Appalachian Health and Well-Being

by Robert L. Ludke, Phillip J. Obermiller, Richard A. Couto

Overview

Appalachians have been characterized as a population with numerous disparities in health and limited access to medical services and infrastructures, leading to inaccurate generalizations that inhibit their healthcare progress. Appalachians face significant challenges in obtaining effective care, and the public lacks information about both their healthcare needs and about the resources communities have developed to meet those needs.

In Appalachian Health and Well-Being, editors Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller bring together leading researchers and practitioners to provide a much-needed compilation of data- and research-driven perspectives, broadening our understanding of strategies to decrease the health inequalities affecting both rural and urban Appalachians. The contributors propose specific recommendations for necessary research, suggest practical solutions for health policy, and present best practices models for effective health intervention. This in-depth analysis offers new insights for students, health practitioners, and policy makers, promoting a greater understanding of the factors affecting Appalachian health and effective responses to those needs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813135861
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	04/20/2012
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert L. Ludke is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He is also a member of the Board of the Urban Appalachian Council. Phillip J. Obermiller is a Senior Visiting Scholar in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati and a past president of the Appalachian Studies Association.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Foreword xi

Introduction 1

Part I Appalachian Health Determinants

1 Genetic Contributions to Health Melanie F. Myers Carol S. Baugh 27

2 Health and the Physical Environment Michael S. Hendryx 47

3 The Quest for an Appalachian Health Lifestyle Evelyn A. Knight 67

4 Health Care Systems Joel A. Halverson Gilbert H. Friedell Eleanor Sue Cantrell Bruce A. Behringer 89

Part II Appalachian Health Status

5 The Heart of Appalachia Ann L. McCracken E. Kelly Firesheets 111

6 Diabetes and Its Management Sharon A. Denham 131

7 Obesity and Food Insecurity Jennifer Chubinski Mark A. Carrozza 149

8 Cancer-Related Disparities James L. Fisher John M. McLaughlin Mira L. Katz Mary Ellen Wewers Mark B. Dignan Electra D. Paskett 167

9 Chronic Kidney Disease-A Hidden Illness Barbara B. Weaner Rebecca J. Schmidt 187

10 Trauma Levi D. Procter Andrew C. Bernard Paul A. Kearney Julia F. Costich 209

11 Mental Health Susan E. Keefe Lisa Curtin 223

12 Substance Abuse Michael S. Dunn Bruce A. Behringer Kristine Harper Bowers 251

13 Oral Health Daniel W. McNeil Richard J. Crout Mary L. Marazita 275

Part III Urban Appalachian Health

14 Identifying Appalachians Outside the Region Robert L. Ludke Phillip J. Obermiller Eric W. Rademacher Shiloh K. Turner 297

15 The Health Status and Health Determinants of Urban Appalachian Adults and Children Robert L. Ludke Phillip J. Obermiller Ronnie D. Horner 315

16 Community-Based Participatory Health Research in an Urban Appalachian Neighborhood M. Kathryn Brown 339

Acknowledgments 361

Selected Bibliography 363

List of Contributors 367

Index 371

Editorial Reviews

An important and much-needed book. Mountaineers, both those inside the region as well as those beyond it, will receive better care from health-care providers and more humane treatment by policy makers if both read carefully the multidisciplinary perspectives contained in this timely volume.

Chad Berry

Appalachian Health and Well-being develops an enriched analytical framework for health care and creates a new, comprehensive source of knowledge that will benefit multidirectional efforts to improve Appalachian health. Authors offer informed recommendations for assessing and preventing disease and promoting health. This compilation is a pioneering work that will inform and guide readers and serve as a model for future Appalachian health research.

Journal of Appalachian Studies

Brings together researchers who present data addressing health disparities affecting urban and rural Appalachians and offers possible solutions.

Kentucky Enquirer

A truly exemplary book.... Surveys nine areas of health in the region and concludes with policy recommendations.

Apalachian Heritage

A well-written, insightful work that encompasses the breadth of this important topic.

Baretta R. Casey

An excellent introduction to the persisting health challenges of Appalachia, where health disparities are one of the continuing markers of inequality. In this volume some of the region's leading health researchers examine the economic, environmental, behavioral and systemic causes of those disparities.

Ronald D Eller

This volume pulls together an enormous amount of information that has been scattered in obscure publications in diverse fields. It synthesizes that information, puts it in context, and makes it available to the anyone interested in general health issues. It should be in the library of every postsecondary education institution with an Appalachian constituency.

Wayne Meyers

Ludke and Obermiller's work goes far beyond the borders of Appalachia to document the relationship between health and economic status. It particularly emphasizes the long-term effects of poverty on health. Its usefulness is not limited to Appalachia but to all those who believe that the opportunity for good health should not be defined by income and wealth.

William W. Philliber

While the idea of geographically-based health disparities is still evolving, this engaging resource has greatly expanded the concept in what is a remarkable volume of well-organized, well-written, evidence-based studies on health in Appalachia presented from a host of critical perspectives. This book should become required reading for policy makers, health care providers, community activists, and students everywhere.

Elke Jones Zschaebitz

Ludke and Obermiller summarize the state of Appalachian health.... An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia.

Kentucky Libraries

"This volume pulls together an enormous amount of information that has been scattered in obscure publications in diverse fields. It synthesizes that information, puts it in context, and makes it available to the anyone interested in general health issues. It should be in the library of every postsecondary education institution with an Appalachian constituency." — Wayne Meyers, M.D.

"A well-written, insightful work that encompasses the breadth of this important topic." — Baretta R. Casey, M.D., M.P.H.

"Ludke and Obermiller's work goes far beyond the borders of Appalachia to document the relationship between health and economic status. It particularly emphasizes the long-term effects of poverty on health. Its usefulness is not limited to Appalachia but to all those who believe that the opportunity for good health should not be defined by income and wealth." — William W. Philliber, author of Appalachian Migrants in Urban America

"An important and much-needed book. Mountaineers, both those inside the region as well as those beyond it, will receive better care from health-care providers and more humane treatment by policy makers if both read carefully the multidisciplinary perspectives contained in this timely volume." — Chad Berry, author of Southern Migrants, Northern Exiles

"An excellent introduction to the persisting health challenges of Appalachia, where health disparities are one of the continuing markers of inequality. In this volume some of the region's leading health researchers examine the economic, environmental, behavioral and systemic causes of those disparities." — Ronald D Eller, Distinguished Professor of History, author of Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945

"Brings together researchers who present data addressing health disparities affecting urban and rural Appalachians and offers possible solutions." — Kentucky Enquirer

"Ludke and Obermiller summarize the state of Appalachian health.... An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia." — Kentucky Libraries

"A truly exemplary book.... Surveys nine areas of health in the region and concludes with policy recommendations." — Apalachian Heritage

"An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia." — Kentucky Libraries

"This medical text, the first of its kind, focuses on health of the region's inhabitants as well as those who have moved away." — Library Journal

"While the idea of geographically-based health disparities is still evolving, this engaging resource has greatly expanded the concept in what is a remarkable volume of well-organized, well-written, evidence-based studies on health in Appalachia presented from a host of critical perspectives. This book should become required reading for policy makers, health care providers, community activists, and students everywhere." — Elke Jones Zschaebitz, David C. Gordon, Family and Community Health

" Appalachian Health and Well-being develops an enriched analytical framework for health care and creates a new, comprehensive source of knowledge that will benefit multidirectional efforts to improve Appalachian health. Authors offer informed recommendations for assessing and preventing disease and promoting health. This compilation is a pioneering work that will inform and guide readers and serve as a model for future Appalachian health research." — Journal of Appalachian Studies

From the Publisher