Purpose: Chances for a healthy life are not equally distributed across society. Instead, genetic, social, and environmental factors help determine the probability that a child will be healthy and active. We investigate the probability that youth will be physically active by examining 3 consistent correlates of physical activity. The individual and…

This paper presents a framework for assessing the economic and social costs of drug abuse in rural areas. The first section considers definitions for three key sets of concepts: (1) what is rural, the great diversity within rural contexts, and how to distinguish rural from urban; (2) the nature of social costs, as they affect communities as well…

More research into illicit substance abuse in rural African-American communities is needed. The existing literature indicates that patterns of use for licit substances (alcohol and cigarettes) are either similar for rural Blacks and Whites or lower for Blacks. However, the negative health and social consequences of smoking and abusive drinking are…

Critiques Colin Ward's "The Child in the Country," which illuminates the personal geographies of children in rural Britain, as structured from without and experienced from within; augments sociocultural geography concerns about the importance of space and place in "other" people's lives; and provides new possibilities for rural…

As part of a far-reaching research project on educational needs of the rural disadvantaged, this phase of the Rural Education Disadvantaged Youth Project (Project REDY) dealt with the development and evaluation of a vocationally-oriented family-centered educational program. The model program, which was field-tested at a single site, focused upon:…

This research monograph is based on papers from a technical review meeting of the same name, held April 26-27, 1994. It provides information about the special nature or context of rural communities that might impact patterns of drug and alcohol consumption and delivery of prevention and treatment services; health, social, and economic consequences…