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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

Rural Health Disparities and Differences in Definitions of Rurality
Examines health disparities and differences in healthcare characteristics between rural and nonrural counties using data from the 2023 County Health Rankings and 2021-2022 Area Health Resources Files. Compares community health and healthcare characteristics by two county-level urban-rural classification systems: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) and Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs). Explores the degree to which four county-level classification systems - RUCC, CBSA, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties, and Urban Influence Codes (UIC) - agree regarding which counties are designated as rural.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection of Indoor Domestic Cats Within Dairy Industry Worker Households — Michigan, May 2024
Reports on two ill domestic cats infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus that lived in homes of dairy workers but had no known direct exposure to farms impacted by HPAI A(H5N1).
Author(s): Ramya Naraharisetti, Meghan Weinberg, Becky Stoddard, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(5);61-65
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Notes from the Field: Seroprevalence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5) Virus Infections Among Bovine Veterinary Practitioners — United States, September 2024
Presents findings from testing 150 bovine veterinary practitioners for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) virus infection. Discusses the utility of seroprevalence assessments of recent HPAI A(H5) infection among practitioners at increased risk for exposure.
Author(s): Jerome Leonard, Elizabeth J. Harker, Christine M. Szablewski, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 74(4), 50-52
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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"We Don't Get That Information Right Back to Us Unless It's a Full-Blown Cancer": Challenges Coordinating Lung Cancer Screening Across Healthcare Systems
Discusses how lung cancer screening (LCS) is coordinated across veteran affairs (VA) and non-VA healthcare systems. Analyzes 6 VA medical centers with LCS programs and provides feedback from semi-structured interviews with related LCS program and healthcare professionals. Discusses challenges with LCS coordination across the care continuum, with commentary specific to rural veterans.
Author(s): Rendelle E. Bolton, Eduardo R. Núñez, Jacqueline Boudreau, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(1)
Date: 02/2025
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Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged ≥ 65 Years in Rural America, by Census Region and Select Demographic Characteristics: 2020
Examines Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) diagnosis rates among rural Medicare beneficiaries age 65 years and older, using 2020 Medicare administrative data. Breaks down data by Census region, age, sex, and race and ethnicity.
Author(s): Kevin A. Matthews, Christian T. Murray, Brenda L. Nguyen, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12902
Date: 01/2025
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Prevalence and Correlates of Forgone Care among Older Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results of a study assessing rural-urban differences in forgone care among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older, using data from June and July 2020. Also examines what types of care were most often forgone and what access barriers were most common. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Jean Talbot, Erica C. Ziller
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Bringing Pandemic Science to the Classroom: Building Public Health Capacity at a Rural Kentucky High School
Examines the multidisciplinary Wastewater Assessment for Coronavirus in Kentucky: Implementing Enhanced Surveillance Technology (WACKIEST) unit created for high school students to study the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Discusses wastewater testing, public health surveillance, and public health education.
Author(s): Sahar Alameh, Anna G Hoover, James W Keck, et al.
Citation: Public Health Reports, 141(1), 17-23
Date: 01/2025
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The Role of Community Health Workers in a Collaborative Care Management Intervention for Cancer Pain Management: A Feasibility Study for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Examines the feasibility of community health worker (CHW) participation in a collaborative cancer care pain intervention for rural and/or Hispanic/Latino patients, utilizing survey and interview data of 12 CHWs. Discusses CHW experiences and comfort working with cancer patients in underserved settings.
Author(s): Abby M. Lohr, Joan M. Griffin, Jhenitza P. Raygoza, et al.
Citation: Annals of Palliative Medicine, 14(1), 13-28
Date: 01/2025
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2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association
Compiles national data on heart disease, stroke, and health behaviors and other factors affecting cardiovascular health. Mentions demographic health disparities throughout, including rural-urban health disparities.
Author(s): Seth S. Martin, Aaron W. Aday, Norrina B. Allen, et al.
Citation: Circulation, 151:e1-e620
Date: 01/2025
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Association Between Rurality and Race/Ethnicity and Pediatric Cancer Early Mortality: A Population-Based Cohort Study Using SEER Data from 2000 to 2021
Examines the relationship among early mortality in pediatric cancer patients, rurality, and race/ethnicity. Utilizes 2000-2021 SEER Research Plus Limited-Field data to examine 138,648 patients and the factors contributing to mortality within 12 months of diagnosis. Discusses health disparities for rural and non-White populations.
Author(s): Kiersten Preuss, Emma Hymel, Melissa Acquazzino, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway
Citation: Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 73(3), e31520
Date: 01/2025
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