Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physical activity

Promoting Physical Activity in Rural Settings: Effectiveness and Potential Strategies
Evaluates the effectiveness of a BEAT Cancer, a physical activity intervention for female cancer survivors, utilizing data from 16 program participants in a rural, community setting. Includes data on outcomes related to physical activity, mental health, quality of life, and barriers to physical activity of 16 participants. Includes program implementation and design feedback from participants.
Author(s): Whitney J. Smith, Michelle Y. Martin, Maria Pisu, et al.
Citation: Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 6(4), e000180
Date: 2021
Type: Document
view details
Dialogue About the Workforce for Population Health Improvement: Proceedings of a Workshop
Presentations from a workshop facilitating a population health perspective among public health and healthcare leaders and professionals; framing the work of personnel such as community health workers, health navigators, and peer-to-peer chronic disease management educators within the context of population health; and leveraging the competencies of public- and private-sector workforces that are working to include a well-being orientation in their activities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Roundtable on Population Health Improvement
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
Special Issue: Physical Activity Promotion for Reducing Health Disparities in Rural Communities
Collection of articles examining health disparities and physical activities in rural areas.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Date: 2021
Type: Document
view details
Papás Activos: Associations between Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Personal Networks among Fathers Living in Texas Colonias
Study of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and social networks for Latino fathers living in rural Texas colonia communities on the U.S.-Mexico border. Presents data from 48 families using a community-based promotora research model, addressing physical activity effectiveness, social relationships, and physical activity measurements using accelerometers.
Author(s): Tyler Prochnow, M. Renee Umstattd Meyer, Megan S. Patterson, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9243
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
view details
Perceived Importance of Physical Activity and Walkable Neighborhoods Among US Adults, 2017
Uses nationally representative data to assess adults' self-reported importance of getting regular physical activity and residing in walkable neighborhoods. Includes data breakdowns by sex, age, race/ethnicity, census region, nonmetropolitan/metropolitan status, and more.
Author(s): Susan A. Carlson, Emily N. Ussery, Kathleen B. Watson, Kelly A. Cornett, Janet E. Fulton
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
view details
Montana Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Bureau: June 2018-July 2020 Progress Report
Report highlights the public health efforts in the areas of tobacco cessation, diabetes and cancer reduction, and promoting physical activity, among other issues in Montana. Compares rates over a two year span and details the programs designed to address them.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
view details
An Evidence-Based Walking Program in Oregon Communities: Step It Up! Survivors
Describes the implementation and effectiveness of Step It Up! Survivors (SIUS), an evidence-based program designed to help promote social connections and increase physical activity among cancer survivors and their family and friends. Discusses the acceptability, feasibility, cost, sustainability, and other factors associated with implementing SIUS in Oregon, including responses from 6 rural organizations.
Author(s): Cynthia K. Perry, Laura P. Campbell, Jessica Currier, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
view details
Input from Multiple Stakeholder Levels Prioritizes Targets for Improving Implementation of an Exercise Intervention for Rural Women Cancer Survivors
Presents findings from group technique meetings with interventionists, community/organizational stakeholders, and cancer survivors to identify facilitators for participation and implementation of a multicomponent exercise intervention for women in rural settings. Highlights factors relevant to program strategy and planning, including differences in perspective and priorities among stakeholders, interventionists, and participants.
Author(s): Haiyan Qu, Richard Shewchuk, Xuejun Hu, et al.
Citation: Implementation Science Communications 2020, 1, 97
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
view details
Effect of an Additional 30 Minutes Spent Outdoors During Summer on Daily Steps and Individually Experienced Heat Index
Discusses rural-urban differences related to additional time spent outdoors and its impacts on physical activity and heat exposure. Reports on 89 urban and 88 rural residents in Alabama who are given an intervention of 30 minutes of additional outdoor time each day. Includes statistics and graphs detailing the rural versus urban intervention results.
Author(s): Suwei Wang, Molly B. Richardson, Connor Y.H. Wu, Benjamin F. Zaitchik, Julia M. Gohlke
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7558
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
view details
Rural/Urban Differences in Children's Health
Examines differences in child health conditions by rural and urban residency. Explores differences in mental and behavioral health, weight status and physical activity, adverse childhood experiences, and access to healthcare.
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
view details