Rural poverty & social isolation: measuring the impact of a national initiative in Northern Ireland using binary logistic regression

Particular focus was placed among low-income individuals, the disabled elderly, western NI and the NI/ROI border areas.<br><br>Through empirical quantitative research methods, this study finds that MARA, through its smart approach (marrying local knowledge with government objectives) has countered levels of deprivation in the most deprived areas within rural NI, aided the most vulnerable and, overall, effectively tackled poverty and reduced levels of social isolation.

This research has found that improvements in individual health are a product of reduced levels of social isolation – better health is a concomitant of reduced social isolation – both dovetail to create what is truly rural poverty, and rural development is only effective when it tackles both.