Many people living in rural areas are aware of the impacts of climate change and often have climate beliefs that are aligned with the scientific consensus. However, climate change conversations in rural communities may be seen as divisive, political, and potential sources of conflict in the community. We describe a rural/urban collaboration…

To support rural postsecondary students' college access and completion, researchers, policy makers, and educators need a more comprehensive understanding of their demographic characteristics and financial needs, especially compared to nonrural students. Previous rural-nonrural analyses have not disaggregated students by degree type (bachelor's,…

This article paints a comprehensive portrait of the demographic, financial, and educational characteristics of Pennsylvania postsecondary students who are adult learners, and identifies rural-urban differences within this group. The study analyzed data from the 2010-11 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (n = 610,925), supplemented by…

Transitions to postsecondary education for GED graduates are a growing concern for educators and policy makers. This article analyzes the educational, demographic, and financial characteristics of Pennsylvania postsecondary students with a GED credential compared with traditional high school graduates, and identifies rural-urban differences within…

Research has shown that boys display higher levels of childhood conduct problems than girls, and Black children display higher levels than White children, but few studies have tested for scalar equivalence of conduct problems across gender and race. The authors conducted a 2-parameter item response theory (IRT) model to examine item…

A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Handwashing University on teaching youth the benefits of proper handwashing. The Handwashing University is an interactive display with several successive stations through which participants move to learn necessary skills for proper handwashing. Upon completion of the Handwashing University,…

This study examined school nurses' communication with community physicians and its relationship to school nurse satisfaction with school health services. A stratified random sample of school nurses in Pennsylvania (N = 615) were surveyed about communication effectiveness with community physicians, satisfaction with school health services for…

Context: Preterm birth and low birthweight remain high priority public health problems and are associated with increased risk of infant mortality as well as long-term health impairments. Although 20% of all births nationally are to rural women, relatively little attention has been paid to pregnancy outcomes in rural areas relative to more…

Context: Mid-level providers comprise an increasing proportion of the health care workforce and play a key role in providing health services in rural and underserved areas. Although women comprise the majority of mid-level providers, they are less likely to work in a rural area than men. Maldistribution of health providers between urban and rural…

Responses of 1,241 Pennsylvania residents to 35 Likert-type items indicated widespread agreement with positive images of rural life, antiurbanism, agrarianism, and wilderness values, and overwhelming rejection of negative images of rurality. Rural residents held more positive attitudes than others toward rurality. Contains 35 references.…

Compares rural and urban child and adolescent partial hospital mental health programs in Pennsylvania. Rural areas were much smaller, more exclusively served adolescents, had stronger financial and administrative links to local community health centers and special education authorities, and had more deficient educational facilities. (KS)

Indicators of normative traditionalism were derived from 1947 and 1970 attitude surveys of adolescents from 68 Pennsylvania high schools. Rural-urban character of the areas was indexed by 1950 and 1970 census materials. Although 1970 normative climates were more permissive, findings suggest continuing utility of rural-urban distinction in dealing…

Responses of 9,957 Pennsylvanians to a statewide needs assessment questionnaire were examined to determine if there was a rural/urban difference in residualist beliefs about social welfare programs. Results demonstrated that rural respondents were clearly less supportive of specific welfare programs and less accepting of institutional remedies for…

A sample of married Pennsylvania women with rural backgrounds and a national probability sample of women with urban backgrounds are compared in order to examine the effects of rural residence on the socioeconomic attainment process. Findings indicate rural backgrounds are associated with deficits in human capital resources and socioeconomic…