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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

How Rural Communities Overcame Challenges During COVID-19 Pandemic
A recorded webinar that provides an overview of the experiences of 16 No Kid Hungry grantees who worked with exclusively rural schools and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses the demand for free and accessible meals, the benefits of partnerships, and the need for flexibility to break down barriers related to food insecurity.
Additional links: Report, Slide Deck
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organizations: No Kid Hungry, Save the Children, Walmart Foundation
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Hunger, Poverty, and Health Disparities During COVID-19 and the Federal Nutrition Programs' Role in an Equitable Recovery
Examines how food security and health were impacted by COVID-19, particularly for underserved populations and areas. Discusses the role of federal nutrition programs in addressing disparities. Includes analysis specific to rural communities.
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Strengthening SNAP and TANF is Essential to Support Children in Early Childhood
Research brief examining participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Virginia during children's first six years of life. Uses administrative data from the Virginia Longitudinal Data System to explore differences in participation by race and residence in rural versus urban counties.
Author(s): Colleen Heflin, Michah W. Rothbart, Mattie Mackenzie-Liu
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion
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Household Food Security in the United States in 2020
Reports on household food security, food expenditures, and use of federal food and nutrition assistance programs in 2020. Includes food insecurity statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Discusses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals' ability to work and their household's food security.
Additional links: Report Summary, Statistical Supplement
Author(s): Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, Anita Singh
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Low Health Literacy Is Associated With Energy-Balance-Related Behaviors, Quality of Life, and BMI Among Rural Appalachian Middle School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
Results of a study of 854 7th-grade students in rural Appalachian Virginia, exploring relationships between health literacy and energy-balance-related health behaviors, body mass index (BMI), and quality of life. Features demographics and statistics on health-promoting and risky health behaviors, and self-rated health status.
Author(s): Annie L. Reid, Kathleen J. Porter, Wen You, et al.
Citation: Journal of School Health, 91(8), 608-616
Date: 08/2021
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Caregiver Feeding Practices as Predictors for Child Dietary Intake in Low-Income, Appalachian Communities
Results of a study of feeding practices of 178 caregivers of children ages 2-10 from low-income, rural communities in East Tennessee, conducted from November 2017 to June 2018. Features demographics and statistics on caregiver and child dietary intake.
Author(s): Mikaela B. McIver, Sarah Colby, Melissa Hansen-Petrik, Elizabeth T. Anderson Steeves
Citation: Nutrients, 13(8), 2773.
Date: 08/2021
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Examining Child Food Insecurity in Rural America
A recorded webinar that discusses challenges and barriers related to child food security in rural areas, with a focus on the impact of COVID-19, data exhibiting child food needs, and policy that can help close food access gaps. Transcript available below description.
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Community-Based Efforts Aim to Improve the Food Environment within a Highly Obese Rural Appalachian County
Discusses efforts to improve nutrition of rural Appalachian citizens through community-developed marketing strategies. Examines statistical differences in food purchases at 5 Kentucky gas stations before and after healthier options were noted on station shelves via a "Smart Snack" logo.
Author(s): Rachel Gillespie, Emily DeWitt, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Brynnan Dunnaway, Alison Gustafson
Citation: Nutrients, 13(7), 2200
Date: 06/2021
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Super Stores' Impact on the Availability of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Approved Stores
Examines the effect of new super stores on the survival of existing traditional stores and the cost savings accruing to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries. Features statistics including SNAP redemptions and share of redemptions by store type from 1992–2017, and impact of super store entry on the number of SNAP-approved stores with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Michael Ollinger, Michele Ver Ploeg, Chris Dicken
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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The Food Retail Landscape Across Rural America
Examines changing food retailer trends from 1990 to 2015 in rural areas, discussing food access issues, economic challenges, and health impacts. Provides county-level maps indicating numbers of food retailers and grocery stores, and compares store types and numbers of food retailers for rural, nonmetro large urban, and nonmetro small urban counties.
Author(s): Alexander Stevens, Clare Cho, Metin Cakir, Xiangwen Kong, Michael Boland
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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