Utilizing ethnographic data on several rural families, the economic rationality of the rural poor is demonstrated to be implicit in their behavior. Identification is also made of some of the constraints within which these consumer decisions are made. (JC)

Midwest population gains in the 1990s were eclipsed by other regions, and nonmetro areas fared worse than metro counties. Less populous and more isolated counties were more likely to lose residents and to lose youth. The Midwest gained Hispanic residents in the 1990s, but numerical increases were much larger in metro counties. Implications for…

Reports on a sample of 147 young women living in rural areas in China who had attempted suicide. The women's suicidal behavior was characterized by high levels of impulsivity and low rates of mental illness, including depression. Detailed suggestions are made about ways to implement suicide prevention strategies within the particular social and…

Summarizes findings of December 1987 hearings in Des Moines and Nashville on the dimensions of mental health problems in rural America. Outlines 18 Commission recommendations to Congress and state legislatures covering mental health service delivery, funding, public education, professional education, and research. (SV)

Consists of an interview with a dentist who serves a large rural area in South Australia. In addition to providing dental services, he has created an experimental food garden that he uses to demonstrate horticulture. He encourages the creation of family food gardens to provide the area a more nutritious diet. (CH)

British agricultural colleges recently became independent corporations and their traditional market is changing as the economy is restructured. A survey of rural residents in four counties (n=1,352) supports a broader role for the colleges, such as serving as rural business centers that provide vocational education, training, and services to rural…

Data were collected in 1985 from 97 of 110 community college transfer students in agriculture and in 1992 from 146 of 222. Enrollment in transfer agriculture programs increased 102% over 7 years. Fewer students had farm backgrounds or agriculture experience. Results reflect demographic trends in the Mississippi rural population. (SK)

Investigated self-esteem, achievement, and career choices of 218 high school students in small rural school. The Self-Esteem Inventory scores tended to be low. Most students selected occupations traditional for their sex, regardless of their self-esteem scores. Young women were more likely than young men to consider nontraditional occupations.…

Discusses sociological dynamics associated with rural United States, how these dynamics relate to the role of the rural school counselor, and what implications these have for counselor education programs. Discusses issues of isolation, time and money, visibility, lack of specialists, personal interaction, generalists, and local culture. (Author/NB)

Examined potential predictors of suicidal ideation among nonclinical, rural adolescents (n=76). Results suggest a significant predictive relationship between magnitude of suicidal ideation and measures of family social climate. No significant sex differences were found. (Author/ABL)

Six focus groups with 49 rural residents identified concerns about balancing work and family (time, energy, conflicting demands, child care), causes of imbalance, and types of help needed. Results were used to plan programs on time and resource management, meal planning, and relationship skills. (SK)

Outlines the learning characteristics of rural students, and describes how undergraduate and graduate courses were modified with specific procedures and activities to correspond with these learning characteristics. (SR)

Phenomenological analysis was used to understand how rural low-income families accessed and used child-care resources to meet the needs of their families using data from Wave 1 of the Rural Families Speak Project. In the aftermath of welfare reform, results highlight the continuing need for policy aimed at building stronger supports for families…

Some actors in the ''mainstream'' agricultural sector are beginning to engage in strategies of influencing public perceptions of farming, responding to public anxieties over industrialised agriculture and to a supposed separation of non-farming publics from food production. This paper focuses on agricultural shows as sites and events central to…

Objective: To examine the associations of education and employment with breast-feeding initiation and duration in rural mothers, in the context of environmental, social, and intrapersonal factors. Methods: Data from a telephone survey of 414 mothers from rural Minnesota were examined with regression analyses. Results: Education and employment had…