O'Connell publishes on home repairs in rural Tennessee
Dr. Bethesda O’Connell, Assistant Professor in East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, is lead author of an article in the Journal of Appalachian Health. The article, “They Built My Soul: A Qualitative Analysis of the Impacts of Home Repairs in Rural Tennessee,” examine the impacts of housing repairs conducted by Appalachia Service Project in Northeast Tennessee.
Ada Sloop and Dr. Megan Quinn, student and Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, are co-authors. Additional co-authors include Nicole Intagliata and Melisa Miller of the Appalachia Service Project.
Housing disparities are potentially more persistent and have greater health effects in areas that have higher poverty rates and poor health. In Appalachia, poverty rates increase as rurality increases. The four counties included in this study are composed of mostly rural populations, and classified as at-risk or distressed counties in northeast Tennessee. Lower economic status is reflected in poorer living conditions in the region than in the nation as a whole. Additionally, Appalachian states are some of the least healthy in the nation, with Tennessee ranking 44th overall out of the 50 states in 2019.
Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a nonprofit ministry with a vision to eradicate substandard housing in Central Appalachia. They provide critical repairs for over 350 families every year in Central Appalachia. Participants are selected for critical home repairs by ASP based on a variety of factors such as time availability, budget, type of repairs needed, volunteer skill level, amount of need in the surrounding county, location, proof of home ownership, and individual needs. Inclusion criteria for participation in this research project were having received housing repairs through ASP16 from 2017-2019, being at least 18 years old, and residence in Hancock, Cocke, Johnson, or Washington counties.
Twenty-eight structured interviews were conducted about the participants’ experience with the housing repairs process. This study found that the impacts of repairs to substandard housing in rural Northeast Tennessee are far-reaching to include themes related to environmental, physical, mental, and financial health as well as willingness to receive assistance. These findings have implications for medical care, mental health care, economics, public health, and social work, and other related professions. Interventions in these fields must also consider home environments. Further research is recommended to quantify impacts including effects on utilization of health care and community services, school and work attendance, and mental health impacts.