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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

Disparities in Obesity Among Rural and Urban Residents in a Health Disparate Region
Reports on a community-based study to measure and compare the current levels of obesity and associated lifestyle behaviors of physical activity and diets of fruits and vegetables among rural and urban residents in south central Virginia and north central North Carolina.
Author(s): Jennie L Hill, Wen You, Jamie M Zoellner
Citation: BMC Public Health, 2014(14), 1051
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
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The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Heart Disease
Policy brief reporting on rural disparities in heart disease and the associated risk factors of obesity and physical inactivity. Includes heart disease-related death rates and information on obesity prevalence by sex, region, and rural/urban status from 2008-2010. Based on data from the 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook.
Author(s): Alana Knudson, Michael Meit, Shena Popat
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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Rural Border Health Chartbook II
Presents an analysis of border counties, both urban and rural, by comparing these counties to other counties within the four border states, and to rural and urban counties in the rest of the U.S. Provides county-level rates and statistics for sociodemographic factors, the physical environment, access to care, and health outcomes.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Grishma P. Bhavsar, Amy Brock Martin, Janice C. Probst, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Qualitative Exploration of Rural Focus Group Members' Participation in the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, USA
Explores the benefits of a self-managed approach to chronic illness as perceived by rural residents. Also discusses research in support of self-managed care for chronic illness in rural areas.
Author(s): Idethia Harvey, Megan Janke
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 14(4), 2886
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
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Rural Childhood Obesity Prevention Toolkit
Provides specific policy options for healthy eating and active living for rural communities to implement to address childhood obesity.
Author(s): Maya Rockeymoore, Craig Moscetti, Andrew Fountain
Date: 10/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Translating and Testing the ENABLE: CHF-PC Concurrent Palliative Care Model for Older Adults with Heart Failure and Their Family Caregivers
Reports on an evaluation study to determine the feasibility and satisfaction of converting a cancer-focused concurrent palliative care (PC) intervention into early PC for rural patients with a diagnosis of heart failure.
Author(s): J. Nicholas Dionne-Odom, Alan Kono, Jennifer Frost, et al.
Citation: Journal of Palliative Medicine, 17(9), 995-1004
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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Healthy Alaskans 2020 Health Assessment: Understanding the Health of Alaskans
Provides an overview of the statewide health assessment data used to inform the Healthy Alaskans 2020 initiative, and explains the selection and target-setting process for the 25 included leading health indicators. Addresses mortality rates, chronic disease incidence, healthcare access, disparities, and social determinants of health.
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Department of Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
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Home Food and Activity Assessment: Development and Validation of an Instrument for Diverse Families of Young Children
Outlines and tests an assessment tool that measures the home food and activity environments of geographically and economically diverse families of preschool aged children in rural Colorado.
Author(s): Richard E. Boles, Alexandra Burdell, Susan L. Johnson, et al.
Citation: Appetite, 80, 23-27
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
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The Marcellus Shale Impacts Study: Chronicling Social and Economic Change in North Central and Southwest Pennsylvania
Report on the impact of the Marcellus Shale, a natural gas-bearing geological formation beneath portions of Pennsylvania. Segments of the report focus on the effects of the Shale on health, with symptoms ranging from skin rash to difficulty breathing. Also includes selected county level healthcare data and statistics.
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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