Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Meeting Minutes NC 1171 Annual Meeting October 13-15, 2010 Nashville, TN Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Present: Tricia Dyk, Jess Kropczynski, Betty Grier, Janie Burney, Ann Berry, Carolyn Bird, Kim Greder, Lori Yancura, Sara Dodd, Anisa Zvonkovic, Sally Gillman, Karen Shirer, Jean Bauer, Liz Dolan, Ramona Oswald, Liz Holman, Yoshie Sano, Suzanne Knight, Chris Cook, Fran Lawrence, Lynne Brown, Susan Churchill, Bonnie Braun, Lenna Ontai, Suzanne Smith, Sharon Seiling, Bonnie Braun, Lis Maring, Swetha Valluri, Cathey Huddleston-Casas, Karen Varcoe, Sheila Mammen "Welcome from Ann Berry "Introductions and Preview of Meeting  Sheila Mammen 1. Contact Information for NC1171 Membership 2. Publication Lists 3. Greeting cards circulated for Robyn Douthitt and Carolyn Crocoll "State Updates on Data Collection 1. Carolyn Bird  NC has selected county and contacted an agent to help collect data. Funding has been obtained to pay participants (but not referrals). Notes: Five to six states indicated that they had IRB approval; Cash has found to be preferred over gift certificates. We are keeping track of FAQs and making them available to help members with data collection. 2. Kim Greder  IA - has IRB approval, interviewers are trained, seeds have been contacted, 3 in-person interviews are complete (they are waiting for USB drives). Extension already has a positive rapport with families from the state. Kim is sending USB to extension field person who is then distributing them to the field person (they developed a coding tree to track USB drives). FYI- protocol has been translated and available for anyone else interested in interviewing Spanish-speaking families. IA has added questions about living in your community. Got a grant from the American Family and Consumer Sciences. Iowa paid for the translation. Kim will send protocol for community living to everyone who can use it as they see fit. 3. Lori Yancura - HI  still waiting for funding and IRB approval. 4. Ramona Faith Oswald - IL poised on the brink of IRB approval. Liz has been looking at literature on rural lesbian mothers living in poverty and will send literature on health issues among lesbian mothers. 5. Liz Dolan  NH - looking at the North Country in New Hampshire. Original sampling protocol was problematic; they have four interviews completed. New protocol has been approved by IRB. Due to weather concerns, they will stop interviewing in November. They had to return money because of sampling problems. 6. Sally Gilman  SD - IRB approved. Will be collecting data at an Indian reservation. She has established contact with a community informant, but participants are not recruited. Sally has been spending more time in the community to build trust and is hopeful for increased recruitment. The next step is to try to obtain approval from tribal counsel. 7. Lenna Ontai  CA  have IRB approval  county, agent, and interviewer identified (interviewer is being hired by UC system). Data collection is due to be completed some time in November. They are considering Spanish language data collection. 8. Susan Churchill  NE  has IRB approval will be collecting data in the next couple of weeks  grad student and interviewers are hired. Phrasing on data collection with community contacts may need to be done face-to-face. 9. Fran Lawrence  LAanticipates IRB approval by the end of the year. She is still having problems with obtaining money and asks how she can contribute to the project. 10. Yoshie Sano  WA  has completed 45 interviews and ironed out IRB and sampling protocols. When she is all done with the interviews, she will have 20 Spanish-speaking participants. Recruitment has been a difficult process. They spent a lot of time in the field to recruit mothers and are optimistic about the new sampling method. The PI must pay close attention to the interviewers to see what they are doing. It is recommended that the PI collect data from a few interviewers themselves. Note: The USB drives for data collection are set up such that  once you end the interview  you cannot go back and change/edit the data until data cleaning. You can, however, recycle drives. 11. Jess Kropczynski - KY  has IRB approval. May have trouble with the flyer because it needs to go through UK PR department. Putting through sampling modifications. Have a grad assistant. 12. Ann Berry  TN  still looking for funding (Alliance for Women and Philanthropy) 13. Sheila Mammen  MA  Have been working on data collection since June. Things have opened up since we have changed recruitment methodology. Screening is much easier with the new methodology, it also helps to establish rapport. Note: Sheila has found it very useful to laminate more scales- interviews are lasting about an hour. 14. State that has dropped out: WY  still unsure about funding for HI, NC, TN, & MN. "Review of Changes to Sampling Framework Susan Churchill 1. Background: Nebraska is our data hub, BOSR (Bureau of Sociologial Research) 2. We are doing Mixed Purposive Sampling, which combines RDS with flyers to recruit participants. 3. We started with Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) because its a unique way to get hard-to-reach populations. a. Benefits of RDS are that we can track social networks b. RDS gets rid of snowball bias after the 4th wave 4. Pilot of RDS: WA a. Participants didnt want to give out coupons, were hesitant to call a 1-800 number b. Made adjustments from 1 to 3 seeds, created a system of a deadline/expiration date, changed recruitment to a local telephone number. 5. Snowball Sampling not approved by Nebraska IRB a. privacy issue of participants giving other participants private information  cant sample participants based on information that wasnt privately available 6. NOW Mixed Purposive Sampling a. Identify seeds and give coupons to all participants as before b. Post flyers in places where potential respondents may see them and treat them like an initial seed  participants recruited via flyer will still get their three coupons 7. Screening Reform/New Protocol a. Participants will call a local number, perhaps a pre-paid cell phone number b. Use the paper screener to screen participants who call you c. Set up interview immediately after screening d. States will use USB drives to conduct interviews i. now need to buy 20 USB drives (2 GB) ii. send to BOSR before interviews BOSR will mail forwarded drives to you e. States send USB drives to BOSR i. ONCE YOU FINISH INTERVIEW you cannot go back ii. Make sure you read training materials  method of ejecting disk is tricky iii. You can save data on your desktop as a back up  you wont be able to read it, but you can save a copy 8. So what do we do again? a. Buy USB drives & send to BOSR b. Print screener & be prepared to administer c. Find a community contact and initial seeds d. Find appropriate community places to post flyers e. When someone calls, administer the Screener f. If qualified, schedule face-to-face interview g. Send USB drives to BOSR (in sets of 5 or 10) h. Continue interviews until done i. Individual state procedure for compensating participants Action Items: Carolyn Bird to write justification for sampling protocol and send to Board within 2 weeks. "Discussion on Budget & Data Management (moved from Thursday 10/14) 1. State Data a. Everyone has access to their own States data  send an e-mail to Susan to request it. b. DO NOT e-mail Amanda for Data 2. State Data & Cleaning a. Each state will clean its own data (you will receive instructions) b. Return your data to NE (NOT BOSR) within 30 days of the time you receive it so NE can compile master dataset 3. Using the Data a. SPSS syntax for creating subscales and other variables will be made available to each state  you can use it to work with your state data b. Within a reasonable amount of time (to be discussed later), the multi-state data set will be created and made available. 4. Where has all of your money been going? (See Appendix B) a. Basic Budget i. Each state has paid/will pay $1,325 for data collection ii.BOSR has invoiced us each quarter iii.We are currently negative approx $3K b. BOSR money ($14, 261.94) has been going to i. Personnel ($13,385.92) ii. Postage ($248.37) iii. Supplies ($577.41) iv. Copies ($50.44) c. Modifications i. Took out USB drives ii. Changed BOSR screener to state screener iii. NO State calls to BOSR for ordinary things (contact Susan/Cathey) d. Benefits  we got upfront support from BOSR in questionnaire set up and will have cleaner data. We still got our moneys worth from BOSR. e. Other services from BOSR i. States will need to pay individually for consultation from Amanda from BOSR ii.It is possible that states can contact BOSR individually for other services, such as data cleaning. Note: If you run into a problem  read the training manual, read the FAQs, read the (to be created) Lessons Learned from Data Collection document, or e-mail the Executive Board @ NC1171_Board. 5. Question: How can we communicate information from paper screener to NE? We will need that information for overall response rates. 6. Comments from Sheila a. A note specifying that participants may need help with calculating income (summed from all sources) to FAQs. b. There is an error in the skip pattern of the Are you working question, which brings up inappropriate questions  this will be fixed. c. Sheila laminated many of the complicated scales, which helped the interviewing process. 7. Tour of Google Docs with Susan a. Go to folder with NC1171 b. It includes a folder with IRB materials 8. Data Information: a. Yoshie and her student have already set up a draft codebook and an SPSS syntax file b. Susan has an access file set up with variables accessible by topic (i.e., child mental health) - this includes reliability and eventually tracking to articles and authors 9. Governance document (on google docs) specify rules for authorship, collaboration, and use of variables. Possible solutions would be for: a. Authors might send variables/analysis that they are interested in for a certain paper to Lori to log them. b. Workload of keeping track of this should be distributed among a small group of people c. We will need a mechanism to keep track of publications and use of the data  it needs to be a simple process by which everyone works together. d. The executive committee is responsible for making sure that trust is maintained e. Might be maintained via a discussion board or another online collaborative tool f. All members of the group should be able to use variables/indices created by other members of the group  especially when they are in the public domain. Note: Point of reference for cost of BOSR. On previous project states sent approximately $6,000 each for data management and collection Action Items: a) Nebraska will need to revise invoice (if necessary) for States b) Susan/Cathey to distribute protocol for States to communicate information from the screener to NE, c) Yoshie to develop codebook, d) discuss governance document issues more fully on Friday. Thursday, October 14, 2010 "Greetings from the University of Tennessee Janet Cluck, Central Region Extension Program Director Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. "Report on Federal Research Goals and Budget Caroline Crocoll & Aida Balsano, NIFA/USDA 1. Carolyn has been promoted. Aida will be filling her position, but had previously planned to be away from the office 2. Letter from Caroline Crocoll  National Program Leader for FCS (Attachment D) "Comments from Administrative Advisor Karen Shirer, Associate Dean University of Minnesota Extension Advice for NC1171 a. We are doing true integrated work, with strong research and solid extension components  this is important for the current environment. b. We are examining important issues, including GLBT work and New Americans (diversity). c. Think about CAP  Community Action Participatory Research  AFRI proposals. d. Encourage group members to become AFRI reviewers e. Grant Writing Workshop was valuable  most important aspect was meeting and talking with the program leaders f. Read RFAs carefully, there are age-ranges in the childhood obesity ones. g. There are both integrated and extension-only proposals. h. Write the best grant you can and know that its very competitive. i. Look for childhood obesity funding opportunities. Probably focus will be on institutional opportunities. j. Keep an eye on the Primary Care Extension Program  focus on prevention k. Fatherhood Marriage and Family Innovation Fund is a retooling of the Healthy Marriage Initiative. Focus on job & getting people working. l. ERS  USDA Economic Research System m. Keep an eye on local foods, food systems, and food security Codebook Yoshie Sano 1. Status a. SPSS syntax has been written b. Draft codebook has been started 2. Format of codebook still to be determined a. Might be possibly like codebook from previous project b. Might be structured like an access database c. The hope is to make it interactive so we can use technology to track variable/concept use d. Keep Susan and Yoshie posted on work groups, additional data collected, and variable/concept use. Working Groups 1. Two threads that MUST run through all groups a. Policy and practice b. Integration of Research and Extension 2. Discussion of existing workgroup set up: child health, adult health, social/contextual support, economic well-being, food security a. The question is  what is the most effective way to produce? b. Working groups can be interactive and overlapping 3. Measures are posted on google docs in IRB folder 4. Workgroups were asked to complete the Work Group Action Register (see Attachment E) to record their ideas and set up communication systems. 5. Outcomes of workgroups can be grants, research publications, and extension programs. Publication outlets should be considered. 6. It is recommended that the number of authors range from 3-5 on each article. They should be from different states. 7. Consider using RFS data. There are many variables and lots of qualitative information. 8. Potential Groups: a. Mothers Health b. Parenting c. Economic well-being d. Food security e. GLBT f. Housing security g. Community Environment (Childhood Obesity) h. Built and Natural environment i. Methodology, Diversity of Sample & sampling issues j. Child Health 9. Cross-Cutting Groups: a. Internal Factors (family) b. External Factors (environment) Friday, October 15, 2010 Qualitative Protocol Chris Cook and Ramona Oswald 1. Keep memos and field notes of issues that are important to your questions and your families 2. Sit for a few moments after interviewers to sit and think of those questions that are begging to be asked 3. Look through the RFSH proposal posted on google docs to review the things we said we would do. a. Policy and practice b. Integration of Research and Extension 4. Discussion of existing workgroup set up: child health, adult health, social/contextual support, economic well-being, food security 5. Table #1 Ideas a. Isolated populations, home schooling b. Healthcare: where do you go when you get sick? c. How do you navigate social and municipal services? d. When you need a service, how do you go about getting it? e. Health literacy? If youre going to people who are not professionals, do you feel like? f. Sense of coherence  how do you empower women? g. Importance of family rituals h. Seed location communities  political i. Photovoice cameras 6. Table #2 Ideas a. Environmental scan  neighborhood walk, whats the access and proximity of resources for families, hours of operation? How many times can you come? Digital camera. Take pictures. Tell us what you see in the picture. b. What helps you raise your kids to be healthy. What is healthy? What are the kinds of things that make it difficult for you to raise healthy kids. c. Workplace flexibility for Drs appointments, school events d. Tell me about the place that you live, what do you like about it? e. Access to grocery stores from their perspective. Is that the kind of grocery store that families feel they need. 7. Table #3 Ideas a. Whats accessible and available. b. Has there been a time that you needed dental care? What did you do? How were you treated? c. Tell me about a time that your child needed medical care, what did you do? (or emergency care) d. Was there ever a time that you needed medicine and couldnt get it, what did you do? e. Looking around banks and financial. Are there check cashing, payday lenders, and formal financial institutions in the neighborhood. Are you banked? Is there a family history of using banks? f. Some employers are loading pay on an EBT card. How do you receive your pay? g. Tell me about the last time you borrowed money? How did you do it? Did you borrow from a friend/family? Did you try to attempt a formal system? h. House and yard  is there a designated play space? Whats the distance between house and park? Are there sidewalks? Is the play space safe? i. If you had a little extra money and wanted to celebrate, what would you do? 8. Table #4 a. What can we get from documents? Archival research/community profile. Who might be informants. Congress records, county records, Dept. of Ed., Google Maps, Geocommons, Podunk, American housing survey (HUD) graffiti, trash, boarded buildings, foreclosures, hospitals, clinics, home day cares. 9. General things to think about a. Each of us could read/write about the histories of our specific counties. b. GIS coding? c. Well have to be careful about standardization Core Health Messages: A Strategy to Improve the Health and Well-Being of Rural, Low-Income Families 1. Including this grant, USDA has committed over $1M to RFS & RFSH 2. Overall Goal: To improve the health outcomes of rural, low-income families with children and of the communities in which they live 3. Unique things about this project a. Developed a user-friendly IRB consent form b. This project is designed to address health messages from the very beginning 4. Stories from the By-Ways of Life: Tales of Hopes, Dreams, and Things in Between 5. Important insights gained through RFS a. Health (and other) outcomes are the result of interactions among a variety of factors at different levels. b. Many issues such as physical and mental health, food security and nutrition, education, income, and employment are interconnected. 6. Food insecurity in their own words 7. Development of Core Rural Health Messages a. Analyze data from RFS & FRSH and the Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2010 to identify areas of highest need as the basis for Core Health Message development b. Initial messages (in both English and Spanish) will be drafted by grant PIs, grant consultants, participating state PIs, and a health communications specialist. 8. Messages must be: direct, simple, & culturally sensitive; take into account the complicated web of concerns in which health is but one issue, delivered in conjunction with other related information. 9. Testing of Core Rural Health Messages 10. Forums are specifically about healthcare access Discussion of Rural Health Grant Bonnie Braun and Lis Manning 1. Development of Message Areas  The Buckets a. Part 1: Everyday Tasks  What can mothers get done in one minute Brush teeth Drink a glass of water Take a few deep breaths Make sure children have shoes/socks on Wash some dishes Do ten sit ups Stop  look listen Say a prayer Send a text Stretch One minute massage/rub their feet Make the bed Water the plants Wipe a countertop b. Part 2: Mother & Familys Health: What can mothers get done in 1 minute? DH: brush teeth, rinse mouth, floss, smile, wiggle jaw, change toothbrush, chew a red tablet, suggest an apple MH: pray, stretch, time out, deep breath, stop-look-listen, meditate, close your eyes, think of something happy, stand in the sun, look a picture, inspirational reading, affirmations, say something nice to your family member, give/get a hug, think of 3 things that youre grateful for, slow down, water plants, talk to your plants, send a positive text/e-mail, think about three things youre good at (you do well), make and a meet a daily goal PH: stretch, drink water, do 10 pushups, walk your dog, check your pulse/blood pressure, take your medicines, eat a piece of fruit, weigh yourself, run down the driveway (around the block), shake it out, dance to a song, N & FS: drink water, eat a fruit, check refrigerator, wash dishes, cut a vegetable, read a recipe, water a garden/plant a seed, HCA: find a doctor/dentist number, ask a friend about their Dr. Dentist, write Dr./Dentist number, write prescription refill on your calendar/budet, make a list of things you want to ask your Dr. c. Follow up Questions: i. what did you think about?  do ability ii. constraints?  what is in your environment iii. what action messages can mothers take in each of these areas?  need to think of their environment, need to establish rapport, ask them about advice they would give to others, d. Research-Based Activity (notes on handouts) e. Review of Grant i. All states collecting FRSH data will conduct 8 interviewers  ½ hour  Sheila will send IRB ii. Some states will be doing focus groups (list on presentation from yesterday) iii. Maryland will conduct forums iv. Core health messages will be constructed  states collecting data will be allowed to review and comment on them v. RFSH data will only be used from WA & MA  it will not be used in published articles until later 2. Clarification: messages will not be copyrighted by USDA  credit for development will be given to NC1171 and Bonnie/Lis team Business Meeting 1. Executive Board Membership a. Nominations: by Liz Dolan nominating committee i. Carolyn Bird to continue as VP of Grant writing ii. Ramona Faith Oswald as chair b. Liz Dolan moved to fill both positions with nominees c. Karen Varcoe seconded d. Vote unanimous to approve 3. Board Downsizing: Yoshie will be stepping down as VP of Data Management but will continue on the Board. She will provide assistance with coding and syntax . 4. Grant Possibilities a. Possible AFRI Challenge Areas i. Childhood Obesity Prevention ii. Global food security b. What to look for on NIH Grants i. Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (see #s on presentation) for R01 and R21) ii. Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy iii. Obesity Policy Research: Evaluation and Measures c. NIMH (Sheila) i. Topics  depression, anxiety disorder, eating disorder ii. Division  Division of Services and Intervention Resource 5. General Tips a. Attend a Grant writing workshop b. Contact your program officer c. We are looking to fund 2013 group data collection efforts d. Group expectations i. You can do your own thing if youre working within your state ii. If group data are used, the group must benefit from this. iii. Be careful, administration really frowns on many subcontracts  shoot for one large grant with fewer subcontracts. Action Item: NIH Template written by LeighAnne & Carolyn for NIH grants Lori to ensure its posted on google docs Review of Timeline for NC 1171 1. Send Payment to Nebraska, $1,325.00 -- ASAP -- Approved 2. Quantitative data collection -- Completed by March 31, 2011 -- Approved 3. Drop-dead deadline for states to submit cleaned data  May 15, 2011  Approved If you are late, your state will NOT be in the Basebook 4. Data set available for general use  September 1, 2011  Approved 5. Basebook available for general use  September 15, 2011 -- Approved 6. Send draft of qualitative protocol to membership  April 5, 2011 -- Approved 7. Finalize qualitative protocol  May 2011  Approved 8. Interview Training (webinar)  Late May/Early June 9. Pilot for qualitative protocol  May/June 2011 -- Approved 10. Qualitative data collection  July 2011-March 2012 -- Approved 11. Coding of qualitative data  Approved Note: Qualitative Protocol Committee: Anisa, Susanne Smith, Chris Cook, Ramona Oswald, Sheila Mammen Governance Document 1. When there is a problem, a discussion with the project will solve it. 2. Karen Shirer read it very carefully and noted that it was thorough. All members should read it carefully. 3. Unanimous motion carried to approve the governance document. 2011 Annual Meeting 1. Ramona announced that UC Riverside is willing to host. Any other campus willing to host? 2. Unanimous to hold the meeting in Riverside. 3. Date discussion: Must be after October 1, 2011 for new fiscal year. Need to keep it somewhat flexible so Karen Varcoe and navigate availability dates for the meeting location. Karen will prioritize Wed. Thurs. & Friday of the last week on October (26th-28th) 4. Members voted to do the Mission Inn Tour

In CA, work has resulted in increased knowledge of the lives of Californias low-income, rural population. In particular, the work has revealed that increased transnationalism can result in limited connections and knowledge of community resources, but not necessarily to decreases in housing stability or health. Partnerships also seem to be at the forefront of decisions these mothers make about parenting, work, and relationships with extended family as they strive to create a stable life for their children. These findings are important to consider as family resources for rural communities continue to be reduced in current budget decisions In HI, attempts to fund data collection have resulted in increased awareness of female-headed, low-income, rural families. In IL, attempts to fund data collection have resulted in increased awareness of female-headed, low-income, rural families. In KY, findings show that poverty and health status are consistently linked for rural families, and the recursive nature of the relationships between poverty and poverty-related household characteristics (e.g., food insecurity, poor quality housing) and family health status may contribute to a cycle of poverty. We continue to see how health barriers within the family affect sustained employment for the family as a whole. Results of our qualitative analysis illustrate how mothers own health is not the only barrier to employment, often partner or child's health play a large role. In addition, the ability to meet basic needs of housing, food security, and health services is particularly challenging for low-income rural families with children. There exists a complex interplay of household and community context factors that underlie a families ability to access resources to meet their needs including income, outside assistance, food security, stable employment, adult health, and knowledge and accessibility of community resources. In LA, information from this project was disseminated to county Extension Agents. In MA , published articles presented further information about rural low-income mothers attitudes and behavior regarding the EITC and their decision to pursue post-secondary education. The results also highlight the significant role that public policy can play to improve the lives of rural families. (1) The variables that were statistically significant in determining rural mothers post-secondary educational opportunities included the tuition and fees for a community/technical college, whether or not the participants father had a post-secondary education, whether or not the participant was living with a partner, the presence of a pre-school aged child, and whether or not the participant lived in a state that had strict Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) work requirements. (2) EITC non-participants were more likely to be Hispanic, be less educated, have larger families, perceive their income as being inadequate, live in more rural counties, and possess little or no understanding of the tax credit. Participating mothers, on the other hand, were more food secure, satisfied with life, and lived in states with a state EITC. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that rural mothers had many misconceptions about the EITC. Public policies and outreach efforts should be formulated to increase EITC participation. MN work from the rural families project has concentrated on overarching economic well-being on research around employment of mothers, resources use for families with children with a disability, and better understanding working families that receive Earned Income Tax Credits and their financial distress. The mothers in an intermittent over time were classified into job change, job loss, or job gain categories. The quantitative analysis compared the group that remained in the job market, but changed jobs to mothers who gained jobs or lost jobs. Mothers who had a lower level of education, more depressive symptoms, more health problems, or added a child or had a child under one-year were more likely to have a job loss. Only mothers who received TANF in wave 1 were more likely to have a job gain in the future. The qualitative analysis identified health problems, pregnancy, as barriers to obtaining maintaining employment. The age of children influenced the hours and type of work schedules of mothers. Work environment of flexible and understanding employers plus public assistance and local job markets were important for mothers to maintain employment. Additional education and training allowed some mothers to have job gain. Single mothers who were continuously employed received more social support, especially from family and employers who where flexible and understanding. Single mothers despite all the difficulties, try to utilize their limited resources and adopt strategies for combining family and work life even though their demands and resources vary over time. Mothers who were raising a child with a disability faced many barriers to employment and were creative in their resource use. Child care was the largest barrier for these mothers. Rural families in the study received EITC at a lower rate than national averages. The lowest level of earners were the least likely to file for the tax credit. The families that did not file for the EITC also experienced greater income inadequacy and perception of economic loss. All of these studies recommended some policy changes and ways to increase education with policy makers and professionals working with families. The Nebraska team has worked closely with other states to assist in obtaining IRB clearance. They have also worked closely with the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR) to finalize the in-person protocol and to prepare the materials needed by each of the states for the interviews. Nebraska has had primary responsibility material preparation (e.g., copies of questionnaires, materials needed, etc). The Nebraska team has also been closely involved with the Executive Board as changes have been made to the methodology based upon feedback from the pilot states. Nebraska IRB has been approved and all materials needed for data collection have been distributed to individual states. A community contact has been identified and an interviewer is being trained. Data collection is anticipated to begin in October. NH: Because she was instrumental in the founding of the NH Statewide EITC Alliance, Suzann Enzian Knight was invited to share information about EITC and provide tools for creating an EITC campaign in Georgia area emphasizing the value of building and enhancing partnerships. A new statewide coalition, Georgians for Prosperity, was created and representative from community-based organizations, foundations, local businesses, faith-based organization and Community Action Agencies, met at the first annual EITC/Asset Building Statewide Coalition Meeting. The EITC has been instrumental in closing the poverty gap for many of the nations working poor. In OH, trained undergraduate students in Sociology on issues of rural poor families, trained beginning graduate students on research methods. In SD I have recently made contact with two community contacts in rural communities in South Dakota. One includes predominantly Native American families and the other includes rural farming families. We are excited to have the opportunity to learn about the lives of these people in order to better understand their families and experiences in rural South Dakota. In WA, during this reporting period, we started to collect data from low-income families in Klickitat County. In a process of recruiting participants, we made strong connections to social service agencies in local communities such as WIC, unemployment office, food banks, domestic violence shelters, etc. We also published a few studies, made presentations at conferences, and organized symposium. We believe our work was well-received by the audience.

Publications  journals & on-line " Bauer, J.W. & Dolan, E.M. (Eds.) (in progress). Rural families and work: Contexts, problems, and solutions (working title). Springer. (final draft due to publisher in December 2010) " Bird, C. L., Dolan, E. M., & Seiling, S. B. (in press). Resources  The key to employment. In J. W. Bauer, & E. M. Dolan, (Eds.), Rural families and work: Contexts, problems, and solutions. New York: Springer. " Devaney, F., & Dolan, E.M. (revise and resubmit) Parenting Challenges of Low Income rural Mothers: Differences between Adolescent Mothers and Mothers over 35. Journal of Comparative Family Studies. This study explores the different supports and barriers of 26 rural low-income mothers of two different maternal age groups: younger (those who had their children at the age of 20 or younger) and older (those who had their children at the age of 35 or older). The family ecology theory guided the research. Five themes regarding supports and barriers that assisted or hindered their parenting abilities were found: emotional, financial, relational, institutional, and parental. The multiple levels within the family ecology theory can directly or indirectly contribute to the mothers parenting abilities, feelings of support, life satisfaction, employment, mental and physical health, and confidence in their maternal role. It is important to acknowledge the context of these mothers experiences among the rural low-income population. Providing support and resources to mothers living in rural poverty can assist in their parenting, which would benefit their children. " Greder, K., Sano, Y., Cook, C. C., Garaskey, S., Ortiz, L. & Ontai, L. (In Press). Understanding the relationship between transnationalism and the housing and health risks of rural Latino immigrant families. Family and Consumer Science Research Journal, 38, 186-20. Interviews with 78 participants in 3 states explored relationships between transnationalism and health and housing risks and found differences in knowledge of community resources, although not for housing and health risks " Greder, K., Sano, Y., Cook, C., Garasky, S., Ontai, L., Ortiz, L. (2009). Exploring the relationship between transnationalism and housing and health risks or rural Latino immigrant families. Family Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 38(2). pp. 186-207. Interviews with 78 rural low-income Latino immigrant mothers in three states (CA, OR, IA) explored relationships between transnationalism, health and housing risks. Transnational activity based on language spoken at home, nature and frequency of contact with family and friends in, and the extent and frequency of travel to the country of origin, was conceptualized as a continuum from high to low. Low transnational families lived in the U.S. twice as long and were more knowledgeable about community resources than high transnational families. Modest relationships between transnationalism, housing and health risks were identified. Thus, health and housing risk indicators may be present in low-income, rural Latino immigrant families regardless of the degree of transnationalism. Future studies are needed to further explore these relationships. " Greder, K. (May 28, 2009). Strengths that lead to success for Latina Immigrants. Success for Women magazine. " Greder, K. and Sano, Y., Health Seeking Behaviors in Limited Income Families. Submitted to Encyclopedia on Family Health, Sage Publications. " Gudmunson, C.G., Son, S., Lee, J., & Bauer, J.W. (2010). EITC participation and association with financial distress among rural low-income families. Family Relations, 59, 369-382. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2010.00609.x This study examines Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) participation among rural, low-income families, by income level, and investigates whether nonparticipation corresponds with increased financial distress. Rates of EITC participation among 314 rural low-income mothers were lower than national averages, especially among the lowest earners. However, there was an increase from one year to the next, perhaps due to study involvement. Eligible families that did not participate in the EITC experienced greater income inadequacy and economic loss. Professionals who work with families in rural areas may increase EITC participation through outreach to the lowest earning families by emphasizing the need to file tax returns, discussing the potential size of the benefit, and helping families gain access to free tax preparation services. " Kropczynski, J. & Dyk, P. "Insights into Housing Affordability for Rural Low Income Families" revise and resubmit with the Journal of Applied Social Science Nonprofits and government entities model the standard set by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing affordability, which states that housing payments in excess of 30-percent of gross income are unaffordable. Families require a minimum level of basic consumption in addition to housing that must then be paid for with the remaining 70-percent of their gross income; hence it is important to look at how these needs factor into the government equation for affordability. Using data from the Rural Families Speak project, a multi-state research project that examines rural, low-income families with children, the percent of income spent on housing is compared to the ability to fulfill basic needs. By incorporating measures of perceptions of fulfillment of basic needs, the understanding of affordability can be broadened to include the challenging circumstances of rural areas. " Lee, J., Katras, M.J. & Bauer, J.W. (under review). Values underlying U.S. low-income rural mothers voices about welfare and welfare reform. International Journal of Human Ecology. This study explicitly identifies the main values that rural welfare recipients reveal when they talk about their experiences of welfare and welfare reform. An inductive analysis of values is conducted using interview data with 49 current and former recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) residing in seven rural counties of Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, and New York in the United States. Seven main values that emerge from the data are self-esteem, autonomy, uniqueness, advancement, security, independence, and fairness. A visual structure of these values is developed to illustrate how these values are related. " Mammen, Sheila, Lawrence, F.C., St. Marie, P., Berry, A.A., & Knight, S.E. (2009). The Earned Income Tax Credit and Rural Families: Differences between Participants and Non-participants. Working Paper 2009-01. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst. http://people.umass.edu/resec/workingpapers/index.shtml The differences between rural low-income mothers who were participants and non-participants in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) were examined. One-third of the 224 eligible mothers in a multi-state study did not claim the tax credit. Non-participants were more likely to be Hispanic, less educated, with larger families, borrowing money from family, and living in more rural counties. Participating mothers, on the other hand, were more food secure, perceived their household income as being adequate, reported recent improvements in their economic situation, were satisfied with life, and lived in states with a state EITC. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that rural mothers had many misconceptions about the EITC. These findings contribute to family and economic professionals understanding of why rural low-income families do not participate in the tax credit and assist in formulating policies and education/outreach efforts that would increase their participation. " Mammen, Sheila, Lawrence, F.C., St. Marie, P., Berry, A.A., & Knight, S.E. (2009). The Earned Income Tax Credit and Rural Families: Differences between Participants and Non-participants. Working Paper 2009-01. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst. http://people.umass.edu/resec/workingpapers/index.shtml The differences between rural low-income mothers who were participants and non-participants in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) were examined. One-third of the 224 eligible mothers in a multi-state study did not claim the tax credit. Non-participants were more likely to be Hispanic, less educated, with larger families, borrowing money from family, and living in more rural counties. Participating mothers, on the other hand, were more food secure, perceived their household income as being adequate, reported recent improvements in their economic situation, were satisfied with life, and lived in states with a state EITC. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that rural mothers had many misconceptions about the EITC. These findings contribute to family and economic professionals understanding of why rural low-income families do not participate in the tax credit and assist in formulating policies and education/outreach efforts that would increase their participation. " Mammen, S., Lawrence, F. C., & Lee, J. (In press). The earned income tax credit: A policy that supports low-income rural families. In J. W. Bauer, & E. M. Dolan (Eds.), Rural families and (to be determined). New York: Springer. " Manoogian, M. M., Jurich, J., & Richards, L. N. (in press). Feminist participatory research: Ethical dilemmas in our research journeys with women in rural, low income families. In L. Harter, J. Hamel-Lambert, & J. Millesen (Eds.), Participatory Partnerships for Social Action and Research. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. " Powell, S.E., & Bauer, J.W. (2010). Examining the Resource Use of Low-Income Families Caring for Children with Disabilities. Journal of Poverty and Children, 16(1), 67-83. doi: 10.1080/10796120903575101 The Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, Pub.L. 104-193 (PRWORA) was passed creating the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Since the passage of PRWORA, many families who are able have left the welfare rolls meaning that those remaining on welfare are likely composed of families facing barriers to leaving welfare. Families caring for children with disabilities fall within this category. This project addressed the gaps in knowledge regarding low-income families caring for children with disabilities by conducting a qualitative research project investigating the resources used by these families to find and keep employment and child care. The study used a sample from a research project entitled Rural Families Speak and examined the data of 26 families caring for children with disabilities. Analysis resulted in policy recommendations aimed toward increasing the efficacy of the programs designed to help these families. " Sano, Y., Garaskey, S., Greder, K., Cook, C.C., & Browder, D. E. (in press). Understanding food security among Latino immigrant families in rural America. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. Using ecological theory, this study investigated how low-income rural Latino immigrant families succeeded or failed to meet their food needs over time. Interviews with ten families purposively selected to represent consistently food secure, fragile, and consistently food insecure groups were intensively analyzed using a case study approach. Achieving and maintaining food security was a complicated task and a constant struggle for families. Success or failure was influenced by factors at multiple ecological levels including the characteristics of the family, access to social networks and community support, and the local economy. These findings can inform practitioners and policymakers seeking to identify strategies and policies that will support Latino immigrant families as they work toward improving their well-being. " Sano,Y., Katras, M. J., Berry, A., Lee, J., & Bauer, J. (in press). Working toward sustained employment: A closer look on intermittent employment of rural low-income mothers. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. Working at one point of time does not always mean sustained employment among low-income mothers. The purpose of this study is to investigate what contributes to the different patterns of longitudinal employment by tracking a sample of 131 rural low-income mothers with intermittent employment over three waves. The intermittent employment trajectories are categorized into Job Change, Job Loss, and Job Gain. A mixed-methods approach is chosen to maximize the complementary nature of quantitative and qualitative data. The findings of both multinomial logistic regression and inductive analysis show that individual, family, and structural characteristics play important roles for sustained employment. Case studies vividly illustrate similarities and differences across the three patterns of intermittent employment " Sano, Y., Manoogian, M. M., & Ontai, L. (under review). The Kids Still Come First. Creating Family Stability during Partnership Instability in Rural, Low-income Families. Submitted to Journal of Family Issues. This qualitative study examined the nature of partnerships among 28 rural low-income mothers who experienced partnership transitions across three waves of annual interviews. Analysis revealed that mothers desired the Standard North American Family (SNAF) yet, their pursuit of SNAF, ironically, resulted in partnership instability. Mothers partnership decisions were closely intertwined with their parenting abilities, and mothers heavily relied on support from family of origin members to create family stability. " Sano, Y., Katras, M.J., Lee, J., Bauer, J.W., & Berry, A.A. (2010). Working towards sustained employment: A closer look on intermittent employment of rural low-income families. Families in Society: The Journal for Contemporary Social Service, 91. Advance on-line publication. doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.4039 Working at one point of time does not always mean sustained employment among low-income mothers. The purpose of this study is to investigate what contributes to the different patterns of longitudinal employment by tracking a sample of 131 rural low-income mothers with intermittent employment over three waves. The intermittent employment trajectories are categorized into Job Change, Job Loss, and Job Gain. A mixed-methods approach is chosen to maximize the complementary nature of quantitative and qualitative data. The findings of both multinomial logistic regression and inductive analysis show that individual, family, and structural characteristics play important roles for sustained employment. Case studies vividly illustrate similarities and differences across the three patterns of intermittent employment. " Sano, Y. & Manoogian, M. M. (under review). I wanted a fresh start from where I was: Rural low-income womens experiences of multiple partnership transitions. Michigan Family Review. Focusing on the experiences of twenty-two rural, low-income mothers, this qualitative study examined the nature of multiple partnership transitions from a critical feminist perspective. The findings indicated that their multiple partnership transitions in a short period of time were largely motivated by their financial struggles, housing insecurity, lack of parenting support, and failed gendered expectations. More supportive policies for single-parent families would likely increase healthier, long-term partnerships in a long run. " Seiling, S. B., Manoogian, M. M., & Son, S. (in press). I dont know how we would make it: Social support in rural low-income families. In J. W. Bauer, & E. M. Dolan, (Eds.), Rural families and work: Contexts, problems, and solutions. New York: Springer. " Son, S., & Bauer, J.W. (2010). Employed rural, low-income, single mothers family and work over time. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. 31(1), 109-120. doi: 10.1007/s10834-008-9127-6. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how low-income, single mothers manage their family and work lives. Analysis was based on longitudinal data collected from 28 rural, low-income, single mothers across 11 states who were continuously employed over three waves. Four main themes were identified: demands from family and work, resources the mothers used to maintain employment, work-family conflict, and strategies to retain employment. This study concludes that despite all the difficulties, mothers try to utilize their limited resources and adopt strategies for combining family and work life even though their demands and resources vary over time. Mothers employed in the same jobs receive consistent support from families. Implications for child care and leave policies are discussed. " Walker, S. K. & Manoogian, M. M. (in press). Child care: A challenge for rural families to meet economic, personal, and family needs. In J. W. Bauer, & E. M. Dolan, (Eds.), Rural families and work: Contexts, problems, and solutions. New York: Springer. Published Proceedings & Abstracts, Presentations Creating Stability in Fragile Partnership Trajectories. Poster presentation at National Conference of Family Relations, San Francisco, Nov. 2009 Yoshie Sano, Assistant Professor, Washington State University Margaret Manoogian, Associate Professor, Ohio University Lenna Ontai, Associate Specialist, University of California, Davis Qualitative findings of partnerships in Wave 1 of NC1011 data found that stable partnerships differed in terms of social supports and parenting from those that demonstrated chaotic patterns across the 3 waves of data collection. The findings indicate that despite apparent signs of chaotic relationships, women tended to strive to create stability for a variety of reasons. " Bentzinger, A.C. & Cook, C.C., On the Path to Homeownership: Low-income owners & renters in rural areas. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Housing Education and Research Association, pgs. . Santa Fe, NM, November 2009. " Dolan, E.M., Seiling, S., & Harris, S. (2009, November). Rural, low-income dual earner parents  flexibility in work/family roles. Poster presentation at the National Council on Family Relations 71st Annual Conference, Burlingame, CA. " Edleman, A. (April, 2010). Culturally sensitive interview techniques. Honors project. Poster presentation, Iowa State University Honors Program. " Greder, K. (Jan., 2010). Examining housing and food security among rural Latino immigrant families. Presentation at Latino seminar series, Department of Sociology, Iowa State University. " Greder, K. (Oct., 2009). Understanding Food Insecurity. Presentation to Food Science Human Nutrition undergraduate class, FSHN 463, Community Nutrition. " Greder, K. (Sept, 2010). Food Insecurity and Housing Among Rural Latino Immigrant Families. Presentation to Food Science Human Nutrition undergraduate class, FSHN 463, Community Nutrition. " Greder, K. Food insecurity and housing among rural Latino immigrant families. (March, 2010). Presentation at the Iowa Nutrition Network spring meeting, Des Moines, Iowa. " Greder, K. (Sept, 2010). Understanding the Link Between Food Insecurity and Housing Among Latino Immigrant Families. Key note presentation at the Annual Iowa WIC Conference. Des Moines, Iowa. " Hatton, H., Varcoe, K. P., Ontai, L. The Presence of Family Management Skills among Low-Income Rural Women: Implications for Behavioral Outcomes in Children. Proceedings, Eastern Region Family Economics and Resource Management Association. March, 2010. 10 pp. Low-income families living in rural areas face unique challenges such as isolation from social and economic resources which can place them at high risk for significant economic hardshipa factor which has important implications for child well-being. These low-income families also demonstrate heterogeneity, whereby health and family management skills can influence the variability in family economic status. For some families, having more family management skills and better maternal health may lead to increased economic security. The present study investigated resiliency and risk factors underlying levels and change in economic security Post-1996 Welfare Reform in a low-income rural sample of mothers with young children. Emphasis was given to how the influence of family management skills and change in economic security predict the likelihood for a child to develop behavior problems in early childhood. The findings have implications for programs and policy initiatives aimed at supporting families living in low-income, rural environments. " Klein, S., Prather, B., Simmons, C., Swanson, L., Rick, A., Greder, K. (Oct., 2009). Food insecurity- Making it personal. Panel presentation at the 13th Annual Community Food Security Coalition Conference, Des Moines, IA. " Knight, S.E. (2010, June). Establishing an EITC campaign in your community and building effective partnerships. Presentation at the Georgia Earned Income Tax Credit/Asset Building Statewide Coalition Meeting. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Savannah, GA. " Kropczynski, J. & Dyk, P. 2010-08-15 "Social and Economic Underpinnings to Understanding Housing Affordability for Rural Families" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, The Peachtree Westin, Atlanta,GA During the current economic recession, nonprofits and policy makers have been working toward policy that will improve families economic conditions. Using data from the longitudinal multi-state, Rural Families Speak project, principle component analysis is used to identify common underpinnings of families economic situation. This study specifically addresses the question, can income, outside assistance, food security, stable employment, adult health, and knowledge of community resources be reduced down to underlying dimensions of families' housing affordability? Common factors that explain variability among families are then analyzed using logistic regression to highlight variables most significant to families' economic well-being. " Kropczynski, J. & Dyk, P., 2010-02-08 "Rural Families Speak About Family Health Challenges to Sustained Employment" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Rural Sociological Assoc., Wyndham Orlando Resort Hotel, Orlando, FL This utilizes the qualitative accounts of the NC1011 Rural Families Speak project, a multi-state research project that examines rural, low-income families with children in their individual, familial, and community contexts to examine how health barriers within the family affect sustained employment for the family as a whole. Results of the qualitative analysis illustrate how mothers own health is not the only barrier to employment, often partner or child's health play a large role. " Kropczynski, J. & Dyk, P. 2009-08-01 "Balancing Work, School and Family Health: Examining the Impact of Health Challenges in Low-Income Rural Families" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, The Madison Concourse Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin Using the human ecological perspective, this study examines how health barriers within the family affect the ability to attend work and school. Through 3-waves of family level quantitative datasets these barriers are also examined in terms of consistent employment. Drawing from the NC1011 Rural Families Speak project, a multi-state research project that examines rural, low-income families with children in their individual, familial, and community contexts, a sub-sample of this project was used focusing only on families from Appalachian communities. Analyses have revealed that childrens injuries or illness had an effect on mothers consistent employment, while partners health challenges were most strongly correlated with their own health barriers. " Sano, Y., Manoogian, M. M., & Ontai, L. (2009, November). Creating Stability in Fragile Partnerships in Rural Low-Income Families. Poster presentation at annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, San Francisco, CA. This qualitative study examined the nature of partnerships among 28 rural low-income mothers who experienced partnership transitions across three waves of annual interviews. Guided by Boundary Ambiguity Theory, we specifically explored (i) how low-income mothers in rural communities experience partnership transitions over time, and (ii) how rural, low-income mothers create stability for themselves and their children in the midst of partnership transitions. Our analysis revealed that mothers desired the Standard North American Family (SNAF) as a normative family structure, yet, their pursuit of SNAF, ironically, resulted in partnership instability. Mothers partnership decisions were closely intertwined with their parenting abilities, and mothers heavily relied on support from family of origin members to create family stability. The mothers quest for SNAF resulted in constant negotiation to try to ascribe a role to each family member and define/re-define boundaries among internal and external family systems. " Sano, Y. (2009, November). Symposium: Exploring the Complexity of Family Relationships in Low-Income Families. Family Policy Section. National Council on Family Relations national conference, San Francisco, CA. This was a same poster presentation as the one described above. See above for abstract. " Sano, Y., Manoogian, M. M., & Ontai, L. (2010, March). Creating Stability in Fragile Partnerships in Rural Low-Income Families. Poster presentation at bi-annual meeting of the Northwest Council on Family Relations, Vancouver, WA. Supportive family relationships are critical for overall family well-being. Family relationships in low-income families, however, can be complicated due to multiple stressors from financial, familial, and social circumstances. Family members may help each other by mediating the negative impact of daily stress on their abilities to function as parents, workers, and citizens. On the other hand, they may also act as major stressors, especially when family members present financial, emotional, or psychological challenges. This symposium examines the complicated nature of family relations in low-income families and offers recommendations for public policies that are intended to strengthen low-income families. " Son, S., & Bauer, J.W. (2009, November). The capability approach for research on families in poverty. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations 71th Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA. Theoretical application is fundamental for research on welfare and poverty among families. This paper uses two economical concepts to interpret individual economic theories in a manner that we can apply these theories to study families. Gary Beckers Human Capital and Amartya Sens Human Capability theories are discussed in relation to family policy issues including poverty and well-being.