Midwest City Research Articles

Poverty and cardiac disease in children revisited.

In the 2 years since the publication of our original article, 1 little has changed with regard to the status of children in the United States. Poverty remains a major problem. More than one of four urban children live in poverty, and in one Upper Midwest city, over 46% of all children fall into the poverty category. 2 There is still no universal access to adequate health care, and all poor children, including those with cardiac disease, are affected. The American Heart Association (AHA) has approached the issue of children and access to health care. A task force on children and youth that was established in 1991 is developing strategies for the AHA to serve as a catalyst among communities, government agencies, and voluntary and professional organizations to advocate the heart-health needs of children. Another task force, on access to health care, was established in 1992. Its final report 3

Parents' Perceptions of Childhood Obesity and the Role of Schools

Abstract This survey assessed parents' perceptions regarding childhood obesity and the schools' role in dealing with the problem. A sample of 498 parents was obtained from two midwest cities; 375 (75 percent) completed the questionnaire. Eighty-seven percent believed normal weight is very important to child health. Only 28 percent believed schools were not doing enough to alleviate childhood obesity; more parents (38 percent) opposed the idea of schools as places for treatment of obesity than were in support of the idea (18 percent). The parents were most supportive of physical education classes that teach lifelong fitness (85 percent), followed by health classes in all schools that include topics on food and weight control (71 percent) and doing away with all “junk food” machines (65 percent). Perceptions of parents toward childhood obesity did not vary regardless of whether the parent or their child was obese. However, beliefs did differ between parents who perceived themselves as overweight or obese, a...

Adolescent mothers: Racial differences in childrearing support

This article presents a study of racial differences in the types of support that families and babies' fathers give to teenage mothers. The sample is 203 inner city adolescent mothers were using public health clinics in three midwest cities. Black mothers were younger than white mothers and were less likely to live with a male partner. Although only one black father lived with his baby, while 2/3 of the white fathers lived with their babies, similar percentages of both black and white fathers provided support in a variety of different areas of childcare and financial aid. Thus, there was substantial childcare involvement from absent black fathers. The families of black mothers provided a wider variety of child care and financial support. Multivariate analyses demonstrate that the greater number of different types of support for black mothers from family of origin persisted despite differences in the teen mother's age, the age of the baby, and the family's socio-economic status. Implications for social work interventions are discussed.

DEVELOPING THE SPATIAL MISMATCH HYPOTHESIS: PROBLEMS OF ACCESSIBILITY TO EMPLOYMENT FOR LOW-WAGE CENTRAL CITY LABOR

This research focuses on the spatial mismatch hypothesis as an explanation for the concentration of unemployment in the central cities of the industrial Midwest. It is argued that the immobility of low-wage labor relative to the mobility of employment results in either the exploitation or isolation of low-wage labor. In the contemporary period, the suburbanization of low-wage employment economically isolates the immobile low-wage population of the central cities. This alternative view of the spatial mismatch de-emphasizes race and emphasizes the segmentation of women and minorities into low-wage occupations. To test the spatial mismatch hypothesis, a model of the probability distribution of travel times to work is estimated for three cities in the industrial Midwest: Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland. The results support the hypothesis that the decentralization of employment reduces access to employment for central city residents as evidenced by the lower frequency of short trips to work for low-wage centra...

Worksite health promotion in four Midwest cities

A survey of worksite health promotion activities in nine areas of health was conducted in four Midwest cities--Winona and St. Cloud, MN; Eau Claire, WI and Sioux Falls, SD to determine how many worksites are involved in these activities; how many different kinds of programs they offer; and whether or not worksite involvement is growing in these areas of health. All worksites with over 100 employees were surveyed with a completion rate of 96% for eligible worksites. Comparing program offerings at worksites with such offerings by other community providers, we find worksites provide 40% of the total of such programs to adults. They tend to operate most programs independently of other community providers. Exercise and smoking cessation programs are most commonly offered. Worksites in the four communities significantly differed in the number of exercise program options offered and in the prevalence of worksite involvement in home, personal and drivers' safety programs. Compared to national survey results, worksites in these Midwest cities show a lower level of participation in heart disease and cancer screening activities. There is a high rate of dropout among current providers of heart disease screening activities and few nonproviders are initiating programs. Program initiation among nonproviders is highest in smoking cessation, weight loss and nutrition. Program growth among current providers is high in the areas of chemical dependency, exercise and personal, home and drivers' safety.

The Prevalence of Children with a History of Sexual Abuse Hospitalized in the Psychiatric Setting

This descriptive study systematically sampled 100 closed records of children hospitalized at a children's psychiatric hospital in a midwest city over the past 5 years to determine the prevalence of children identified as having a history of sexual abuse. The symptoms of abuse manifested by these children were compared with the prevalence of children without an identified history of sexual abuse who also had symptoms of sexual abuse. The results address the extent to which symptoms of sexual abuse in a child psychiatric setting are not identified, nor included in treatment plans and suggest that treatment for this problem is an essential component in the care of any child identified as having this history.

Underrepresentation of Minority Students in Gifted Programs: Yes! It Matters!

The underrepresentation of minority students in programs for the gifted has been a source of concern for many years. Most recently, Van Tassel-Baska, Patton,- and Prillaman (1989) in a national survey found "... a clear underrepresentation of minority students, particularly Blacks, in gifted programs at the K-12 level ...." Because there are so few studies dealing with the absolute efficacy of gifted programming in general, it is not surprising that fewer studies assess the impact of gifted programming on minority students. This paper combines data from two midwest cities to suggest that gifted programming has an impact on drop-out rates and college enrollment. The data presented make it clear that minority students benefit from gifted programs and that their continuing underrepresentation in such programs is indefensible.

Preschool Children's Attitudes toward Health Risk Behaviors

The development of attitudes toward health and the practice of health-related behaviors begins at an early age. This includes positive atutudes, such as seeing the need for safety belts when riding in a car, as well as negative attitudes such as the preference for junk food over more nutritious choices. Since changing negative health attitudes and behaviors is more o!ifficult than establ~shing positive attitudes and behaviors, the importance of beginning health promotion programs during the preschool years has been emphasized (2). McCormick (3) stated, Many of the habits a child develops are already formed by the time he or she enters first grade. In order to best insure the creating of 'healthful habits,' health education during the preschool years is essential. This is especially important when trying to prevent a habit such as smoking, since the earlier one starts smoking, the greater the chance of adverse health effects such as cancer and heart disease (1). Threeto 5-yr.-old children (N = 113) enrolled in a preschool or a day-care center in a s m d , midwest city were interviewed. The children were presented pair-wise comparisons of four health-related behaviors: smoking, not wearing safety belts, eating junk food, and not washing hands. They were asked to name which of the pairs of behaviors was more dangerous to health. Nor wearing safety belts was seen as the most dangerous behavior, with 91.1% or 103 children rating it more dangerous than eating junk food, 68.8% or 78 children rating it more dangerous than no hand washing, and 57.1% or 65 children rating it more dangerous than smoking. Smoking was rated more dangerous than no hand washing by 66.1% or 75 children. Eating junk food was rated more dangerous than no hand washing by 69.6% or 79 children and was rated more dangerous than smoking by 65.2% or 74 children. When behaviors were put into an equal interval scale according to the Thurstone method (4), not washing one's hands was judged to be the least dangerous behavior and was given a scale value of zero. Not wearing a safety belt was judged to be the most dangerous behavior and had a scale value of 3.43. Smoking and eating junk food received scale values of 1.26 and .96, respectively. These preschool children believed that certain health behaviors are much more dangerous to their health than others. They may be more interested in learning positive habits related to behaviors seen as dangerous. Those behaviors whlch ranked lower on the scale should still be included in activities and programs for very young children because these affect health; but, children may need a stronger motivational component to be convinced of their importance.

Toward a Longitudinal Analysis of Homelessness

This paper reports on the methods and findings of a six‐month panel study of homeless individuals in a Midwest city. Patterns of homelessness are described, focusing on exits from and returns to homelessness as well as the types of dwellings obtained upon exit. The findings call into question (a) the commonly accepted proposition that homelessness involves the lack of a dwelling and ends as soon as a dwelling is attained, (b) prevalent characterizations of the typical length of homelessness, and (c) the claim that experience with homelessness profoundly alters the probability of a stable escape. Although a minority of individuals were able to locate and retain a dwelling, homelessness was most often part of a pattern of residential instability that also included frequent and relatively brief stays in dwellings.

How U.S. cities compete through information technology: Securing an urban advantage

Abstract The information age is bringing about a change in the world division of labor. Many of the great trading cities that arose during the Industrial Revolution as shipping, railroad, and financial centers are now facing new challenges, challenges brought about by global telecommunications. Information technology and the changing nature of business and government offer new opportunities and threats to these and other cities as they strive to acquire or retain treasured economic activity. Telecommunications and computation capacity are among the tools cities can use as they vie with one another for this commerce. This study describes how U. S. cities are affected by these trends and summarizes some of the key technological and policy issues involved. Several case studies are reported, which show the various strategies used by large cities such as New York and Boston, progressive Midwest cities such as Omaha, and small cities such as Heathrow, Florida. Some preliminary principles of success are adduced.

Later‐life leisure: Beginning a new agenda

Abstract Two issues have dominated research on leisure activity and aging in the past two decades: (1) What is the relationship of aging to participation in nonwork activities? and (2) What is the relationship of such participation to satisfaction in later life? A general consensus has developed that supports a nonlinear reduction in activity engagement in later years and a significant correlation between activity participation and life satisfaction. Further questions are proposed that provide the basis for continued research on leisure as an index of resources, the types of activity that contribute most to satisfaction, motivational orientations, and leisure as a context for the development of personal and social identities. A mailed survey was conducted of 380 adults in a Midwest city. The kinds of activities that make an independent contribution to later life were found to differ from one adult life period to another and are a context for the expression of leisure‐based identities. Further agendas for research on leisure and aging are suggested.

Conflict, Class, and the Nineteenth-Century Public High School in the Cities of the Midwest, 1845-1900

Conflict, Class, and the Nineteenth-Century Public High School in the Cities of the Midwest, 1845-1900

The effect of organizational identification on employee affective and performance responses

Organizational identification (OI), defined as the importance of the organization in the person's self-concept, was argued to influence employee affective responses (job satisfaction and alienation) and performance responses (task involvement, investment of effort, and performance effectiveness). More specifically, it was hypothesized that there is 1. a positive relationship abetween OI and satisfaction with five job dimensions-work, supervision, pay, promotion and co-workers; 2. a negative relationship between OI and alienation; and 3. a positive relationship between OI and three task-related variables-task involvement, investment of effort, and performance effectiveness. A survey study was conducted on 215 service deliverers to the elderly in a large midwest city. The results were mostly consistent with the hypotheses.

Questioning Patterns and Language Proficiency in Bilingual Students

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between the relative language proficiency and the types of questions, as speech acts, produced by bilingual children in different settings. The main premise of the study was that in studying language proficiency of bilingual children, a holistic perspective should be used, and the whole language repertoire, in both languages and in different settings, should be taken into account. The subjects of the study were six third grade students attending a self-contained maintenance bilingual program in a midwest city. Video and audio taped data collected in the classroom and in informal settings were coded and analyzed for the study. The data showed that children produced the same question repertoire as previously found in studies with monolingual English-speaking children and adults. There were differences in the type of question patterns used both in Spanish and English and across settings. It is suggested that further study of the use of different speech acts, ...

Consonance in local television news

News reporting in three markets was studied to explore consonance in local television news. As more local television stations cover national news, the concept of consonance has assumed increased importance for broadcast news consumers. Consonance theory suggests that similar media messages transmitted across different media channels may influence public opinion and promote consensus. This study found consonance to be extensive in local television newscasts in three midwest cities.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms: The changing natural history

The records of all patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in a Midwest city with a stable population over a 30-year period were reviewed. There were 296 patients (196 men and 100 women) for an incidence of 21.1 aneurysms/100,000 person-years. The median age at diagnosis was 69 years for men and 78 years for women. Seventy-eight percent of patients were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis; their aneurysms were incidental findings. Rupture occurred in 60 patients (20.3%). Thirty-six patients (12.2%) had rupture of the aneurysm as the presenting complication. For previously diagnosed aneurysms that subsequently ruptured, the average period from diagnosis to rupture was 48.7 months. Rupture occurred in only two aneurysms smaller than 5 cm. The overall mortality rate from rupture was 15.5%. Evaluation of data (including autopsy reports) by decade revealed an absolute increase in the incidence of AAAs in the population under study. More aneurysms of all sizes occurred from 1971 to 1980 than in the previous two decades combined. Although ultrasound examination has increased the detection of small aneurysms, the incidence of aneurysms 7 cm or larger at the time of diagnosis has also increased; the frequency of rupture was greatest in the last decade. To compare the data of the population-based study with the statistics for patients seen in a referral practice, the records of 616 patients from a referral population were also reviewed. In the referral population the ratio of men to women was 5: 1, and the age at diagnosis was lower for both groups. Rupture occurred in only 8.6% of the patients. This study provides a comprehensive review of AAAs in a controlled population. The increasing incidence of AAAs is evident. The mortality rate with elective surgery has progressively decreased, and the risk of rupture remains higher than the risk of surgical treatment.

Arboriculture in Lake Forest, Illinois

The arboricultural program for Lake Forest, Illinois, a small Midwest city of 15,500 population, is the subject of this paper. A description of the community, the budget preparation for programs, program content and performance data, and productivity and budget control are discussed.

The Invisible Minority: Urban Appalachians.

This publication consists of papers prepared for a conference held at the Academy for Contemporary Problems in Columbus Ohio March 22-29 1974. The main topic of the conference was the migration of over three million people from the Appalachian region of the United States to the cities of the South East and Midwest (ANNOTATION)

Urban Forestry in Selected Midwest Cities

Urban Forestry in Selected Midwest Cities

Evaluation of an Activity‐Centered Health Curriculum Using the Health Belief Model*

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an activity‐centered health education curriculum on the attitudes of 4th, 5th and 6th graders in a small, midwest city school system. The program was evaluated in part by a pretest/posttest design in which 10 randomly selected schools received the health curriculum and 10 schools did not. Twenty‐eight (28) health belief model questions were used to measure perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived preventability and self reported behavior relating to general health problems. The results indicated that the experimental students, compared to their controls, were much more inclined to change their health beliefs and self‐reported behavior in a positive direction, regardless of grade level.