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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

Tuberculosis And Rural Health Care In America
Episode of WBUR's On Point radio program, featuring discussion of a tuberculosis outbreak in rural Perry county, Alabama. Describes attempts to screen and treat low-income patients, despite many residents' mistrust of the medical profession. Panelists include the author of a recent Harper's Magazine article about tuberculosis in the Black Belt, a Perry County doctor, a University of Alabama professor of rural medicine, and a healthcare reporter from the Los Angeles Times.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Audio
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Prevalence of Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation by Urban-Rural County Classification — United States, 2015
Provides detailed data on prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation for six urban-rural categories. Includes urban-rural data by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, employment, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity, self-rated health, and functionally disabled status.
Author(s): Michael A. Boring, Jennifer M. Hootman, Yong Liu, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 66(20), 527-532
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Deaths from Alzheimer's Disease — United States, 1999–2014
Provides data on age-adjusted rates of Alzheimer's mortality. Compares rates in 1999 and 2014 by urban-rural classification as well as by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and state. Also includes a map showing county-level average annual age-adjusted death rates from Alzheimer's disease for 2005-2014.
Author(s): Christopher A. Taylor, Sujay F. Greenlund, Lisa C. McGuire, Hua Lu, Janet B. Croft
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 66(20), 521-526
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Teaming Up for Asthma Control: EPR-3 Compliant School Program in Missouri Is Effective and Cost-Efficient
Describes a 2011-2014 study in which 54 Missouri school nurses effectively assessed 178 students' asthma status, leading to program improvements and better health outcomes. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by urban, suburban, large rural, or small town or isolated rural area.
Author(s): Benjamin Francisco, Tammy Rood, Rebekah Nevel, Paul Foreman, Sherri Homan
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 14
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Feasting on Rural America: The Spread of Tick-Borne Diseases
Discusses the impact of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses in rural areas. Features a Lyme disease patient, a scientist, psychiatrist, nonprofit leader, and a medical doctor describing the spread of these diseases and what's being done about it. Includes information on tick identification and tick-borne illness prevention.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Medical Barriers to Nursing Home Care for Rural Residents
Explores challenges faced by rural people seeking placement in nursing homes, especially those with behavioral or psychiatric conditions, complex care needs, dementia, or obesity, and identifies possible solutions through policy changes. Uses data from telephone interviews with 23 discharge planners from rural hospitals in Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Shailendra Prasad, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Characteristics of Farm Equipment-Related Crashes Associated With Injury in Children and Adolescents on Farm Equipment
Explores data on injuries from farm equipment-related accidents involving children under 18 and aims to identify the factors that contribute to youth injuries. Breaks down data by crash characteristics, driver and passenger characteristics, and by type of injury, among other measures.
Author(s): Maisha Toussaint, Kayla Faust, Corinne Peek-Asa, Marizen Ramirez
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 33(2), 127-134
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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A Multicomponent Quality Improvement Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure and Reduce Racial Disparities in Rural Primary Care Practices
Assesses the effectiveness of a multicomponent practice-based quality improvement (QI) intervention to lower blood pressure of patients with uncontrolled hypertension and to determine if there would be a variation of effectiveness by race. Participants in the project included 525 adults with hypertension, providers and staff of which nearly 70% were African American. The study took place at primary care practices located in Lenoir County, an economically distressed county in Eastern North Carolina.
Author(s): Crystal W. Cené, Jacqueline R. Halladay, Ziya Gizlice, et al.
Citation: Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 19(4), 351-360
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Improvements in Colorectal Cancer Incidence Not Experienced by Nonmetropolitan Women: A Population-Based Study From Utah
Study of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in Utah, comparing rural and metropolitan populations using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Examines periodic CRC disparities from 1991-2010 by location and gender. Discusses cultural factors impacting CRC screening and strategies for increasing access to screening.
Author(s): Brynn Fowler, N. Jewel Samadder, Deanna Kepka, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(2), 155-161
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Assessing Local Capacity to Expand Rural Breast Cancer Screening and Patient Navigation: An Iterative Mixed-Method Tool
Report on the development of a mixed-method tool for assessing county capacity as part of a needs assessment process, describing outcomes in rural North Texas counties. Discusses the expansion of the Breast Screening and Patient Navigation (BSPAN) program into a hub-and-spoke delivery model to strengthen networks of community clinics, community groups, and nonprofit organizations. Offers qualitative and quantitative data on changes over the development period.
Author(s): Stephen J. Inrig, Robin T. Higashi, Jasmin A. Tiro, Keith E. Argenbright, Simon J. Craddock Lee
Citation: Evaluation and Program Planning, 61, 113-124
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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