Alcohol consumption among rural African American and White adolescents: The role of religion, parents, and peers.

Although studies have examined ethnic differences in psychosocial factors and adolescent alcohol use, most have not examined these relationships for rural adolescents. The Community Drug and Alcohol Survey (CDAS) was completed by 23,163 rural adolescents attending African American secondary schools. Multilevel analysis tested the hypothesis of stronger relationships of peer use and religiosity with alcohol use and a weaker relationship for parental permissiveness and alcohol use for White compared to African American adolescents. Results suggested that peer use, religiosity, and parental permissiveness were more strongly associated with changes in alcohol use for White adolescents. Findings provide insight for alcohol prevention among rural adolescents.

Assessing changes in quality of life and independent living and working levels among AgrAbility farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

BACKGROUND: While emerging research has focused on quality of life (QOL) levels among farmers and ranchers with disabilities, much work is still needed on this largely understudied population. The AgrAbility Project, a USDA initiative, offers pragmatic solutions to increase farmers and ranchers with disabilities' QOL and ability to work and live independently (ILW). OBJECTIVES: To assess pretest-posttest changes in farmers and ranchers with disabilities' ILW and QOL levels after participating in AgrAbility, to identify demographic predictors of ILW and QOL (e.g. with whom AgrAbility works best), and to determine how much variance in QOL is accounted for by change in ILW levels. METHODS: Participants (N = 191) included farmers and ranchers from 10 states with various disabilities who participated in AgrAbility. They completed ILW and McGill QOL measures before and after AgrAbility. RESULTS: Paired samples t-tests highlighted that participants' ILW and QOL levels improved (p < 0.001) with large or larger than typical effect sizes. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated that change in ILW over time was qualified by age and origin of disability. Regression results revealed that change in ILW predicted 13% of the variance in QOL change. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that participation in the AgrAbility Project was positively associated with increased ILW and QOL levels. AgrAbility participants reported increases in their QOL levels and their ability to continue their work and live in their homes. Further research is needed to compare results with a no-treatment comparison group of similar ranchers and farmers with disabilities.

Quality of life and independent living and working levels of farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The status of farmers and ranchers with disabilities has been understudied. Understanding this population's quality of life (QOL) and independent living and working (ILW) levels have the potential to be informative for changes in public policy and service provision. OBJECTIVE: To assess QOL levels among farmers and ranchers with disabilities as well as explore a conceptual model of ILW accounting for variance in QOL levels. METHODS: Participants (N = 398) included farmers and ranchers with varying disabilities. Descriptive information was gathered using the McGill Quality of Life (MQOL) and ILW measures. The MQOL measure produces an objective and comprehensive profile of one's QOL across several domains. ILW was used to account for variance in QOL scores. We also examined whether there were any differences in QOL and or ILW based on type of disability. RESULTS: There were no differences in type of disability and QOL levels. The mean QOL level was 5.50 (SD = 1.67; N = 398). The sample rated support and existential well-being the highest among the QOL subscales, which confounds previous research. Further, age group and ILW accounted for 16.2% of the variance in QOL levels, P < .001. CONCLUSIONS: With this sample of farmers and ranchers with disabilities, age group and ILW account for significant variance in QOL. Health professionals can use these findings to support and assess improvements in clients' ILW, self-determination, and QOL. Future research is needed to explore further the effects of QOL and ILW in this population.