Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

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
view details
National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Minutes, Washington, DC, April 10-12, 2017
Summarizes the 81st meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Washington, DC. Meeting discusses policy issues that affect rural America.
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Promoting Optimal Native Outcomes (PONO) by Understanding Women's Stress Experiences
Examines psychosocial stressors in women, aged 18-35, living in a rural Hawaiian community with a large Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population to promote optimal native outcomes (PONO). Analyzes information from 36 women participating in focus groups and identifies seven stressor themes: intimate relationships; family and home life; child rearing; time for self; neighborhood environment; workplace; and finances.
Author(s): May Okihiro, Lisa Duke, Deborah Goebert, et al.
Citation: The Journal of Primary Prevention, 38(1-2), 159-173
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
view details
Health Disparities: Closing the Gaps Using Faith-Based Institutions
Explores the role of religious institutions in rural communities, particularly related to promoting and enhancing health and wellness activities. Discusses barriers and concerns to utilizing faith-based institutions, provides program examples, and makes policy recommendations for improving current and future relationships. Also addresses the implications of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and concerns around protected health information in the faith-based setting.
Author(s): Dallas Martin, Joy Williams, Patricia Crawford, Nikki King
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Self-reported General Health, Physical Distress, Mental Distress, and Activity Limitation by US County, 1995-2012
Results of a study examining county-level prevalence of self-reported poor health. Explores geographic disparities in health outcomes and compares prevalence of poor health with behavioral and metabolic risk factors and chronic conditions. Includes county-level maps and charts showing the relationship between life expectancy and self-reported health measures.
Author(s): Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Johan P. Mackenbach, Frank J. van Lenthe, Ali H. Mokdad
Citation: Population Health Metrics, 15(16)
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
view details
The Role of Medicaid in Rural America
Uses data from the 2013-2015 American Community Survey to examine the role of Medicaid in rural areas, and discuss how potential expansions or cuts could affect rural healthcare. Highlights the importance of Medicaid for many rural residents who are often faced with limited access to insurance and providers, longer travel times, and greater health needs when compared to their urban counterparts. Includes several charts and graphs to illustrate important statistics and demographic comparisons.
Author(s): Julia Foutz, Samantha Artiga, Rachel Garfield
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Extending Work on Rural Health Disparities: A Commentary on Matthews and Colleagues' Report
Commentary on the CDC MMWR report, Health-Related Behaviors by Urban-Rural County Classification — United States, 2013. Discusses the value of the data provided in the report, which highlights health-related behaviors for six geographic levels. Offers recommendations to build on this work.
Author(s): Paul A. Gilbert, Helena H. Laroche, Robert B. Wallace, Edith A. Parker, Susan J. Curry
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
view details
Rural Health Literacy: Understanding Skills and Demands is Key to Improvement
Provides an overview of the health literacy concerns in rural areas, with insights from researchers and other health literacy experts. Discusses both the skills and demands sides of health literacy and how rural healthcare providers can help their patients.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Preparing Family Physicians to Care for Underserved Populations: A Historical Perspective
Overview of family medicine residency models geared toward practice in rural and underserved urban areas. Also includes examination of behavioral science training and programs for the care of people with HIV and AIDS.
Author(s): Denise V. Rodgers, Andrea L. Wendling, George W. Saba, Megan Ruth Mahoney, Joedrecka S. Brown Speights
Citation: Family Medicine, 49(4), 304-310
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
view details
The Association of Health Literacy and Blood Pressure Reduction in a Cohort of Patients with Hypertension: The Heart Healthy Lenoir Trial
Analyzes the impact of a multi-level quality improvement (QI) intervention, the Heart Healthy Lenoir (HHL) Study, with a focus on health literacy to improve systolic blood pressure (SBP) control in patients being treated in rural primary clinics of Eastern North Carolina. Discusses the components of the health literacy practice and patient level activities of the QI intervention. Offers a detailed table identifying the change in SBP by literacy level.
Author(s): Jacqueline R. Halladay, Katrina E. Donahue, Crystal W. Cené, et al.
Citation: Patient Education and Counseling, 100(3), 542-549
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
view details