Contact: Maridith Geuder
More than a quarter of America's population lives in rural areas, where distances and behaviors often take a toll on overall levels of health.
To help address these challenges, Mississippi State is establishing the Rural Health, Safety and Security Institute to focus on ways the behavioral and social aspects of health can improve the possibility of positive outcomes.
RHSSI is an initiative of the university's Social Science Research Center, which has a 50-year history of research programs focused primarily on the South. The departments of psychology and of sociology, anthropology and social work also are part of the multidisciplinary effort.
Supported by $2.2 million in funding from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the institute will conduct basic and applied research on rural American populations, with special emphasis on the Magnolia State. With rural populations continuing to grow, health and safety issues are becoming even more important, said SSRC director Arthur G. Cosby, who also will head the new institute.
"We believe that lifestyle factors, in part, explain why rural outcomes are so poor," Cosby said. He pointed to Mississippi's health rankings as reported by the national Centers for Disease Control:
--Second nationally in infant mortality,
--Third in heart disease,
--Fifth in strokes, and
--10th in lung cancer.
Cosby said the state also ranks first nationally in the number of vehicle accident deaths, third in homicides and fifth in firearm deaths.
Research at the newly formed institute will address the ways health-damaging behaviors can be improved through social intervention strategies.
Behavioral and cognitive research will be directed by Elisabeth Wells-Parker, a veteran SSRC research fellow and psychology professor specializing in issues of alcohol, drugs and transportation. Sociological and organizational research will be directed by Martin L. Levin, research fellow and head of the sociology, anthropology and social work department. Levin, who also holds the title of Thomas L. Bailey Professor of Sociology, will investigate the areas of marital disruption and mathematical demography.
Cosby said the institute will draw on a base of SSRC expertise in four primary research areas, including family and children, alcohol safety education, crime and justice, and social and economic development. "The institute will become a fifth component of our center," he added.
Among planned institute projects:
--A periodic report card documenting the current state of rural health and safety issues, including cancer screening and monitoring, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, lung disease, and births to adolescents, among others. Also measured will be accessibility to doctors and hospitals, social services, emergency services, and related resources.
--An analysis of how rural populations understand and act upon health and medical information and ways the information can be improved for use by high-risk groups.
--An exploration of services and interventions that can be provided by communities, organizations and governmental agencies for health support.
--A study of rural factors contributing to vehicle crashes and interventions to reduce injury rates.
--An investigation of rural crime and the contributing cultural, social and organizational factors. Specific crime issues include drug trafficking, firearm violence, fraud toward the elderly, employee violence, and victimization.
"The institute is committed to establishing the partnerships and providing the research that can help rural populations, especially in Mississippi, create new, healthy lifestyle opportunities for all citizens," Cosby said.
For more information about the Rural Health, Safety and Security Institute, contact Cosby by telephone, (662) 325-7127; or e-mail, arthur.cosby@ssrc.msstate.edu.