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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Appalachia

County Economic Status in Appalachia, FY 2025
Map showing levels of economic distress in Appalachian counties based on unemployment rates, income, and poverty levels. Includes interactive map, downloadable maps and data files, and data report.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey Chartbook
State- and county-level information on population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy, education, labor force, employment, transportation, income, health insurance coverage, disability, and veteran status, for the 13 Appalachian states. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density. Includes data explorer options for Appalachian categories such as population and age, education, income and poverty, computer and broadband access, rural Appalachia versus rural America, and employment and commuting.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Sara Srygley, Nurfadila Khairunnisa, Diana Elliott
Date: 06/2024
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, Population Reference Bureau
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Is Peer Support a Tipping Point for the Opioid Use Disorder Crisis in Appalachia? Research Holds the Answer
Investigates how the relationship among cultural, socioeconomic, medical, and geographic factors in Central Appalachia create additional burdens for opioid use recovery. Analyzes the effectiveness of medications for opioid use disorder and peer recovery support services, providing recommendations to address opioid use disorder in Appalachia.
Author(s): Kimberly Horn, Stephanie M. Mathis, Lara Nagle, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction, 21, 122
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
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A Sentiment and Keyword Analysis of College Food Pantry Stigma Among Users and Nonusers
Analyzes food pantry stigma among college students at a rural Appalachian university. Examines responses from an online survey that provides information on student food insecurity, demographic information, stigma associated with food pantry use, and more.
Author(s): Alisa T. Duong, Ayron E. Walker, Amanda R. Bossert, Matthew E. Arnold
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 11(2), 285-299
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
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Partnerships to Establish and Sustain Rural GME: Q and A with Randy Longenecker, MD
Interview with Randy Longenecker, founding executive director of the RTT Collaborative, now called the Rural Medical Training Collaborative. Explores the history of efforts to address physician shortages in rural Appalachian Ohio and discusses challenges in developing and sustaining rural graduate medical education partnerships and experiences.
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
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Voices of Experience: Lay Perspectives on Severe Maternal Morbidity in Appalachia
Highlights the perspectives of 10 rural Appalachian women interviewed about their experiences with severe maternal morbidity, social determinants of health, the healthcare system, and access to quality healthcare. Offers potential interventions based on interview themes.
Author(s): Anna Hansen, Cassidy Carter, Nancy Schoenberg, Carrie Oser
Citation: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 4, 100410
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
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Providing Employment Services to Individuals in Recovery: Lessons from Addiction Recovery Care
Explores a substance use disorder (SUD) recovery program in rural Appalachian Kentucky that pairs the residential clinic with employment services. Details the phases and strategies of the recovery program: stabilization, recovery and life skills, taking action, and job skills and education. Discusses the demographic profile of those in recovery and the impact of providing occupational training during treatment.
Author(s): Robin Koralek, Hannah Engle, Chelsea Jackson, Hannah Pico
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies Related to Using Presumptive Recommendations for HPV Vaccination: A Qualitative Study with Rural and Non-Rural-Serving Primary Care Professionals
Examines the use of presumptive recommendations that assume parents will want to vaccinate, a strategy aimed at improving HPV vaccination uptake in rural and non-rural primary care clinics in North Carolina. Analyzes interview data from primary care professionals (PCPs) about the impact of presumptive recommendations, focusing on issues such as patient trust and cultural sensitivity.
Author(s): Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi, Lisa P. Spees, Caitlin B. Biddell, et al.
Citation: Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 20(1)
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Enduring Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Access, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Rural Appalachia
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, Appalachian community in Kentucky. Utilizes focus group data from 39 participants to analyze ongoing issues such as social isolation, cost of living, and food access. Discusses how these issues affect mental health, access to needed medications, and ability to purchase nutritious food.
Author(s): Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, Nathan Bandy, Heather Norman-Burgdolf
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(5), 594
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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The Paradox of High Greenness and Poor Health in Rural Central Appalachia
Examines the environmental, socioeconomic, and psychological/behavioral factors that result in poor health in rural central Appalachia despite the availability of green areas. Includes discussion about the factors that attenuate or overwhelm potential health benefits of greenness for Appalachian citizens.
Author(s): Jiaying Dong, Matthew H E M Browning, Aaron Reuben, et al.
Citation: Environmental Research, 248, 118400
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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