Many rural roads lack sharp, smoothly curving edges and a homogeneous surface appearance, hampering traditional vision-based road-following methods. However, they often have strong texture cues parallel to the road direction in the form of ruts and tracks left by other vehicles. This paper describes an unsupervised algorithm for following ill-structured roads in which dominant texture orientati...

BACKGROUND Modernisation and urbanisation have led to lifestyle changes and increasing risks for chronic diseases in China. Physical activity and sedentary behaviours among rural populations need to be better understood, as the rural areas are undergoing rapid transitions. This study assessed levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours of farming and non-farming adults in rural Suixi, ...

This study examined barriers of sustainable rural development from perspective of experts in Department of Rural Development in Razi University, Institute of Rural Research & Development, and Organization of Rural Cooperatives in Kermanshah (N=42).The sample size was estimated by population census. The main research instrument for data collection was pre-tested questionnaire. Validityof questio...

The authors present a comparison between urban and rural boys and girls, based on their Hungarian National Growth and Physical Fitness Study, carried out in the whole territory of Hungary. The sample investigated (N=39.035) contained 1.5% of the 3-18 year-old healthy boys and girls in Hungary. The anthropometric programme included 18 body measurements, the physical fitness investigation used a ...

OBJECTIVE Latinos and rural residents are less active and have a greater prevalence of overweight/obesity compared with their non-Latino white and urban counterparts. The objective of this study was to assess the active living environment in four rural, predominantly Latino communities. METHODS Assessments were taken using the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) in four rural predominantly ...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To redefine the practice of rural nurses and describe a model that conceptualises the capabilities and characteristics required in the rural environment. BACKGROUND The way in which the practice of rural nurses has been conceptualised is problematic. Definitions of rural nursing have been identified primarily through the functional context of rural health service delivery....

This brief describes Medicaid’s role for 52 million nonelderly children and adults living in the most rural areas in the United States and discusses how expansions or reductions in Medicaid could affect rural areas. It shows:  Rural populations face significant challenges to their health care coverage and access. People who live in the most rural counties of America are spread across almost 2,...

OBJECTIVE Parks are an important setting for physical activity and specific park features have been shown to be associated with park visitation and physical activity. Most park-based research has been conducted in urban settings with few studies examining rural parks. This study examined differences in features of parks in urban compared with rural areas. METHODS In 2009/10 a tool was develop...

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine the lifestyle physical activity behaviors (household, leisure, occupational) of older rural women. Background characteristics included demographics, environment, social support, and health. Intrapersonal characteristics included motivation and self-efficacy. The majority of the women's energy expenditure was in the household dimension. Socia...