Use In Rural Communities Research Articles

Land governance in Northern Ghana: Creating communities of practice between tribal leaders and the government

Land is of primary importance to rural people whose livelihoods are in one way or another linked to the property where they live and work. This is especially true in the rural region of the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. However, developments such as de-agrarianization, establishment of protected land areas, urbanization, migration, land reform, resettlement and re-peasantization have dramatically changed lands and land use in rural communities. These changes have impacted not only rural communities’ sources of income and employment, but also their overall access to land and thus their livelihoods and future ability to care for themselves. In addition, these developments have impacted family relationships, culture and the peace of the people which are the building blocks of rural community living. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual description of how land access, under the traditional system, can be reconciled with statutory law by communities of practice. Beyond just being a knowledge management tool that is employed for co-creating new compounds of shared knowledge, communities of practice can be used as standing committees that tie solid bonds within stakeholder groups and establish commonly accepted solutions to all problems related to a conflict-laden issue. In describing how this can be used to effectively merge the traditional with legislative land use policy, the paper provides an overview of the detrimental impact of land conflicts, the presence of dubious and unscrupulous land deals and of the role of women in these issues. It further discusses which specific provisions in Ghanaian law should prove to be effective. Yet, as the paper points out, central to the success of balancing the old with the new will be the continuation of the varied tasks performed by the traditional custodians of land, the “tindemba” (Earth priests are collectively called Tindaama/Tindaaba/ Tindaaduuma by the Gurure speaking people of Upper East Region, Tindemba by the Dagbani speaking speaking people of Northern Region and Tindaaba/Tendamba by the Gagaare speaking people of Upper West Region), who historically have always been involved in land transfers within the villages, as well as the important role which traditional leaders (tribal chiefs) need to play in land issues. The paper will demonstrate how communities of practices can be used to not only merge the old with the new, but also incorporate new policies that produce a more equitable structure in rural communities.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES ABOUT THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES: OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IN CEMPAKA BANJARBARU DISTRICT

Antibiotics are examples of drugs that are often used incorrectly. Such misuse is often influenced by the lack of knowledge and attitudes towards the use of antibiotics, so in this study we want to know what sociodemographic factors have an influence on knowledge and attitude on antibiotic use in rural communities at Cempaka Banjarbaru District, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. This type of research is descriptive analytic with a sampling technique that is proportional stratified random sampling using a questionnaire. There are 380 respondents taken as a sample. Analysis data used is univariate and bivariate with chi-square test. The result of public knowledge research on the use of antibiotics included in the good category that is 58.2 % and attitudes included in the positive category that is 98.4 %. Statistical test results show that there is a significant influence between sociodemographic factors of recent education and income on the level of knowledge, while sociodemographic factors of age, sex and occupation on the level of knowledge have no significant effect. On the results of statistical tests sociodemographic factors (age, sex, occupation, last education and income) on attitudes do not have a significant effect.

A survey of health information source use in rural communities identifies complex health literacy barriers

Access to health information is critical for good health. However, residents of rural communities may face more difficulties in accessing health information than residents in rural areas. Problems may be structural, socio-economic and cultural. The study assessed sources and challenges concerning health information access and use among residents of five rural communities in Ibadan, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted, and data were elicited from forty respondents through focus group discussions (FGD). Elicited data were thematically analysed. Several informal and primary information sources were often used. Residents used the radio to access health information, and they also visited hospitals/health centres, asked doctors, participated in health sensitisation programmes and consulted traditional herbalists. However, the barriers included financial problems, infrastructure problems (bad road network, unreliable electricity supplies), living far from health centres and finding suitable health information in their own language. These are individual and systemic/structural challenges. The focus group participants were aware of the importance of reliable health information sources, but often had to use a mixture of sources. Traditional herbalists were valued sources (more available and affordable). Health literacy problems concern education and language. Service provision could be improved to make health information more efficient and effective for rural communities, by building on what works (e.g. health sensitisation programmes, radio programmes providing health education) and providing more multi-lingual services. The study also confirmed the importance of evaluating traditional herbal medicine.

Design Considerations of a Flexible Biogas Digester System for Use in Rural Communities of Developing Countries

Design Considerations of a Flexible Biogas Digester System for Use in Rural Communities of Developing Countries

Mental Health Services in Rural Areas.

Back to table of contents Previous article Editor’s ChoiceFull AccessMental Health Services in Rural AreasHector Colon-Rivera, M.D., C.M.R.O., and Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H.Hector Colon-RiveraSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., C.M.R.O., and Lisa B. DixonSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., M.P.H.Published Online:1 Sep 2020https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.71903AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail This is the August 2020 Editor’s Choice collection. To review all collections, visit the Editor’s Choice section of ps.psychiatryonline.org.Among the many significant gaps between availability of mental health care and need for these services in the United States, access to timely diagnosis and treatment is particularly limited in rural areas. Growing problems of isolation, depression, and substance use in rural communities have magnified the impact of the country's shortage of mental health professionals on rural populations. Despite the need to recruit mental health professionals to rural areas, the teaching, research, and employment opportunities tend to be more concentrated in urban areas. Challenges in rural mental health care include inadequate workforce, varying levels and quality of training of new and existing personnel, and inequitable access to care. This collection highlights ongoing efforts to develop an adequate and sustainable workforce to provide rural behavioral health care.The first set of articles describes the importance of culturally appropriate, patient-centered services and community stakeholder engagement to meet the mental health needs of rural communities. The next section highlights the importance of addressing the shortages of psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals in rural America, including implementing support programs aimed at increasing engagement of health professionals. The final group of articles examines how technology and telepsychiatry have expanded mental health access in rural communities both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples include the complexities of designing, implementing, and sustaining telepsychiatry to maximize benefits for rural populations.Community integration and recovery-oriented care in rural areasFrontline ReportsPeer Support Program for Veterans in Rural AreasJain S, Hernandez JM, Lindley SE, et al.Psychiatr Serv 2014; 65:117710.1176/appi.ps.201300470Open ForumThe Changing Context of Rural America: A Call to Examine the Impact of Social Change on Mental Health and Mental Health CareCarpenter-Song E, Snell-Rood CPsychiatr Serv 2017; 68:503–50610.1176/appi.ps.201300470ArticleAddressing Mental Health Needs: Perspectives of African Americans Living in the Rural SouthHaynes TF, Cheney AM, Sullivan JG, et al.Psychiatr Serv 2017; 68:573–57810.1176/appi.ps.201300470LetterFlexible Assertive Community TreatmentHubbeling DAA, Alonso-Vicente M, Firn FPsychiatr Serv 2017; 68:98310.1176/appi.ps.201300470Addressing shortages of mental health professionals in rural areasLetterAddressing the Shortage of Psychiatrists in Rural AreasDewan M, Meszaros ZS, Manring JPsychiatr Serv 2014; 65:150810.1176/appi.ps.201300470LetterConsultant Psychiatrists' Role in Ensuring High-Quality Care From NonspecialistsAcharya B, Swar SBPsychiatr Serv 2016;67:81610.1176/appi.ps.201300470Frontline ReportsAddressing the Opioid Epidemic in Rural AmericaFlaherty MT, Stuby P, Kose WPsychiatr Serv 2018; 69:111410.1176/appi.ps.201300470Brief ReportsEngagement With Project ECHO to Increase Medication-Assisted Treatment in Rural Primary CareSalvador J, Bhatt S, Fowler R, et al.Psychiatr Serv 2019;70:1157–116010.1176/appi.ps.201300470Improving access and continuity of rural mental health care with telepsychiatryArticleAssessing Telemedicine Utilization by Using Medicaid Claims DataDouglas MDD, Xu J, Heggs A, et al.Psychiatr Serv 2017; 68:173–17810.1176/appi.ps.201300470CommentaryTelemedicine for Mental Health in the United States: Making Progress, Still a Long Way to GoBarnett ML, Huskamp HAPsychiatr Serv 2020; 71:197–19810.1176/appi.ps.201300470Promoting High-Value Mental Health CareUsing Continuous Quality Improvement to Design and Implement a Telepsychiatry Program in Rural IllinoisMahmoud H, Vogt EL, Dahdouh R, et al.Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71:860–86310.1176/appi.ps.201300470ArticleRural-Nonrural Differences in Telemedicine Use for Mental and Substance Use Disorders Among Medicaid BeneficiariesCreedon TB, Schrader KE, O'Brien PL, et al.Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71: 756–76410.1176/appi.ps.201300470State Mental Health PolicyAn Innovative Approach to Care: Integrating Mental Health Services Through Telemedicine in Rural School-Based Health CentersPradhan T, Six-Workman EA, Law K-BPsychiatr Serv 2019; 70:239–24210.1176/appi.ps.201300470 FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byNone Volume 71Issue 9 September 01, 2020Pages 984-985 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 September 2020 Published in print 1 September 2020

Use of antibacterials in the management of symptoms of acute respiratory tract infections among children under five years in Gulu, northern Uganda: Prevalence and determinants.

Inappropriate use of antibacterials is a major public health challenge as it can promote emergence of resistance, wastage of financial resources, morbidity and mortality. In this study, we determined the prevalence and factors associated with antibacterial use in managing symptoms of acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) in households in rural communities of Gulu district, northern Uganda. A cross-sectional study was conducted among households selected using multi-stage sampling. Data were collected through interviews with care-givers of children under five years, using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Out of the 856 children who had symptoms of ARIs, 515 (60.2%; CI: 54.5%-65.6%) were treated with antibacterials. The most commonly used antibacterials were amoxicillin (55.2%, n = 358), cotrimoxazole (15.4%, n = 100) and metronidazole (11.4%, n = 74). The determinants of antibacterial use included; getting treatment from a health facility (AOR: 1.85, CI: 1.34–2.56, P < 0.001), households located in peri-urban area (AOR: 2.54, CI: 1.34–4.84, P = 0.005), and a child having cough (AOR: 7.02, CI: 4.36–11.31, P < 0.001). The prevalence of antibacterial use among children under five years with symptoms of ARIs is high in communities of Gulu district, northern Uganda. Getting treatment from a health facility, if a household was located in a peri-urban area and having a cough are positive predictors of antibacterial use. There is need for targeted education on appropriate antibacterial use in rural communities and hospital settings where over prescription is most likely especially in treating symptoms of ARIs among children under five years.

Economic evaluation of solar hybrid electric systems for rural electrification

Diesel generators have long been in use in rural communities despite, the impact of emission caused by these generators to the environment. Due to the need for a greener environment, such electric generating systems seem not to be environmentally friendly and need to be addressed.Connection to the grid can also be expensive. This paper investigates the feasibility of employing hybrid electric system in rural communities. The HOMER software that analyzes system configuration was used to study the application and functional limitation of each hybridised arrangement. The result showed that the solar renewable energy (RE) based system has lower cost of capital cost, replacement cost and O&amp;M cost with higher energy production compared to grid connected system, making the solar RE system most economically viable and a better candidate for the rural community electrification demands.

Water availability, quality, and use in rural communities of the Chilean Coastal Range

Water availability, use, and quality in dispersed rural communities in a rural watershed within the Chilean Coastal Range were investigated through participatory research involving the local community, also called “citizen science.” Research included the quantification of recharge water and water use at the household level; monitoring of water quality of streams, community water intakes, and household faucets; and the determination of land use and water quality interactions. A group of mainly women along with the children of three local rural elementary schools were involved in the principal aspects of the research, from design to implementation and remediation options. The study area receives considerable, but highly variable, rainfall, and the hydrogeological setting does not offer enough interannual natural storage to cope with increasing demand and variable water viability. Our results also showed that chemical quality of the water is relatively good, except for the high concentration of iron (Fe; >0.3 mg L−1), manganese (Mn; >0.1 mg L−1), and turbidity (>5 nephlometric turbidity units [NTU]). From the microbiological point of view, the water is of poor quality. The low water quality could be related to the lack of maintenance of water collection systems, nonmaintenance of septic tanks, animal traffic, and low coverage of associated riparian vegetation. In the present approach the involvement of children in research helped to stimulate the improved management of both land and water resources by the community, and this practice could be applied in small rural watersheds in developed or developing countries.

The prospects of decentralised solar energy home systems in rural communities: User experience, determinants, and impact of free solar power on the energy poverty cycle

Distributed solar photovoltaic is a well-established technology to meet small-scale rural energy needs in an affordable, reliable, and carbon-neutral manner. Such socio-technical transitions offer substantive support to address energy poverty and act as a key tool to realise human well-being, economic prosperity, and environmental conservation envisioned under Sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this study, households using solar photovoltaic were surveyed to determine prospects of solar energy use in rural communities. The participants include rural households from Uttar Pradesh, India that had received i) a small scale and subsidised solar systems, ii) obtained paid connection from solar microgrids, and iii) those who purchased solar systems for power reliability. We report high satisfaction with distributed solar photovoltaic among rural households. The factors influencing a desire to procure additional solar power include income, level of education, duration of solar use, user satisfaction, time of day for the power supply and financial support for procurement. Our findings also suggest that freely given solar power offers limited incentives for procuring more solar power. We further analyse the policy of welfare using energy justice as a conceptual tool. This can explain paradoxical aspects of subsidies that are widely used as a socio-political tool to improve quality of life for those that are disadvantaged but fail to address fundamental structural aspects of the energy system that are underscored by procedural justice issues. We propose policies for distributed clean energy in emerging countries must address concurrent energy transitions and energy justice frameworks to support sustained decentralised solar transitions. Without these two foundations operating in tandem, carbon lock-in and the energy poverty cycle will be inexorably linked.

Social norms associated with nonmedical opioid use in rural communities: a systematic review.

Prescription and illicit opioids were involved in over 42,000 deaths in the USA in 2016. Rural counties experience higher rates of opioid prescribing and, although opioid prescribing rates have fallen in recent years, the rate of decline is less in rural areas. The sociocultural context of rural life may impact opioid misuse in important ways; however, little research directly explores this possibility. We performed a systematic review of English-language manuscripts in U.S. context to determine what is known about social networks, norms, and stigma in relation to rural opioid misuse. Of nine articles identified and reviewed, two had only primary findings associated with social networks, norms, or stigma, five had only secondary findings, and two had both primary and secondary findings. The normalization of prescription opioid use along with environmental factors likely impacts the prevalence of opioid misuse in rural communities. Discordant findings exist regarding the extent to which social networks facilitate or protect against nonmedical opioid use. Lastly, isolation, lack of treatment options, social norms, and stigma create barriers to substance use treatment for rural residents. Although we were able to identify important themes across multiple studies, discordant findings exist and, in some cases, findings rely on single studies. The paucity of research examining the role of social networks, norms, and stigma in relation to nonmedical opioid use in rural communities is evident in this review. Scholarship aimed at exploring the relationship and impact of rurality on nonmedical opioid use is warranted.

SAT-171 USE OF A HOLLOW FIBER DIALYZER BASED DEVICE TO PROVIDE PURE WATER IN VILLAGES

The provision of clean water to villages without power or functioning boreholes is difficult since inhabitants must rely on rainwater, wells, local streams and lakes. Fecal contamination of water, including of wells, is very common and results in high incidences of diarrhea, dehydration, acute kidney failure and death particularly in young children. An NGO, “Easy Water for Everyone” has been established to purify water to these villages utilizing a unique device which repurposes once used hollow fiber hemodialyzers as the means of filtering external water sources (Fig. 1). These are sterilized and assembled in parallel in a device. An 8 dialyzer device can produce pure water at a rate of 500L/hr with manual pumping and at 250L/hr with a gravitation system, which involves the use of a small gasoline pump that pumps polluted water to an elevated tank (Fig. 2). The pore size of a dialyzer membrane is 0.03 microns, which does not allow for passage of viruses, bacteria and parasites. Regular backwashing is needed, depending on the degree of sediment in the water, and protection from sunlight is achieved by using dark tubing in the device, to prevent algal growth. The high quantitative performance of the device is due to the presence of over 10,000 hollow fibers totaling a membrane surface area close to 2 square meters. The devices can be used to purify water from streams, lakes and from already contaminated wells and boreholes, and are established in a central location available to all in the village. When water in excess of drinking requirements is produced it can be used in for hand washing, which up to now has been impracticable in these islands. In many rural schools in many regions of the country clean water for hand-washing has not been available. We hope to encourage a practice of all children washing their hands as they arrive at school and after all uses of sanitation facilities and to further initiate educational initiatives informing on the important of hygiene. As of November 2018, 12 sites have been equipped with the device in Ghana: 3 in Ashanti-Ghana around Kumasi and 9 on different estuarial islands of the Volta River close to Big Ada. Records of diarrheal episodes in individual households and local clinics are included in a central database providing an analysis of public health effects of these devices on communities. Further, data collection and analysis will allow understanding of effect modifiers and possible roadblocks to their adequate use. Because of its efficiency and considerably low cost, the device is very suitable for the use in rural communities with limited infrastructure. The efficacy of the technology to remove pathogens from contaminated water is expected to substantially reduce the incidence of diarrhea and of AKI. The potential for rapid spread of this technology to the many villages without power is substantial, including those where well and borehole water is polluted. Marked improvement in hygiene is possible, simultaneously, resulting in a marked reduction in diarrheal illness and its serious consequences.Fig. 2View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Use of Carbonized Fallen Leaves of Jatropha Curcas L. as a Soil Conditioner for Acidic and Undernourished Soil

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) represents a renewable bioenergy source in arid regions, where it is used to produce not only biodiesel from the seed oil, but also various non-oil biomass products, such as fertilizer, from the seed cake following oil extraction from the seeds. Jatropha plants also generate large amounts of fallen leaves during the cold or drought season, but few studies have examined the utilization of this litter biomass. Therefore, in this study, we produced biochar from the fallen leaves of jatropha using a simple and economical carbonizer that was constructed from a standard 200 L oil drum, which would be suitable for use in rural communities, and evaluated the use of the generated biochar as a soil conditioner for the cultivation of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla “Fordhook Giant”) as a model vegetable in an acidic and undernourished soil in Botswana. Biochar application improved several growth parameters of Swiss chard, such as the total leaf area. In addition, the dry weights of the harvested shoots were 1.57, 1.88, and 2.32 fold higher in plants grown in soils containing 3%, 5%, and 10% biochar, respectively, compared with non-applied soil, suggesting that the amount of biochar applied to the soil was positively correlated with yield. Together, these observations suggest that jatropha fallen leaf biochar could function as a soil conditioner to enhance crop productivity.

Data, capacity-building, and training needs to address rural health inequities in the Northwest United States: a qualitative study.

Rural public health system leaders struggle to access and use data for understanding local health inequities and to effectively allocate scarce resources to populations in need. This study sought to determine these rural public health system leaders' data access, capacity, and training needs. We conducted qualitative interviews across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington with individuals expected to use population data for analysis or decision-making in rural communities. We used content analysis to identify themes. We identified 2 broad themes: (1) challenges in accessing or using data to monitor and address health disparities and (2) needs for training in data use to address health inequities. Participants faced challenges accessing or using data to address rural disparities due to (a) limited availability or access to data, (b) data quality issues, (c) limited staff with expertise and resources for analyzing data, and (d) the diversity within rural jurisdictions. Participants also expressed opportunities for filling capacity gaps through training-particularly for displaying and communicating data. Rural public health system leaders expressed data challenges, many of which can be aided by informatics solutions. These include interoperable, accessible, and usable tools that help capture, access, analyze, and display data to support health equity efforts in rural communities. Informatics has the potential to address some of the daunting data-related challenges faced by rural public health system leaders working to enhance health equity. Future research should focus on developing informatics solutions to support data access and use in rural communities.

Needle and Syringe Programs in Rural Areas: Addressing the Intravenous Drug Use Epidemic

BackgroundOpioid use has reached epidemic proportions in rural communities in the United States and injection of drugs is commonly used. As a result of shared or reusing needles and syringes, the risk for contracting blood-borne diseases is significantly increased. Rural areas face many social and attitudinal barriers regarding syringe exchange programs (SEPs).ObjectiveThis article describes national trends for drug injection problems in rural areas and discusses effectiveness of needle and SEPs as a harm reduction healthcare policy. Ethical and practical considerations in the implementation of SEPs are also presented.MethodThe rehabilitation literature was reviewed on trends in substance abuse and intravenous (IV) drug use in rural areas to identify the status and need for SEPs to address risk factors of infectious diseases resulting from needle sharing and reusing of needles.FindingsIV drug use in rural communities has reached epidemic proportions with resulting dramatic increases in hepatitis C and B and incidence of HIV. Yet, many rural communities continue to object to the implementation of SEPs due to fears that such programs will increase drug use and crime in the community.ConclusionIV drug use is a critical public health issue for users and non-IV users in rural communities, and is increasingly becoming an issue about which rural rehabilitation counselors will need to be informed. For the sake of public health, SEPs should be recognized as an economical, ethical, and effective factor in the larger response to the epidemic of IV drug use in rural America.

PO317 The Yentl Syndrome: How to Get Gender Medicine Into Cardiology

Opiate pain reliever (OPR) misuse by injection is increasing in the United States. Infective endocarditis (IE), a devastating complication of injection OPR use, has been understudied.We conducted a retrospective chart review of IE cases at an academic tertiary care hospital in North Carolina. Hospital admissions from 2009-2014 were screened for cases of definite IE. Subjects reporting injection drug use (IDU) were classified as IDU-IE, and compared to those without reported IDU, classified as No IDU-IE. Rates of IDU-IE and No IDU-IE, patient demographics, microbiologic data and outcomes were compared between the groups.A total of 127 incident admissions for IE were identified, 48 (37.8%) were classified as IDU-IE and 79 (62.2%) as No IDU-IE. IDU-IE cases increased from 14% of hospitalizations for IE in 2009 to 56% in 2014; reporting of OPR injection increased in 2012 and continued through the study period. IDU-IE subjects were younger (32.6 ± 11.7 versus 54.4 ± 13.1, P < 0.0001), more likely to be single (n = 33 [68.8%] versus n = 23 [29.1%], P < 0.0001) and to reside in rural communities (n = 36 [75.0%] versus n = 25 [31.6%], P < 0.0001) than No IDU-IE subjects. Hospital length of stay (26 days versus 12 days, P < 0.0001) and intensive care unit length of stay (2 days versus 1 day, P = 0.04) were longer for IDU-IE patients and hospital mortality did not differ (10.4% IDU-IE versus 8.9% No IDU-IE, P = 0.77).IDU-IE rates increased over time, and OPR injection use in rural communities appears to be a major contributor. Interventions to reduce IDU-IE and OPR misuse are needed to halt this growing epidemic in at-risk rural communities.

An Assessment of Mobile Internet Usage in a Rural Setting of a Developing Country

In sub-Saharan Africa, studies show that the key driver for mobile Internet use is social media. However, despite the global reach and proliferation of the Internet and mobile phones, research on mobile Internet use in rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. There is very little research on how rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa use the Internet, yet a number of studies have shown that there are unique technological needs of rural communities. The purpose of this article is to explore and understand how marginalized rural people in a sub-Saharan African country like Uganda use the Internet, and the factors that limit the use of this technology. This research found out that sports websites accessed through mobile phones were a more substantial indicator of mobile Internet use in Arapai sub-county. This is contrary to what much of the literature presents that the reason for going online in Sub-Saharan Africa is to access social media networking sites. The research also found out that the most limiting factor for accessing the Internet was poor network connectivity.

Is Broadband Speed a Barrier to Internet Use in Rural Communities? An Assessment of Mobile Infrastructure and Internet Use Habits in Urban and Rural Nigeria

Developing countries are faced with a unique challenge in addressing digital inequality. Although expanding access and coverage remains a priority, the rapid advancements in technology continuously creates a gap to be filled in areas with coverage. Addressing this challenge requires an understanding of the relationship between infrastructure, adoption, and use of the Internet. Using two datasets; July 2017 billing records of 260,000 customers retrieved from a major mobile carrier in Nigeria, and survey data collected from 200 respondents in Nigeria in January 2018, this paper investigates how the relationship between Internet use and demographic/industry factors vary across urban and rural users in Nigeria. The results show that users with high-speed Internet consume significantly higher data, irrespective of their location. Older users were found to consume more data and are likely to spend more time online. Location and gender were found to impact the activities and the frequencies of the activities carried out online.

Challenges for the next level of digital divide in rural Indonesian communities

AbstractIn recent years, information and communication technology (ICT) has rapidly spread across the globe, along with increased market penetration and easy availability of economical smartphones and cellphones with both wired and nonwired connections to access the Internet; this leapfrogging in the Internet access is true even in the rural areas of the world's developing countries. Indonesia has the largest population of Internet users even though the Internet penetration rate is still under the regional average among Southeast Asian countries. To date, however, scholarly discourse on ICT use in rural communities in developing countries has, for the most part, been limited to the conventional discussion regarding the gap that exists between the “haves” and the “have nots,” often referred to as the digital divide. The current study applies a contemporary conceptualization of digital divide to the case of a rural village in Indonesia with a growing young population to arrive at policy recommendations for using ICT to improve this village as a possible model for other rural communities in developing countries. Semistructured interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted targeting digital natives, identifying a gap in Internet use between younger and older residents within the digital natives. The study then applied a model that examined a succession of 4 types of access—motivational access, material access, skills access, and usage access—for respondents who were grouped by age and level of Internet use. This analysis combined with an examination of the Internet paradox revealed the positive effects of Internet use on community participation and networking. Analysis also indicated distinctive challenges for each group at multiple stages of the digital divide, leading to policy recommendations for each group to take advantage of Internet technology for future rural development in the case study village and for possible use as a model for other rural areas of developing countries around the world.

Opportunities for Identifying and Addressing Unhealthy Substance Use in Rural Communities: A Commentary on Cucciare et al (2017).

Unhealthy substance use is a public health problem facing rural communities across the United States. Unfortunately, numerous challenges including stigma, perceived need for care, and perceived accessibility of substance use treatment serve as barriers to many rural adults using substances in obtaining the care they need. It is therefore important to examine whether accessing health care options other than substance use treatment is associated with improved substance use. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, we explored whether use of outpatient medical care (OMC) was associated with reductions in substance use among rural stimulant users over a 3-year period. Overall, the results showed that, among rural adults using stimulants, those with at least one OMC visit had fewer days of alcohol, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine use over time. However, most participants reported not having any use of an OMC over the 3-year period, suggesting the need for identifying innovative opportunities to provide substance use help for persons living in rural settings. In this commentary, we discuss opportunities for detecting and addressing unhealthy substance use in retail clinics, via clergy and pharmacists.

Forest Resource-based Household Economy in the Communities of the Nanay River Basin, Peruvian Amazonia

Resource use in rural communities is an important factor affecting local livelihoods and forest conservation in Amazonia. In this paper, we estimate the income obtained from roundwood and irapay palm (Lepidocaryum tenue Mart.) fronds by 79 households living in three Amazonian rural communities where harvest and trade of forest products is the main economic activity. These communities are found in the upper, mid-upper and mid-lower Nanay River Basin (northeastern Peru). We analyze data from a survey of these households conducted in 2009–2010. Results show that both work time and forest income are the highest in the upper Basin, the area furthest from the main urban market in the region, Iquitos. The highest forest income per hour worked, however, is found in the mid-upper Basin. The estimated incomes are equivalent to a low-to-mid level salary in Iquitos, suggesting that the economic incentive is not high enough for these rural households to move to an urban area. Our findings also indicate that the most remote community may be more vulnerable to resource access regulation changes.