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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Appalachia

Exploring Geographic Variation in Lung Cancer Incidence in Kentucky Using a Spatial Scan Statistic: Elevated Risk in the Appalachian Coal-Mining Region
Discusses mining-related environmental factors which may contribute to high rates of lung cancer in 30 Kentucky counties. Includes breakdowns by sex, age group, smoking history, county-level lung cancer rates from 1995-2007, and coal production rates from 1983-2007.
Author(s): W. Jay Christian, Bin Huang, John Rinehart, Claudia Hopenhayn
Citation: Public Health Reports, 126(6)
Date: 11/2011
Type: Document
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Geospatially Illustrating Regional-Based Oral Health Disparities in Kentucky
Identifies dental health differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions of Kentucky. Includes county-level maps showing percentages of adults with six or more teeth removed due to disease and number of dentists per 10,000 population.
Author(s): Daniel M. Saman, Andrew O. Johnson, Oscar Arevalo, Agricola Odoi
Citation: Public Health Report, 126(4)
Date: 07/2011
Type: Document
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Project Lazarus: Community-Based Overdose Prevention in Rural North Carolina
Describes a community-based overdose prevention model in an Appalachian county of Western North Carolina to combat the high unintentional poisoning mortality rate due to prescription opioids. The main components of this model include community involvement, coalition building, monitoring and surveillance data, overdose prevention, use of medication for reversing overdoses, and the education of primary care providers in managing chronic pain and safe opioid prescribing.
Author(s): Su Albert, Fred W. Brason, Catherine K. Sanford, et al.
Citation: Pain Medicine, 12, (suppl 2), S77-S85
Date: 06/2011
Type: Document
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Individual and Network Factors Associated with Non-fatal Overdose among Rural Appalachian Drug Users
Presents a study on the prevalence of non-fatal prescription drug overdoses in rural Appalachian Kentucky. Breaks down data by whether the overdose was experienced or witnessed, injection drug use, and lifetime drug use, among other factors.
Author(s): Jennifer R. Havens, Carrie B. Oser, Hannah K. Knudsen, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 115(1-2), 107-112
Date: 05/2011
Type: Document
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Health-Related Quality of Life Among Central Appalachian Residents in Mountaintop Mining Counties
Examines the health-related quality of life of residents in mountaintop mining counties of Appalachia using the 2006 national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Author(s): Keith J. Zullig, Michael Hendryx
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 101(5), 848-853
Date: 05/2011
Type: Document
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Breastfeeding Prevalence and Distribution in the USA and Appalachia by Rural and Urban Setting
Reports on the prevalence of breastfeeding in rural and urban areas, with data for the nation, the Appalachian region as a whole, and specific Appalachian states.
Author(s): R. Constance Wiener, Michael A. Weiner
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 11(2), 1713
Date: 05/2011
Type: Document
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Mental Health Status and Perceived Barriers to Seeking Treatment in Rural Reserve Component Veterans
Reports on National Guard and Reserve troops from the Appalachian Region in Pennsylvania who returned from deployment. Addresses demographics, deployment history, barriers to seeking treatment, help-seeking behaviors, mental health symptoms, and sources of stress. Discusses rural and urban differences, including transportation barriers and attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Bennett, Michael Crabtree, Mary E. Schaffer, Thomas W. Britt
Citation: Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 26(3), 113-136
Date: 2011
Type: Document
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Residence in a Distressed County in Appalachia as a Risk Factor for Diabetes, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2006-2007
Discusses rates of self-reported diagnosed diabetes among residents of Appalachian counties. Shows breakdowns by level of county prosperity, based on unemployment rates, per capita income, and poverty. Includes statistical analysis by age group, sex, income, race/ethnicity, education, tobacco use, physical activity level, and weight status.
Author(s): Lawrence Barker, Richard Crespo, Robert B. Gerzoff, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 7(5)
Date: 09/2010
Type: Document
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Evaluation of a Patient Assistance Program Pilot Project at Health Clinics in the Appalachian Region During Fiscal Year 2007 & 2008
Analyzes the administrative burdens faced by rural providers in accessing donated medications from pharmaceutical company assistance programs for their low-income patients.
Date: 06/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Viral Hepatitis and Injection Drug Use in Appalachian Kentucky: A Survey of Rural Health Department Clients
Analysis of demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral data from patients screened for hepatitis B and hepatitis C at four health departments in rural Kentucky in 2006-2007. Includes statistical breakdowns by sex, age group, education, employment, marital status, government assistance, insurance, and various risk factors linked to drug use and sexual activity.
Author(s): W. Jay Christian, Claudia Hopenhayn, Amy Christian, Deana McIntosh, Alvaro Koch
Citation: Public Health Reports, 125(1)
Date: 01/2010
Type: Document
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