摘要：Many images exist about the Appalachian region and its residents, but little is known about
how Appalachian residents view themselves. We aimed to determine both the prevalence of
Appalachian self-identity and to ascertain factors associated with identifying oneself as
“Appalachian.” Mixed regression models using data on 571 women from the Community
Awareness Resources and Education (CARE) study were utilized to construct a multivariable
model identifying correlates of Appalachian self-identity. Women who had lived in their
current county for a longer period of time (odds ratio [OR]=1.94, p=0.0017), had a religious
association or someone in their household with a religious association (OR=1.87, p=0.0050),
had both parents raised in an Appalachian county (OR=1.65, p=0.0188), lived in a
neighborhood with a name (OR=1.76, p=0.0076), had a private type of health insurance
(compared to having Medicaid or Medicare only) (OR=2.31, p=0.0105), lived in the more
southern regions of Ohio Appalachia (OR range=2.12-4.40, p=0.0001), and lived in rural
Appalachian counties (versus urban) (OR=2.27, p=0.0015) all had significantly higher odds
self-identifying as “Appalachian.” The results provide new insight into the prevalence of
Appalachian self-identity and its correlates, which may be useful in planning future health
promotion programs in the Appalachian region.
