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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

Food Deserts and Hypertension Prevalence in the Central Valley
Policy brief analyzing the association between food deserts and hypertension by census tract in San Joaquin Valley, California. Includes color-coded census tract maps. Mentions high incidence of hypertension and food deserts in rural areas.
Author(s): G. Mendoza, E. Alcala
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Central Valley Health Policy Institute
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Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Assessment and Tailoring Study (WIC NATS)
Provides an overview of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and how local WIC agencies and clinic sites assess their breastfeeding and nutrition services to improve participant retention and service delivery. Includes two reports: a pre-pandemic nutrition assessment report at the state and local levels and a remote versus in-person report focused on assessment processes. Includes data from state agencies as well as 369 local WIC agencies, with differences between rural versus urban agencies discussed.
Additional links: Final Report Part 1, Final Report Part 2, Summary
Author(s): M. Gabay, A.A. Gola, M. Gearing, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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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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Map the Meal Gap 2024: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2022
Provides information on food insecurity in the United States, focusing on how race and ethnicity impact access to food. Includes county-level U.S. maps that show food insecurity for children and the overall U.S. population. Includes regional data on counties with high food insecurity as well as by rural versus urban status.
Additional links: Technical Appendix
Author(s): M. Hake, A. Dewey, E. Engelhard, S. Dawes
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Addressing Food Insecurity in Rural Primary Care: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Barriers and Facilitators
Examines food insecurity (FI) in rural areas and the barriers and facilitators to identifying FI during primary care visits. Provides interview feedback from rural New England primary care practitioners, focused on factors that impact screening for FI and potential interventions to address patient FI. Discusses difficulty of addressing FI in rural geographies, stigma in rural communities, and food resource options from local farms.
Author(s): Kayla E. Jordanova, Arvind Suresh, Chelsey R. Canavan, et al.
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 25, 163
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America
Series of videos highlighting challenges with access to quality healthcare for rural Americans. Discusses healthcare access in remote locations, food insecurity and cultural farming practices, transportation, wellness initiatives, and chronic health conditions in 5 states. Transcript available in video description.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: American Heart Association
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2024 North Carolina Rural Health Snapshot
Presents data on rural North Carolina demographics, health information, and healthcare infrastructure. Offers statistics on issues including food access, income, healthcare coverage, maternal health, behavioral health, housing, internet access, and more.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation, North Carolina Rural Health Association
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Unlocking Access: Implementing Home Delivered Meals to Expand Summer Meal Access for Rural Families
A recorded webinar that discusses utilizing home delivery to provide food access to families during the summer months. Includes examples from organizations who successfully implemented a food home delivery strategy. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Allison Dela Cuesta, Kristen Collins, Madeline Ghanem, Donna Riviello
Date: 04/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Fueling Participation: Boost Engagement in Your Non-Congregate Summer Meals Program Through Marketing and Promotion
A recorded webinar that provides feedback from non-congregate meal program leaders on how to increase participation through community outreach and engagement. Transcript available below description.
Author(s): Josh Proffitt, Liannis Perez, Justine Roberts, Peggy Hamby
Date: 04/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Supporting Students Year-Round: New Options for Summer Benefits
A slide deck that provides information on non-congregate meals in rural areas and the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT). Discusses policy and program enrollment, food insecurity data, and summer meal program case studies.
Author(s): Carolyn Vega, Chris Bernard, Katie Raymond
Date: 04/2024
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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