Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Prenatal Care, Smoking During Pregnancy, and Birth Outcomes in South Dakota

The birth of a baby can be a momentous occasion, but when an infant is born prematurely and/or with low birth weight, it can place a considerable amount of financial and emotional strain on families. In addition, poor birth outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm births put financial pressure on state and federal budgets. More specifically, Cassandra O’Neill (2004) reports that Medicaid covers “40 percent of the four million annual births” nationwide. O’Neill adds that Medicaid “pays for 50 percent of hospital stays for premature and low birth weight infants.”There are a number of maternal characteristics that affect mothers’ health status and birth outcomes. In this newsletter, we focus on prenatal care, smoking during pregnancy, and birth outcomes. The medical community has identified both prenatal care and smoking during pregnancy as factors that affect birth outcomes and infant health (Mathews 2001; O’Neill 2004)

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Birth and Infant Mortality in South Dakota

The joy of birth and the sorrow of losing a newborn are profoundly personal experiences. Still, to some extent, both infant births and deaths are associated with numerous social and environmental factors. These factors include maternal health and level of access to, and quality of, health care (MacDorman and Mathews 2008). Moreover, infant mortality has been recognized as a relatively reliable marker of societal well-being (Gortmaker and Wise 1997). Therefore, it is important that we examine infant mortality rates throughout the state of South Dakota

Possible Effects of Auto Dealer Closures in Rural South Dakota

Determining the impact of a business closure in a community or county can be a complicated process that requires both economic and demographic data. However, one may begin such an assessment by simply examining the number of people who are employed within an oc¬cupational category in a designated location. This study was prompted largely by recent decisions by Chrysler and General Motors to reduce the number of retail auto dealerships in selected locations. While the financial effects of eliminating rural dealerships are likely well understood by corporate accountants, our intent is to examine what else may happen to rural South Dakota counties that lose a new car dealership. A previ¬ous study has shown that, in South Dakota’s most-rural counties, each new car dealer serves a population that is about 20 percent smaller than the average population served by similar South Dakota dealers (Khatiwada et al. 2008). Another study has shown that, while employment in private industry has been growing in urban areas and along Interstate 29, such employment has been declining in several rural counties (Chatterjee et al. 2009)

“2+2+2” COLLABORATION ADDS UP TO SUCCESS FOR AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS

Various governmental, political and community leaders have called for a model which fosters collabo¬ration between high schools, tribal colleges and state universities which will help Native students over¬come barriers and complete their higher education. South Dakota\u27s 2+2+2 program provides such a model

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: South Dakota Farm Number and Size Trends

If you have ever wondered about changes in the number of farms in your state or county, the latest U.S. Census of Agriculture can help answer your questions. New Census of Agriculture information is both interesting and useful. Census of Agriculture data can be used to analyze farm trends, inform agricultural policy, and direct farm spending (2007 Census of Agriculture)

U.S. Housing Patterns, Living Arrangements, and Life Chances

In this assignment you will use U.S. census data to get an overview of housing patterns (ownership and types of housing) and living arrangements as a way of understanding more about one example of what Weber referred to as life chances (or, basically, the ability to access to resources we need to live a good life). As well, access to housing is considered one of the main features of the American Dream. Unfortunately, as the need for low-income housing units has doubled over the last three decades, the number of low-income housing units nationwide has been cut in half. Minneapolis and other cities have established annual goals for increasing the stock of affordable housing in response to a severe shortage of low-cost housing