Incomes or Attitudes? What Determines Whether Mothers in the WIC Program Dilute or Concentrate Baby Formula
Katherine Kavanagh and Cary Springer
November 2009
The first few months of life may help cement more than bonding for an infant. These important months may also imprint patterns of eating that can contribute to obesity later in life. Several studies have found that infant feeding practices, particularly breast-fed versus formula-fed options, can contribute to early weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of childhood weight issues. Infants fed formula, for example, tend to take in more energy and grow at a faster rate than breastfed infants in the first year. Formula-fed infants are also more likely to be overfed and may be less able to self-regulate their intake. What leads to this trend among formula-fed infants is unclear, but some have pointed to a mother’s attitudes, abilities, and beliefs about infant feeding as a possible reason for the distinctions. Katherine Kavanagh and Cary Springer, in their recent paper, explore mothers’ attitudes toward feeding patterns, and add a new possibility: how the mother prepares the formula—whether she concentrates or dilutes it.
Food Stamps Effectively Target Those Most in Need
Steven Yen, Donald Bruce, and Lisa Jahns
November 2009
The federal food stamp program helps approximately 15 million households (about 34 million individuals) put food on the table each year. At $39 billion in 2008, the budget of the program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is nearly two-thirds of the USDA’s food assistance budget. Not surprisingly, given the outlay, policymakers want to know its impact on participants’ nutrition and health. Steven Yen, Donald Bruce, and Lisa Jahns in their recent paper offer some insights on who benefits from the program and how. Specifically, they examine the relationship between SNAP participation and health and participants’ social and demographic characteristics.
Rural Seniors Have Fewer Options for Healthy Diets
Joseph Sharkey, Scott Horel, and Cassandra Johnson
October 2009
Eating well is a critical component in a healthy lifestyle. A balanced diet can help prevent or ease chronic conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol or blood pressure, or obesity. For seniors, who suffer more chronic conditions, diet can be an important (and less expensive) way to manage their health. However, choosing the right foods is only one part of eating well. Having access to quality foods at affordable prices is an often overlooked second component to a healthy diet. As Joseph Sharkey, Scott Horel, and Cassandra Johnson report in their recent study, seniors in rural communities find that getting to a well-stocked and affordable grocery store is frequently a challenge.
Rural, Urban Differences in Health Insurance
Roberto Gallardo, Southern Rural Development Center
October 2009
In the U.S., health care is primarily tied to employment. It would make sense, then, that as employment increases so would the rates of those who have health insurance. However, SRDC Research Associate Roberto Gallardo has found that as the number of people employed goes up in rural counties so does the rate of uninsured. Moreover, there is no relationship between the rate of uninsured and the rate of employment in urban counties. In his article at the Daily Yonder, Gallardo asserts that health insurance rates are more closely related to poverty rates than employment rates.
The South Does Not Make You Fat: A Study of Nutrition, Food Security, and Obesity
Patricia A. Duffy, Claire Zizza, and Henry Kinnucan
September 2009
By now it is common knowledge that America is fat. Two-thirds of adults, according to a recent study, are overweight or obese, up from 15 percent in 1980. It is also frequently reported that obesity rates are higher in the South, but can region itself be a contributing factor? Researchers Patricia A. Duffy, Claire Zizza, and Henry Kinnucan asked this question in their recent paper "Nutrition, Food Security, and Obesity among Low-Income Residents of the South," and as part of this Economic Research Service/RIDGE report, they found that the South does not make you fat.
Marketing Food Specialty Products Online
Stan Ernst
July 2009
The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative, in coordination with the Southern Rural Development Center, is pleased to announce the release of Marketing Food Specialty Products Online, an online learning module, researched by Stan Ernst and designed by the National e-Commerce Extension Initiative team. The learning module was made for use by grocery store managers and marketers of specialty food products. Whether the food business is large with many employees or a small operation with very specialized sales, all can benefit from this self-paced learning module. With this new tool, food managers can evaluate the role of that technology in their business, examine the strategies necessary to institute the technology and weigh out cost /benefit measures. If the business is already using technology, the module also presents ideas on how to refocus and improve current uses.
A Beginner’s Guide e-Commerce Curriculum: Easy Tools for Profit
Kimball P. Marshall
May 2009
The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative is excited to announce the release of its latest curriculum, A Beginner’s Guide to e-Commerce: Easy Tools for Profit by Kimball P. Marshall. Designed to prepare and encourage entrepreneurs to start small-scale online selling opportunities, the curriculum first stimulates belief and confidence in the ability to use e-commerce techniques to achieve personal goals and then provides simple approaches to e-commerce such as using online auction sites.
Community-Based Planning Guidebook Redesigned
Gene Theodori
May 2009
The SRDC is happy to announce the re-release of its popular guidebook, Preparing for the Future: A Guide to Community-Based Planning, by Gene L. Theodori, Sam Houston State University. Developed for Extension professionals, this guidebook fuses creative techniques with applied community and economic development principles to facilitate a flexible planning process with community leaders and citizens.
Untangling Rural Unemployment Rates
Bo Beaulieu and Roberto Gallardo
April 2009
Research has shown that the economic downturn has been harder on rural manufacturing areas than on farming communities. Taking a closer look at how rural counties have fared and potential influences, SRDC Director Lionel “Bo” Beaulieu and Research Associate Roberto Gallardo have found that outmigration, long-term poverty and other socio-economic features may account for the disparity.
CRED – Strategic Directions for Extension Community Resource and Economic Development
March 2009
The national Community Resource and Economic Development (CRED) Extension Program Leaders have recognized that creating a clear strategic direction for Extension programming in this area is essential to strengthen and market programs as well as to expand the resources and partnerships critical to working effectively with communities. To this end the new report, CRED – Strategic Directions for Extension Community Resource and Economic Development is offered as a unified voice to help the Cooperative Extension Service and CRED professionals work from a common framework of collaboration, learning and communication to address needs and opportunities in a complex environment for our communities.
A Look at the Mid South Delta Region: A Glimpse of Its Assets, Socioeconomic Complexion, and Emerging Opportunities
Bo Beaulieu and Marcus Littles
March 2009
The Mid South Delta Region is blessed with some of our nation’s most diverse resources, resources that are linked to its culture heritage, natural resource amenities, and vibrant agriculture and manufacturing-based economies. But, local and global forces, along with technological advancements, have brought major stresses to the region. The newly released SRDC report, A Look at the Mid South Delta Region: A Glimpse of Its Assets, Socioeconomic Complexion, and Emerging Opportunities, discusses the region’s assets and stresses while looking forward to possibilities ahead to improve the social and economic conditions. This report was funded in part by the National Rural Funders Collaborative.
From Blueprint to Action: 2008 Annual Report
January 2009
The SRDC is pleased to announce the release of its 2008 Annual Report. Titled “From Blueprint to Action,” the document showcases the key activities launched by the Center over the past year that align with its three strategic priorities -- Fostering Civic-Minded Communities; Building Economically Vibrant Communities; and Expanding Opportunities for Distressed and Low-Wealth Communities.
2008 Publications
An Assessment of Alternative Measures for Determining Economically Distressed Counties and Areas in the Appalachian Region
Mark Partridge, Linda Lobao, P. Wilner Jeanty, Lionel J. “Bo” Beaulieu, Stephan Goetz
November 2008
Over the past year, a team of researchers from Ohio State, Penn State and the SRDC worked in concert with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) on a project designed to take a fresh look at the current indicators employed by the ARC to classify counties as economically distressed. This important initiative took stock of the strengths and limitations associated with the current indicators being employed by the ARC, and attempted to showcase a series of new indicators and data sources that could advance the capacity of the ARC to better assess the long-term socioeconomic viability of counties in its region. These new indicators included “forward-looking” measures, as well as indicators of social capabilities. After a careful evaluation of over 50 potential indicators, the team recommended that seven key variables be adopted by ARC to monitor economic distress in the region.
Strengthening Competitive Advantage of Rural Businesses with e-Commerce and Experience Economy Strategies
M. Jeong, A. M. Fiore, H. Oh, L. Niehm, and C. Hausafus
December 2008
This new e-commerce curriculum is designed to improve the competiveness of small rural retail, hospitality and tourism businesses. Its main goals are to enhance the understanding of experiential strategies and demonstrate how these strategies and demonstrate how these strategies can be effectively incorporated into a firm’s Web site design.
Helping Artisans Reach Global Markets
Pamela J. Brown
November 2008
Providing educational information to crafters (artisans) on the benefits and methods of utilizing e-commerce to strengthen their businesses is the central focus of this curriculum. The content of the course provide artisans with sound, research-based information to make decisions on whether or not to develop a Web page, how to do it, utilize resources, and evaluate effectiveness. Though the benefits of e-commerce are well documented, there are limitations to its effectiveness in some cases.
e-Commerce as a Strategy for Improving Business Vitality: Lessons Learned from Rural Businesses
David L. Barkley, Deborah Markley, and R. David Lamie
November 2008
Entrepreneurs considering using e-commerce as a business development strategy can learn from the experience of others. Case studies can provide insight into the opportunities, challenges and potential impacts of e-commerce on business. Since many business owners seek assistance through counseling and classes, these case studies may be used by instructors to help illustrate the promise and the reality of e-commerce strategies.
An Evaluation of the Southern Rural Community College Initiative (2002-2007)
Priscilla Salant and Stephanie Kane
October 2008
As a capstone to the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) program coordinated by the Southern Rural Development Center and the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development from 2002-2007, the SRDC has released an evaluation of the RCCI program in the Southern Region. Authored by Priscilla Salant and Stephanie Kane of the University of Idaho, the report examines four key questions that are crucial in determining the success of the effort in the region. Through site visits to every RCCI team and discussions with RCCI college administrators, land-grant university faculty and residents of the colleges' service areas, the report examines the Ford Foundation's expectations of the program as well as the realities of implementation by the Initiative's partners.
Connecting Rural Communities
William Shuffstall, Sheila Sager, Rae Montgomery, & Dana Noonan
June 2008
Connecting the community and its members to the world through the Internet is becoming increasingly essential for community vitality. Yet, within rural communities, this task can be challenging. Connecting Rural Communities, the most recently released curriculum in the National E-Commerce Initiative, is designed to help rural communities conquer this challenge. Redesigned and rereleased, Connecting Rural Communities is designed to enhance the use and adoption of information technology tools and infrastructure in rural communities.
Internet Strategies to Improve Farm Business Management
Sarah Roth, Jeffery Hyde, Ellie Hollabaugh Vranich
March 2008
The primary purpose of this course is to educate farm managers about existing Internet-based technologies that they can use to enhance or compliment their managerial skills.
