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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

A Qualitative Study Identifying Barriers and Facilitators of Physical Activity in Rural Communities
Highlights a study on physical activity rates and structural impediments and advantages within rural communities that affect those rates. Bases findings on interviews with rural adults in southeast Missouri. Examines the attitudes and concerns about physical activity and makes suggestions for future interventions.
Author(s): Amanda S. Gilbert, Dixie D. Duncan, Alan M. Beck, Amy A. Eyler, Ross C. Brownson
Citation: Journal of Environmental and Public Health, (2019)
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
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HIV Testing in 50 Local Jurisdictions Accounting for the Majority of New HIV Diagnoses and Seven States with Disproportionate Occurrence of HIV in Rural Areas, 2016–2017
Reports on HIV testing in 50 local jurisdictions where most new diagnoses of HIV infection in 2016 and 2017 were found and in 7 states with high rural rates of HIV. Includes rural-urban data on HIV testing for Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
Author(s): Marc A. Pitasi, Kevin P. Delaney, John T. Brooks, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(25), 561-567
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Running Clear: Preventing Private Water Sources from Becoming a Health Hazard in Rural America
Provides an overview of the potential contaminants in well water and describes how the safety of private water sources is maintained. Features water experts and a public health professional explaining what can be done to keep well water clean, including water testing, education and training, funding, and technical assistance.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Kentucky Community Fights Back against Cardiovascular Disease
Results of a study conducted in Appalachian Kentucky, exploring a program in which community health workers helped promote healthy eating, physical activity, stress reduction, and other activities to manage risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
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Public Health Application of Predictive Modeling: An Example from Farm Vehicle Crashes
Estimates the risk of injury or death for farm vehicle accidents using predictive modeling for different scenarios. Identifies how the model could be used to improve public health.
Author(s): Shabbar I. Ranapurwala, Joseph E. Cavanaugh, Tracy Young, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 6(31)
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Smoking Status — United States, 2017
Examines age-adjusted prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among current smokers, former smokers, and those who have never smoked. Includes data by urban-rural location.
Author(s): Anne G. Wheaton, Yong Liu, Janet B. Croft, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(24), 533-538
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung Disease?
Provides a U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing on the increase in lung disease among coal miners, particularly in the Appalachian states of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia, and what the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) should do about it. Addresses the history of black lung in the U.S., black lung statistics, the impact of quartz exposure and ways to reduce it, and the finances of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Includes testimony from the Government Accountability Office, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, United Mine Workers of America, University of Illinois School of Public Health, and others.
Additional links: Cecil Roberts, John Howard Testimony, Robert Cohen Testimony
Date: 06/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: U.S. House of Representatives
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The Challenges of Chronic Disease in Rural Areas: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Video focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rural America. Experts discuss the high prevalence rate in rural areas, possible causes of the disparity, COPD treatment options, and how we can better understand and address this disease.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Life and Breath: How Air Pollution Affects Health in Minnesota
Provides a report and data on the health impacts of pollution in Minnesota. Discusses sources of air pollution; health impacts attributable to pollution; and differences in impacts by rural/urban location, poverty rate, health insurance coverage, and race/ethnicity. Includes maps with county-level data on air pollution health-related events.
Additional links: Full Report, Mapping the Data
Author(s): David Bael, Kathy Raleigh
Date: 06/2019
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Analysis of Obesity Rates for School Children in Pennsylvania
Report details an analysis of child obesity in Pennsylvania. Compares rural and urban rates by year and considers family demographics, such as occupation, household income, insurance coverage, among other factors.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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