concept of accessibility, implications for rural service delivery are discussed and recommendations for practice and future research are presented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
H. Ukweh Ikechukwu ◽  
N. Ukweh Ofonime ◽  
Odeyemi Kofoworola ◽  
D. Ekanem Asukwo

Objective: The influence of cultural and traditional beliefs on key maternal and child health practices in the developing nations cannot be overemphasized. This study was carried out to determine the influence of cultural and traditional beliefs on key maternal and child health practices among rural and urban mothers in Cross River State. Materials and Methods: The study design was a comparative analytical cross-sectional study among mothers with under-five children in rural and urban households in Cross River State and the study populations comprised mothers of under-five children and traditional birth attendants in Cross River State. Sampling technique used to select respondents in the rural and urban sites was multistage sampling method and the sample size was determined using standard method of comparing two independent groups. For focus group discussion (FGD), the purposive sampling method was employed in both study sites. The study instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire and data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the age of mother, husband, and marriage of women from the rural communities were significantly higher (P > 0.05) than that of women from the urban communities. Knowledge of the cultural beliefs of their people concerning maternal and child health is significantly higher in the rural communities than in the urban communities (P < 0.0001). Similarly, there was significant difference in the cultural dispositions of the rural and urban communities to maternal and child health practices (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that traditional beliefs influence maternal and child health-care practices in Cross River State, Nigeria. Conclusions: It is therefore concluded that cultural and traditional influences on maternal and child health practices are predominant in rural settings, with positive or indifferent cultural disposition to recommended practice being commonly associated with such practice. Maternal health education as well as education and engagement of traditional leaders are highly recommended. This should be focused at corrective reorientation toward the preference of recommended best practices that they currently do not support while sustaining the effort at encouraging other best practices.


Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Christie Sampson ◽  
Jenny Anne Glikman ◽  
S. L. Rodriguez ◽  
David Tonkyn ◽  
Paing Soe ◽  
...  

Abstract Successful anti-poaching policies and effective conservation of Asian elephants Elephas maximus require input and support from all stakeholders, including the public. But although Myanmar has one of the largest remaining populations of wild Asian elephants, there has been little research on public attitudes there towards elephants and poaching. We developed a questionnaire to assess attitudes of people in rural and urban areas towards elephants and conservation, and their perceptions of and experience with elephant poaching. We conducted 178 interviews across two regions in Myanmar. Although both rural and urban participants supported elephant conservation, people from urban areas expressed more favourable attitudes towards elephants than their rural counterparts. Similarly, conservation priorities differed between rural and urban communities, with rural communities less likely to believe that peaceful human–elephant coexistence was possible and preferring conservation initiatives that prioritize human activities over elephant conservation. Both groups were familiar with elephant poaching in Myanmar, but rural communities appeared to be better informed regarding the challenges faced by conservation agencies, and were more negatively affected by poaching. Our findings highlight potential areas for intervention by government and conservation agencies to reduce criminal activity and to protect both Myanmar's citizens and its elephants.


Author(s):  
Bunmi Isaiah Omodan ◽  
Cias T. Tsotetsi ◽  
Bekithemba Dube

The rural-urban migration syndrome has eaten deep into the fabric of rural development in South Africa, thereby denying rural dwellers equitable access to social and economic amenities and social empowerment. This study, therefore, seeks to emancipate rural communities through an asset-based community development approach by forming university-community synergies for the purpose of decolonising these rural communities. The study attempted to provide a solution to the question of inequalities between rural and urban communities with a focus on how university engagement can be used to enhance community development in QwaQwa/Harismith Township and its environments. The study adopted a participatory action research design and the free attitude interview technique was used to collect data. The research participants consisted of one research assistant and 10 ordinary community members, members of NGOs and community leaders in QwaQwa/Harrismith Township in the Free State province of South Africa. Data collected were analysed through Laws, Harpes and Marcus’s seven-step model. The study revealed that rural dwellers face challenges of inequitable educational facilities and resources, and a lack of security in terms of their lives, properties, and means of travelling. Likewise, the study also showed a lack of access to health facilities in their communities. It was therefore concluded that community engagement through the asset-based approach and decoloniality would enable the university to empower rural dwellers with the freedom to attain their well-being by ensuring an environment that is sufficient and adequate for social investment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1011-1015
Author(s):  
Anthonia Ikpeme ◽  
Nchiewe Ani ◽  
Boniface Ago ◽  
Emmanuel Effa ◽  
Omofolasade Kosoko-Lasaki ◽  
...  

AIM: This paper examines the activities of mobile services units including ultrasound services in rural and urban communities in the Calabar region of South-South, Nigeria.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consenting individuals were invited and attended five medical outreach activities in rural and urban areas of the Calabar region between January and June 2016. Abdomino-pelvic scans were done. Subsequently the results were analyzed.RESULTS: Five hundred and seventy-four (574) individuals had Abdomino-pelvic scans done, using a curvilinear probe to assess the abdomino-pelvic organs. The female to male ratio was 1.46:1. The age ranged from 1-78 years with a mean of 40.63 (standard deviation of 17.5). The commonest sonographic finding was uterine fibroids, 21 (8.1%). Fifty-four percent of the scans were normal. The commonest sonographic finding in men was prostatic enlargement.CONCLUSION: Medical outreach activities provided by mobile units provide much needed ultrasound services in poor resource settings in Nigeria. Significant clinical pathologies were identified at fairly high rates.


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