Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

The Need for Better Definitions and Data on "Rural" in Health Services Research
Blog post discussing the various definitions of rural used by the federal government. Describes how the different definitions of rural can complicate understanding health disparities between and within rural areas. Offers policy recommendations for standardizing rural definitions, data collection, and research methodologies to improve health equity.
Author(s): Kayla Alvis
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AcademyHealth
view details
Hospitals' Electronic Access to Information Needed to Treat COVID-19
Explores acute care hospitals' ability to access electronic access to information necessary to treat COVID-19 patients in 2021. Examines differences in information availability by hospital characteristics, including rurality and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status, and engagement in interoperable exchange.
Author(s): Chelsea Richwine, Jordan Everson, Vaishali Patel
Citation: JAMIA Open, 6(4)
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
view details
The Role of Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Enhancing Rural Access to Geriatrics Telemedicine Specialty Care
Presents a study on the barriers and facilitators for using geriatric telemedicine through community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) to provide specialty care to older rural veterans. Bases finding on interviews with clinicians and staff from 13 rural CBOCs and makes recommendations.
Author(s): Camilla B. Pimentel, Eileen M. Dryden, Kathryn A. Nearing, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 72(2), 520-528
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
view details
2023 Rural-Urban Disparities in Health Care in Medicare
Examines rural/urban differences in the quality of healthcare received by Medicare beneficiaries in 2022, with breakdowns by race and ethnicity. Focuses on patient experience and clinical care measures, including screening for and management of health conditions, medication-related issues, and access to and availability of care.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RAND Corporation
view details
CDC Office of Rural Health At-a-Glance
An information sheet that describes the role of rural public health, rural health disparities, and strategies the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Rural Health is developing to address inequities in rural health.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: CDC Office of Rural Health
view details
Still Searching: Meeting Oral Health Needs in Rural Settings
Report discusses oral health access in rural areas. Compares barriers to care in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Highlights teledentistry use and insurance rates, among other factors.
Author(s): Paige Martin, Morgan Santoro, Lisa J. Heaton, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
view details
Prostate Cancer Screening and Strategies, Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2012–2020
Examines prostate screening from 2012 to 2020 among men living in Florida. Utilizes the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to analyze prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening percentages by county for men aged 18 or older. Discusses screening disparities related to Black men.
Author(s): Dottington Fullwood, Justine Gunderson, Brandon Snipe, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
view details
Distance as a Barrier to HIV Testing Among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations in the Rural Southern Us: A Cross-sectional Study
Explores the role distance plays in access to HIV testing for gay, transgender, and gender non-conforming people in the rural southern U.S. Breaks down data by age, race, and distance traveled to receive care, among other measures.
Author(s): Alyssa Clausen, Rob B Stephenson, Patrick S Sullivan, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(4), 8227
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
view details
Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Veterans' Internet Access Use, and Patient Preferences for Telemedicine
Report breaks down differences in internet access, use, and opinions about telehealth for rural and urban veterans. Bases findings on interviews with eligible veterans and highlights veterans' experiences with telehealth.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
view details
Bridging the Rural–Urban Health-Care Divide Through Community Research Partnerships
Highlights a health equity program that partners researchers with a remote indigenous community. Discusses the Siamit program in a remote, predominately Iñupiat, region of Alaska that partners with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital working to advance health equity.
Author(s): Lucas Trout, Margaret Smith, Linda Joule, Stuart Harris
Citation: Nature
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
view details