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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Iowa

Mobilising Cross-Sector Collaborations to Improve Population Health in US Rural Communities: A Qualitative Study
Highlights collaborations in rural communities that improve population health, such as health-promoting local contexts, seed initiatives, and hospital visions of shared leadership. Studies 4 rural communities in Iowa and conducts 22 key-informant interviews within the communities.
Author(s): Xi Zhu, Paula Weigel, Jure Baloh, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 9(11)
Date: 11/2019
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Self-Identified Barriers to Rural Mental Health Services in Iowa by Older Adults with Multiple Comorbidities: Qualitative Interview Study
Highlights a study on the perceived barriers to mental healthcare for chronically ill elders in rural Iowa. Bases finding on phone interviews with participants where they detailed their experiences accessing mental healthcare. Breaks down data by age, sex, and mental health diagnosis, among other factors.
Author(s): Lauren Elizabeth Pass, Korey Kennelty, Barry L Carter
Citation: BMJ Open, 9(11), e029976
Date: 11/2019
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Iowa Rural Health and Primary Care: Health Professional Underserved Areas and Rural Health Program Opportunities
Provides an overview of rural healthcare workforce programs, recruitment, and retention opportunities in Iowa. Includes county-level information on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), and Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs).
Date: 10/2019
Sponsoring organization: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
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Overall and Cause-specific Mortality in a Cohort of Farmers and Their Spouses
Highlights a study examining the overall mortality rates of farmers and their families that participated in the Agricultural Health Survey in Iowa and North Carolina. Details participants by age, sex, education and smoking status, among other factors. Compares mortality rates to the general population.
Author(s): Srishti Shrestha, Christine G. Parks, Alexander P. Keil, et al.
Citation: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 76(9), 632-643
Date: 09/2019
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Life Course Patterns of Concurrent Trajectories of BMI and Affective Symptoms of Rural Mothers: Socioeconomic Antecedents and Disease Outcomes in Later Life
Study examining patterns of body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic background, and symptoms of depression and anxiety in rural Midwestern mothers over a 25-year period from 1991-2015. Participants in the study were 552 White families in rural Iowa who were parents of early adolescents in 1991. Discusses health risks, comorbidity, and socioeconomic stresses over time, noting that the rural women in the study experienced the rural farm crisis of the late 1980s.
Author(s): Kandauda Wickrama, Eric T. Klopack, Catherine Walker O'Neal, et al.
Citation: The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74(7), 1233-1244
Date: 09/2019
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Obesity and Diabetes in the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska: From Community Engagement to Action, 2014-2019
Describes interventions implemented on the Winnebago Tribe reservation in rural Nebraska and Iowa, focusing on community-selected and culturally adapted policies, systems, and environmental improvements to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes. Strategies include infant and childhood obesity prevention education, promotion of healthy foods and beverages, and improvements to pedestrian safety and built environment.
Author(s): Larry Alonso, Lorelei Decora, Ursula Bauer
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
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Understanding Symptom Burden in Patients with Advanced Cancer Living in Rural Areas
Explores research methods for understanding differences in rural and urban cancer care, treatment, and symptom-based stressors. Discusses challenges in recruiting and retaining rural study participants and capturing differences between rural patients receiving local care and those receiving care in metro areas. Studies the severity of advanced cancer symptoms for 21 rural patients in Iowa, drawing data from patient surveys. Describes disparities in advanced cancer diagnosis and differences in treatment experiences.
Author(s): Stephanie Gilbertson-White, Yelena Perkhounkova, Seyedehtanaz Saeidzadeh, et al.
Citation: Oncology Nursing Forum, 46(4), 428-441
Date: 07/2019
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Promising Practice: Iowa Project Promotes Healthcare Careers Early
Highlights a promising practice led by the Iowa State Office of Rural Health. Discusses the Opportunities in Health Sciences: Iowa Career Pathways program, which provides resources to support high school students and adults looking for a career change to enter the healthcare workforce in the state.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Access to Maternal Health Care in Rural Communities: A Patient's Personal Story
Offers a short video featuring a patient's story about accessing maternal healthcare in rural Iowa. Includes the perspective of the obstetrician/gynecologist who provided her care using a combination of telehealth and in-person visits from South Dakota, the closest facility offering the services she needed. Transcript available below description.
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Life 'til the End: Hospice in Rural America
Describes the role of hospice in rural communities. Features a rural Iowa family sharing how hospice helped them care for their father at the end of his life. Also highlights a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Wisconsin that provides hospice care, explaining how this service supports the hospital's mission to provide care to the community.
Author(s): Tami Lichtenberg
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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