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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

Bringing Produce to the People: Implementing a Social Marketing Food Access Intervention in Rural Food Deserts
Evaluates the implementation of a mobile farmer's market in California that was intended to increase access to fresh produce in a rural area. Discusses the program, evaluation methods used, and lessons learned.
Author(s): A. Susana Ramirez, Lillian K. Diaz Rios, Zulema Valdez, Erendira Estrada, Ariana Ruiz
Citation: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(2), 166-174
Date: 02/2017
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Hunger in Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for the Aging Services Network
Report details the state of food security in older adults throughout the nation. Examines some of the negative health outcomes caused or worsened by malnutrition at an older age. Discusses some of the barriers that inhibit many elderly people from accessing food, such as immobility, lack of transportation, and poverty, among others.
Date: 02/2017
Sponsoring organization: Meals on Wheels America
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Low-Income and Low-Supermarket-Access Census Tracts, 2010-2015
A brief that discusses regions of the country with low-income and limited access to supermarkets and how they demonstrate the connection between poverty and access to healthy food. Includes a comparison of urban and rural locations as connected to low-income and low-access tracts.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): Alana Rhone, Michele Ver Ploeg, Chris Dicken, Ryan Williams, Vince Breneman
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Impacts
Highlights programs in 6 rural counties to improve the health and well-being of children and families supported by the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative. Programs included the expansion of the early childhood care and education program, promotion of physical activity through the development of walking and biking routes, and improved accessibility to local foods and support for the local economy.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organizations: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Luther College, Northeast Iowa Community College
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Fruit and Vegetable Bucks: Adams County Grocery Store Snap Incentive Program
Describes and evaluates the Adams County Grocery Store SNAP Incentive for Produce in Winter/Early Spring – a program in rural Pennsylvania for residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to assist them in purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables.
Author(s): Amy B. Dailey, Audrey Hess, Camille Horton, et al.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organizations: Adams County Food Policy Council, Gettysburg College
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Exploring the Potential for Technology-Based Nutrition Education among WIC Recipients in Remote Alaska Native Communities
Results of a study to estimate media technology use in tribal communities, in order to inform the possibility of providing technology-based nutrition education. Features demographics and statistics showing frequency of media technology-based activities among the 368 questionnaire respondents.
Author(s): Julianne M. Power, Kathryn L. Braun, Andrea Bersamin
Citation: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(7 Supplement 2), S186-S191
Date: 2017
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Craving to Make a Difference in a Rural Community
Describes efforts to combat hunger and food insecurity in Ashe County, North Carolina through the Food Pantry Project, a food access screening program located within the local hospital.
Author(s): Melissa Lewis, Patty Parsons
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 78(4), 259-260
Date: 2017
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Employment, Poverty, and Public Assistance in the Rural United States
Compares economic and demographic characteristics of rural counties by county income level. Includes data on employment, race/ethnicity, and English-language proficiency. Also examines reliance on public sector supports: the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and children's health insurance.
Author(s): Rebecca Glauber, Andrew Schaefer
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Community Benefit Programming to Improve Healthy Food Access and Reduce Risk of Diet-Related Disease: A National Survey of Hospitals
Details the results of a survey on hospital community benefit programming to increase access to healthy food in an attempt to reduce diet-related health conditions. Discusses the Community Health Needs Assessments for the communities the surveyed hospitals were serving. Also, looks at the various implementation strategies used for each program.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Health Care Without Harm
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Saving the Last Grocery Store
Describes how a rural Colorado community re-opened its only grocery store as a co-op, after a severe blizzard that cut off the town for days made the need for a local store apparent to residents. Discusses the challenges facing rural grocery stores.
Author(s): Lorraine Armstrong
Citation: Rural Cooperatives, 84(3), 12-15
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
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