A case study was done of Black, Appalachian, and non-Appalachian White populations in the greater Cincinnati (Ohio) area to examine the health status, health maintenance activities, and sources of health and wellness information for each group in order to discern patterns of behavior that would form the basis for an effective health promotion program. The study used data from the 1989 Greater Cincinnati Survey that included 175 Black, 160 Appalachian White, and 575 non-Appalachian White residents. Findings include the following: (1) Blacks showed more concern about their health than did the two White groups; (2) Blacks were more likely and Appalachians were the least likely to use emergency care services; (3) all groups had about the same number of physical check-ups; (4) non-Appalachian Whites had the lowest and Blacks had the highest number of doctor visits; (5) the two White groups were hospitalized at a significantly lower rate than the Blacks; (6) more Appalachian Whites were out of both the labor force and the school population; (7) sources of health care information included doctors, nurses, relatives, the media, and friends; and (8) for wellness information, Appalachian Whites and Blacks looked to health professionals and the media, while non-Appalachian Whites used the media. A concluding section offers a discussion and recommendations. Twelve tables present the data. (JB)