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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

The Fifth National Climate Assessment
Report outlining the impacts of climate change in the U.S., discussing impacts to both the physical earth as well as society, economics, and health sectors. Offers a look at both national topics of interest as well as the current and future risks at a regional level. Chapter 11 addresses agriculture, food systems, and rural concerns. Chapter 16 addresses Indigenous Peoples.
Date: 2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Global Change Research Program
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Complementary Feeding Interventions for Infants and Young Children Under Age 2: Scoping of Promising Interventions to Implement at the Community or State Level
Provides a scoping review of interventions related to complementary feeding, or introduction to foods other than breast milk or formula, of infants and young children. Includes information on interventions in a variety of settings, including those that can be scaled to rural or tribal areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Food and Nutrition Board
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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No Kid Hungry 2023 Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit
A toolkit that provides sample communications in both English and Spanish for social media, flyers, postcards, and more to spread awareness about summer meal programs. Includes information on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) implementation guidance for non-congregate meal service in rural areas.
Date: 2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Closing the Opportunity Gap for Young Children
Discusses the factors that cause inequities and limited access to resources for young children, such as poverty, food insecurity, abuse and violence, lack of social and emotional safety, inadequate healthcare and schooling, and more. Discusses policy and practices aimed at reducing opportunity gaps, with a focus on historically disadvantaged populations, including those in rural areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2023
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health for older adults across 52 measures using data from 22 unique data sources. Covers social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes. Highlights health disparities, including rural-urban disparities, across five categories of health. Includes state-by-state summaries and county-level maps for risk of social isolation by state.
Additional links: County-Level Maps for Risk of Social Isolation
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Culturally Adapting an Evidence-Based Intervention to Promote a Healthy Diet and Lifestyle for Yup'ik Alaska Native Communities
Highlights a study on a culturally competent educational program on healthy foods and physical activity for Yup'ik Alaska Native communities. Discusses the structure and efficacy of the project. Details some of its limitations and access-based barriers.
Author(s): Scarlett E. Hopkins, Eliza Orr, Bert B. Boyer, and Beti Thompson
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 82(1)
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Assessing Intake of Food and Dietary Supplements in Older Adults: Proceedings of a Workshop Series
Summarizes workshop proceedings on assessing food intake and dietary supplements in adults aged 75 years or older. Discusses screening, nutrition practices, challenges, and policies related to elderly adults. Includes considerations of nutritional issues specific to aging in rural areas.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Food and Nutrition Board
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Addressing Food Access In Arkansas: A Report & Recommendations From The 2022 Arkansas Governor's Food Desert Working Group
Reports on actionable steps at the community and policy level to eliminate food deserts in Arkansas. Provides county-level data on food insecurity and benefits programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), as well as working models to alleviate food insecurity in both urban and rural areas.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
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Changes in Physical Activity Outcomes in the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC-2.0) Community-Based Randomized Trial
Examines the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities 2.0 (SHHC-2.0) intervention focused on exercise, nutrition, and civic engagement. Analyzes behavior changes of 182 women aged 40 and older living in rural New York and provides discussion about implementing wellness interventions in rural areas.
Author(s): Jay E. Maddock, Margaret Demment, Meredith Graham, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19,159
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Food Insecurity in the Rural United States: An Examination of Struggles and Coping Mechanisms to Feed a Family among Households with a Low-Income
Analyzes the barriers and strategies of low-income rural families around food insecurity. Reports on interviews with 153 primary grocery shoppers about their experiences related to affordability and adequacy of meals, difficulty in obtaining food and managing household food needs, and more. Includes demographic information about participants as well as selected quotes relating to their food insecurity experiences.
Author(s): Carmen Byker Shanks, Lauri Andress, Annie Hardison-Moody, et al.
Citation: Nutrients, 14(24), 5250
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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