Residents and identified community leaders from two rural Mississippi Delta communities were studied to determine the extent to which diverse groups of this region advocate the same needs of, perceived attitudes toward, and approaches within community development. Five assumptions concerning community development in the racially diverse Mississippi Delta, a region argued to have a patronage approach to economic development and social opportunities, were empirically examined through cross-tabulations, exploratory factor analysis, and independent sample T-tests. Virtually no differences were found across race, gender, income, owning additional property (other than a house) in the region, and leaders versus non-leaders in their needs, attitudes and approaches. All groups adhere to a monolithic "growth machine" approach which seems to perpetuate a patronage system in the region. To keep political and economic elites from dominating the community development agenda, more emphasis needs to be placed on local community betterment than on community economic development, potentially giving rise to different voices in the community.
Numerous factors influence health, including family background, individual behaviors, and community context. Access to care and insurance are critical, especially for people in lower socioeconomic groups who often face challenges beyond their immediate control. Building from a synthesis of theoretical frameworks, and using data from the Delta Rural Poll, this article utilizes logistic regression to explore the relationship between macro and micro socioeconomic resources and self-rated health
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