Mississippi Urban Research Center

Research Briefs/Special Reports

2023-2024

YRBSS.Suicide_Data.Snapshot_Final.v1.Spring2024

PawnShops&Homicides.In.JacksonMS_Finalv1.Spring2024

Crime&CrimJusticeSystem.Issues.Jackson_Final_Fall2023v2

Trauma.MS.Schools.Survey.Report_Final.v2_Fall2023

2022-2023

Charter vs. Public.School_MURC Research Brief_Feb2023v-1

MS State Fair Econ Impact Report_Final.Oct2022v

Examining Gun Violence Homicide Rates Across America: Trends, Factors, and Potential Solutions

MURC Online Journal Recommendations Guide Preview Cover Ver-3

GET READY: A Community and Household Disaster Preparation Seminar

Implications of 2021 Jackson Water Crisis: Past, Present, and Future

 

2022-2023 Snapshot

Comparison of Homicide Rates in Jackson, MS and Several Southern US Cities

 

2021

2021 (Special Report) Incarcerated Mentally ILL Forum Summary_April.21.2021.Final

2021 (Special Report) ConnectJxn Focus Groups Summary Report April23.2021v2

2021 (Special Report) Social Effects of COVID-19 Forum Summary

2021 (Special Report) Medical Marijuana – Full Report_Jan13.2021v

2021 (Special Report) Executive Summary – Medical Marijuana Final Report Jan13.2021v2

2021 (vol. 1 issue 2) Exploring the Relationship between Health Behaviors, Factors, and Chronic Diseases in Mississippi’s 82 counties, January 2021

2021 (vol. 1 issue 1) The Impact of COVID-19 on the Incarcerated Mentally Ill Upon Reentry to the Community, January 2021

 

2020

2020 (vol. 2, issue 2) Lessons from Flint Part-II: A Follow-Up Report Examining Lead Contamination in Twelve Urban Areas, December 2020

2020 (vol. 2, issue 1) Optimizing CDBG Spending, December 2020

2020 (MURC Snapshot) Improving Student’s Academic Performance from the Inside Out:  The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and AcademicPerformance_June30.2020

2020 (Special Report) Reducing the Number of Incarcerated Persons with Mentally Illness: A Technical Assistance Guide

2020 (vol. 1, issue 2) Interruption of the Grieving Process Due to COVID19_June2020

2020 (vol. 1, issue 1) Comparison of Factors Influencing High- and Low-rated Elementary Schools in the Jackson Public Schools’ District

 

2019

2019 (Special Report) East Biloxi Community Collaborative Needs Assessment Summative Final Report

2019 (vol. 2, issue 6) Socioeconomic Consequences of Changing Family Structures: A Literature Review

2019 (Special Report) Identification of Issues Impacting Educational Performance in the Clinton Public School District

2019 (vol. 2, issue 5) A Case Study of Hinds County’s (MS) Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Team

2019 (vol. 2, issue 4) The Impact of School District Consolidation on Academic Achievement in Mississippi

2019 (Special Report) Home Mortgage Approval & Denial Rates in MS

2019 (vol. 2, issue 3) Changes in Family Household Structures and Possible Societal Implications

2019 (vol. 2, issue 2) Lessons from Flint: A Comparative Study of Water Lead Levels in Jackson, MS and 11 Southeastern Cities

2019 (vol. 2, issue 1) Examining the City of Jackson’s 1% Sales Tax Infrastructure Program: Insights & Implications

 

2015-2018

2015 – 2018  Archived Research Briefs/Special Reports

 

Online Journal of Rural and Urban Research 2023 Spring Journal: COVID

Challenges to Healthcare Programming Vaccination Efforts and Community Engagement

 

2022 Spring Journal : Jackson Water Crisis 

2022.OJRUR_JacksonWaterCrisis_Special.Issue.Final

 

2017 (vol.7, no.1) Theme: Public Health 

2017.OJRUR.Whole_journal

The Effect of African American Socio-Political Ideology on Diabetes and Hypertension Diagnoses | Kristie J. Lipford

The First School of Public Health in Mississippi: Challenges and Opportunities | Mohammad Shahbazi

The Community Health Model (CHM):  A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Racial/Ethnic Community Change | Joyce Buckner-Brown

A Preventive Intervention Model for Preschool Children Who Are At-Risk for Language and Literacy Difficulties | Betty D. Sutton, EdD Caroline McCormick, BS Kimberley Ritchie, BS Teaonna Rochell, BS Brandi Newkirk-Turner, PhD

Designing and Implementing a Prevention Program that Targets Language and Literacy Development | Lekeitha R. Morris, PhD

Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural and Urban Areas of the Midwest | Sarah Donley, C. Patrice Lockett

The First School of Public Health in Mississippi: Challenges and Opportunities | Mohammad Shahbazi

Recruitment and Retention of Males and Persons from Minority Backgrounds into the Fields of Communication Sciences and Disorders | Mary Langford Hall, Brandi Newkirk-Turner, Betty D. Sutton

Enhancing Maternal and Child Health in Mississippi: Is the One Key Question® (OKQ) Initiative a Potential Solution? | Wengora Thompson, Joni Roberts

Predictors of Dental Care Service Utilization among Hispanics/Latinos in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama | Azad R. Bhuiyan, Sophia S. Leggett, Pamela D. McCoy, Gerri A. Cannon-Smith, Maria Barvie

From Their Hearts to Our Ears: Former Wards in Rural Communities Discuss Permanency | Shonda Lawrence

Step N2 Life- A Pilot Investigation on the Benefits of Community-Developed Intervention to Reduce Hypertension in Mississippi | Bettye Tyler, Mangle Shanks, Saundra Hill, Ruby Gray, Clifton Addison, Brenda W. Campbell Jenkins, Adrianne Clark, Marty Fortenberry, Darcel Odom, Donna Antoine-LaVigne

Treating Depression: A Strategy for Preventing and Reducing Chronic Illnesses | Mary Langford Hall

Preventing Illiteracy: Improving the Practice of Selecting Reading Assessments or Early Learners | Tracy Harris, Regina Fults McMurtery, Alfonzo Haralson

 

2016 (vol.6, no.1) Theme: Economic Development in Distressed Communities 

Enhancing Workforce Readiness Using Civic Education and Service Learning Experiences of College Students and Their Political Efficacy 

Human Capital Enhancement in Depressed Communities by Utilizing Teacher Loan Forgiveness Programs in Mississippi

An assessment of payday lending practicies in the Methro-Jackson Area (MS) and potential policy responses

A correlation analysis of poverty with race, education, and economic well-being in Mississippi with suggested policy alternatives

Challenges in securing financial resources on aging infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi 

Editorial 

Measuring County Level Quality-of-Life for the State of Mississippi Using a Spatial Equilibrium Amenity Index

Complying the EPA Regulation of Wastewater Treatement Utilizing Ecosystem Services of Natural Wetlands as a Component of Wastewater Treatment System in Economically Depressed Communities in Mississippi

Addressing African American Male Unemployment in Two Inner-City Neighborhoods: A “Credentialed Skills Quandary”

Food Insecurity in the South: A Case Study of Food Desert Identification and Community-Based Solution in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

A Comparative Assessment of Green Economy Growth among Five State Capital Cities and Policy Recommendations in the United States

 

2015 (vol.5, no.1) Theme: Social Determinants of Health 

Impact of Vaccinations on Improving the Health of Children

Building state, academic, and community partnerships to improve health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities

Editorial Team

Editorial — Addressing Social Determinants to Eliminate Health Disparities, Achieve Health Equity, and Improve Health

End_of_life Care Decision-Making: Race Matters

Family Affluence Scale Revisited: Accumulation of Material Possessions verses Children’s Perception of Their Family Being Well-off

Racism and Urban Health Disparities: Using a Community-Based Approach

Prevalence and Trends of Underweight among Mississippi Public School Students: 2005-2013

Assessing the Nutrition Environments in the Southern Quadrant Area in Jackson, Mississippi

Origins of Vaccination and Immunizations

Public Health Need and Vaccination

Urban Sprawl as a Link to Sustainable Development: Negative Health Effects

Utility of Vaccinations and the Body’s Immune System

Vaccinations: Reducing the Burden of Disease

Strategies to make long-term obesity treatments more effective

 

2014 (vol.4, no.1)  Theme: The Utilization of Non-Traditional Interventions to Promote Healthy Living 

A Comparison of Obesity across Geographic Areas

Association between CDH13 Variants and the Initiation of Alcohol and Sexual Behavior 

Increased Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder is a Public Health Concern 

Becoming a Trauma Informed Agency: A Commentary on Mental Healthcare 

Heart Attack Symptoms Knowledge can Lead Children to Summon Help for Grandparents 

Diary Reporting and Phonetic Transcription for Effective Speech Analysis in Children with Disabilities: What Itard did not Know 

Dieting May Cause More Harm than Good: Mindful Eating may be a Healthier Approach to Managing Weight

Disaster Response Multiple University Community Partnerships A Case Report 

Editorial Team

Foreword

Incorporating Health Related Policies within Urban Churches: A Strategy for Reducing Health Disparities 

JUnderstanding the Role and Effect of Anchor Institutions on the Revitalization of West Jackson: A Distressed Community

Privileging the Client Voice: The Path to Improving Outcomes

 

2013 (vol.3, no.1) Theme: Health Disparities Within a Rural and Urban Context 

Improving educational services to students with speech-lanaguage disabilities through multidisciplinary collaborative clinical experiences in teacher preparation programs

Correlates of posttraumatic growth among African Americans living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi 

Investigating the relationship between hazardous waste sites, cancer, obesity, and diabetes prevalence in Mississippi 

America’s exploitation of health disparities leads to a call for a health movement among African Americans: A Commentary 

Closing the gap of health disparities in urban communities: The role of the Seventh-day Adventist church

A public health crisis: Teen drivers and service learning as a strategy to prevent injuries and death 

Editorial Team

Editorial — Closing the Gap in Health Disparities

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): The paradigm and burden of black women as an unequal research priority

Remedies for the obesity epidemic: Can we afford them? Do we want them?

QT interval duration in the Jackson Heart Study: A segregation analysis 

Transportation-related barriers to care among African American women living with HIV/AIDS: “What you getting out of the cab for”

 

2012 (vol.2, no.1) Theme: Urban Education 

Editorial Team

Towards a Model for Predicting Mississippi Public School Children’s Academic Performance

The prevalence of obesity among students at an African American university in the south

Cyberbullying Among College Students

Improving educational services to students with speech-language disabilities through multidisciplinary collaborative clinical experiences in teacher preparation programs 

 

2009 (vol.1, no.1) Theme: Enhancing the Quality of Life 

2009.Journal.Edition — Includes All Articles Listed Below

Editorial

“Professor Johnson Goes to School”

Why HIV Rapid Testing Makes Sense on College Campuses: Lessons Learned at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)

The Influence of Race and Gender in the Utilization of Invasive Procedures when Patients have Medicaid or Free Care

Public Opinion on Childhood Obesity as a Driving Force for Policy and Intervention Development

Comparison of In-Class and Online-Learning Students’ Performance and Attitudes in an Introduction to Biological Science Course Instruction

 

The MURC Digest
African Amerian Male Unemployment in Mississippi, October 2013

Special Forum on Incarcerating the Mentally Ill_June 22,_2017

MURC BROCHURE

MURC Brochure 2023

The MURC DIGEST

Volume 1, Issue 1 – February 2005
Blueprint Mississippi Reconsidered
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Volume 1, Issue 2 – May 2005
The Social and Behavioral Ecology of Youth Violence in West Jackson
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Volume 1, Issue 3 – October 2005
Are Faith-Based HIV/AIDS Programs Effective?
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Volume 2, Issue 1- January 2006
Citywide vs. Neighborhood-specific Crime Rates:
Do they Matter for the City of Jackson?
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Volume 2, Issue 2- April 2006
Black, Dark, Disadvantaged:
Crime, Punishment and Skin Hue in Mississippi
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Volume 2, Issue 3- June 2006
Is Mississippi Really the Worst Place to Live?:
A Spatial Equilibrium Approach to Ranking Livable States
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Volume 3, Issue 1- February 2007
The Economic Impact of Jackson State University
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Volume 4, Issue 1- January 2008
CRIME IN MISSISSIPPI: A Trend Line Analysis
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Volume 5, Issue 1- May 2009
The Spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans and its Economic Impact
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Volume 5, Issue 2- June 2009
Crime in Mississippi: Does Community Involvement Really Matter?
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RESEARCH REPORT

Research Report Series 05-01
A BLUEPRINT FOR INCOME INEQUALITY
AND LOWER ECONOMIC GROWTH IN
URBAN AND DELTA REGION COUNTIES?
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Research Report Series 05-02
An Analysis of Violence Exposure among Youth in the
West Jackson Community as a Correlate of At-Risk Behavior
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Research Report Series 05-03
DOES RELIGION CONSTRAIN RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
ASSOCIATED WITH HIV/AIDS?
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Research Report Series 06-01
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