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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Congestive Heart Failure-Related Hospital Deaths Across the Urban-Rural Continuum in the United States
Examines current trends in congestive heart failure (CHF)-related hospital deaths with an emphasis on rural-urban differences for each census region. 2009-2014 data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used, focusing on adult hospital admissions with CHF identified as the principal diagnosis. Results from this study may aid in identifying geographic areas needing interventions to improve access to care and to reduce CHF mortality.
Author(s): Kristin Primm, Alva O. Ferdinand, Timothy Callaghan, et al.
Citation: Preventive Medicine Reports, 16
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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Achieving Health Equity in Preventive Services: Evidence Summary
Summarizes research on achieving health equity in preventive services including screening, counseling, medication, and management for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes in adult patients by identifying the effects of impediments and barriers that create disparities, and the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to reduce them. Study reports barriers that resulted in or explained a disparity in preventive service, and the effectiveness of the clinician-patient relationship, health information technology, and health system intervention. Studies included African American, Hispanic, Korean and Chinese American, and rural and low-income patients.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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A Health Equity Approach to Obesity Efforts: Proceedings of a Workshop
Proceedings of a workshop focused on health equity in demographic groups with a higher risk of obesity and how to address those issues in obesity treatment and prevention efforts. Covers disparities in obesity prevalence, including for rural areas and American Indian/Alaska Natives, social determinants of health, community and public health approaches for preventing and treating obesity, and effective healthcare interventions.
Additional links: Read Online: Full Proceedings, Read Online: Summary, June 2019
Author(s): Roundtable on Obesity Solutions
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Declines In Pediatric Mortality Fall Short For Rural US Children
Examines pediatric mortality rates from 1999-2017 and related factors of race/ethnicity and rurality. Provides data according to age, race/ethnicity, cause-specific mortality, and rural versus urban county.
Author(s): Janice Probst, Whitney Zahnd, Charity Breneman
Citation: Health Affairs, 38, 12
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
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It's Time to Connect Rural Health Equity with Community and Economic Development
Discusses research on the relationship of health equity with rural and economic development. Presents resources demonstrating innovative projects to help people in rural communities live healthy lives.
Author(s): Katharine Ferguson, Katrina Badger
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Self-Identified Barriers to Rural Mental Health Services in Iowa by Older Adults with Multiple Comorbidities: Qualitative Interview Study
Highlights a study on the perceived barriers to mental healthcare for chronically ill elders in rural Iowa. Bases finding on phone interviews with participants where they detailed their experiences accessing mental healthcare. Breaks down data by age, gender, and mental health diagnosis, among other factors.
Author(s): Lauren Elizabeth Pass, Korey Kennelty, Barry L Carter
Citation: BMJ Open, 9(11), e029976
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
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Area Deprivation as a Risk Factor for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis
Examines the prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection (MRSA) in children with cystic fibrosis, studying the relationship between MRSA rates and socio-environmental conditions. Analyzes statistical data of patients in Alabama, comparing rurality and area deprivation to rates of MRSA. Discusses the rates of infection in rural and underserved areas as a consideration for prevention and treatment strategies.
Author(s): Gabriela R. Oates, William T. Harris, Steven M. Rowe, et al.
Citation: The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 38(11), e285-e289
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
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Partnership Integration for Rural Health Resource Access
Describes an interdisciplinary partnership model combining nursing, public health, and gerontology to address the health and social challenges affecting older adults living in rural areas. Offers steps for developing an interdisciplinary partnership and highlights a model utilizing clinical and non-clinical disciplines to improve rural health resource access.
Author(s): Teresa Sharp, Joyce Weil, Audrey Snyder, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 19(4), 5335
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
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Rural Women's First-person Perspectives on the Role of Mental Health in Substance Use
Presents a study highlighting rural women's perspectives on the co-occurring mental health and substance use disparities among rural populations. Analyzes interviews with incarcerated rural women with co-occurring substance use and mental health symptoms.
Author(s): Claire Snell-Rood, Michele Staton, Athena Kheibari
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 19(4), 5279
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
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Inequalities in Elevated Depressive Symptoms in Middle-aged and Older Adults by Rural Childhood Residence: The Important Role of Education
Measures the disparities in the prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms by rural childhood residence and the influence of childhood socioeconomic conditions and educational attainment. Identifies the prevalence of depressive symptoms among U.S.-born adults ages 50 years and older using data from 1998–2014 Health and Retirement Studies – ongoing publicly available datasets of non-institutionalized adults.
Author(s): Audrey R. Murchland, Chloe W. Eng, Joan A. Casey, Jacqueline M. Torres, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda
Citation: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(11), 1633–1641
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
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