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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Appalachia

Barriers to Access to Local Produce in an Early Childhood Setting in Rural Appalachia
Analyzes access to fresh produce in early childhood programs in Appalachia as well as farm to school programming. Utilizes semi-structured interview feedback with program directors to examine issues such as staffing, increased work loads, regulations, and lack of funding, knowledge, parental involvement, and equipment.
Author(s): Erali' Tracie Miller, Kathleen Schroeder, Bhuwan Thapa, Elizabeth Shay
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(1), 1-15.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Social Isolation and Loneliness Prevention among Rural Older Adults Aging-in-Place: A Needs Assessment
Surveyed 82 rural older adults aging in place in rural Appalachian Tennessee to determined local factors contributing to social isolation and loneliness. Discusses neighborhood conditions, interpersonal relationships and activities, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics. Offers rural-specific strategies for addressing social isolation and loneliness in rural communities.
Author(s): Jodi L. Southerland, Shimin Zheng, Kayla Dodson, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1404869
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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The Impact of Primary Care Physician Capacity on Preventable Hospitalizations: Identifying Bright Spots in the Appalachian & Mississippi Delta Regions
Results of a study to determine whether the association of primary care capacity with preventable hospitalizations is different in the Appalachian and Mississippi Delta regions compared with the rest of the U.S. Also explores primary care capacity in counties with lower-than-expected preventable hospitalization rates. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and nonrural areas.
Author(s): Michael Topmiller, Peter J. Mallow, Hoon Byun, Mark Carrozza, Yalda Jabbarpour
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(3), 66-78
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Assessing Chronic Pain Among Adults Diagnosed with Diabetes Residing in Rural Appalachia
Examines the associations of comorbidity, disability, and depression with chronic pain among a sample of 356 adults with diabetes in 6 rural Appalachian Kentucky counties. Features demographics and statistics on self-reported health status.
Author(s): Brittany L. Smalls, Adebola Adegboyega, Courtney Ortz, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(3), 79-92
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment Services in Rural Northwest North Carolina
Results of a study using data from interviews with 6 regional agencies, conducted in early 2022 with professionals working in intimate partner violence and child maltreatment in rural North Carolina. Explores challenges and risk factors encountered by clients, including isolation, financial barriers, chronic stress, abuse, barriers to care, and mental illness.
Author(s): Elisabeth G. Galphin, Adam Hege, Amy Dellinger Page
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(3), 93-98
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Psychosocial Factors, Stress and Sleep Among Rural Appalachian Kentucky Residents with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Results of a study examining whether psychosocial factors were associated with perceived stress and self-reported sleep deficiency, among 318 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in 6 counties in rural Appalachian Kentucky. Features demographics and statistics on the association between perceived stress and sleepiness, and depression with perceived stress.
Author(s): Blake DiPaola, Zoe Taylor, Eric Hennemann, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(3), 50-65
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Appalachian Diseases of Despair
Provides information on Appalachian mortality disparities due to overdose, suicide, and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis among people ages 15-64. Utilizes data from the 2022 Multiple Cause of Death database broken down by Appalachian state, region, gender, and metropolitan or nonmetropolitan status.
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Palliative Care for Patients with Heart Failure and Family Caregivers in Rural Appalachia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluates FamPALcare, a telephone coaching intervention for family caregivers who provide palliative care to patients with heart failure (HF) in rural Appalachia. Provides data on patients' HF-related physical health and depression/anxiety, caregivers' caregiving burden and depression/anxiety, and intervention helpfulness at 3 and 6 months.
Author(s): Ubolrat Piamjariyakul, Angel Smothers, Kesheng Wang, et al.
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 23, 199
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Community-Level Factors and their Associations with Changing Opioid Overdose Fatality Rates in Kentucky, 2019–2021
Identifies associations between community-level factors and opioid overdose fatality rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky counties, and examines how these associations have changed from 2019 to 2021. Discusses societal changes that occurred due to COVID-19, including social isolation, and which may be linked to an increase in overdose deaths. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, adjacent-to-metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Shawn R. Nigam, Philip M. Westgate, Svetla Slavova, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Katherine L. Thompson
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(1), 90-115
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Feasibility and Efficacy of a Novel Audiovisual Tool to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening among Rural Appalachian Kentucky Adults
Examines an audiovisual tool to improve understanding of fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) directions and assesses the tool's feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy in an Appalachian population of Kentucky. Utilizes survey data and focus group feedback from 692 individuals to examine FIT completion. Discusses colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality and strategies to improve screening.
Author(s): Aaron J. Kruse-Diehr, Derek Cegelka, Elizabeth Holtsclaw, et al.
Citation: Public Health, 12
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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