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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

Mapping Health Disparities in 11 High-Income Nations
Analyzes 11 high-income countries, including the U.S., for geographic health disparities related to socioeconomics, affordability, and access. Discusses factors where rural residency is either protective or a risk. Compares health disparities of U.S. rural residents with those of the other countries studied.
Author(s): Neil J. MacKinnon, Vanessa Emery, Jennifer Waller, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(7)
Date: 07/2023
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We Are All in This Together: Rurality, Social Cohesion, and COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors
Examines how social cohesion, rurality, and individual behaviors to prevent COVID-19 are related. Analyzes 2,926 participant survey responses in 2021 according to COVID-19 experiences and attitudes, social distancing behaviors, and tendencies to remain home while sick, with data broken down by demographic variables such as rural versus urban, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and marriage status. Discusses the importance of understanding rural culture and behaviors when communicating public health strategies.
Author(s): Radhika Sood, Juliette Entenman, Erin Kitt-Lewis, et al.
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 40(1), 154-161
Date: 07/2023
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Rural Social Isolation, with Carrie Henning-Smith
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, Deputy Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on rural social isolation, the negative effects it has on wellness, and how it can be mitigated.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Care Access and Utilization among Medicare Beneficiaries Living with Parkinson's Disease
Analyzes healthcare utilization by 685,116 Medicare patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in 2019. Data is broken down by a variety of demographics and rurality. Discusses health disparities, mental health, and distribution of neurologists between rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Caroline Pearson, Alex Hartzman, Dianne Munevar, et al.
Citation: npj Parkinson's Disease, 9, 108
Date: 07/2023
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COVID-19 Working Paper: Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adult Subpopulations During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Explores obesity disparities among adults before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the first year of the pandemic. Uses data from the 2011-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to estimate changes in obesity rates and compares rates across demographic and socioeconomic subgroups, including urban-rural status, Census region, age group, race and ethnicity, and more.
Author(s): Mariah D. Ehmke, Brandon J. Restrepo
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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2018 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Provides a comprehensive summary and data analysis of healthcare quality and access in the U.S. Includes a discussion of disparities encountered by race/ethnicity and geographic locations along the rural-urban continuum. Addresses access to healthcare, patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, affordability, healthy living, and effective treatment.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Arkansas State Plan on Aging: Fiscal Years 2024-2027
Provides direction for long-term care efforts in the state of Arkansas. Focuses on implementation of the Older American Act (OAA), COVID-19 recovery, equity, access to home and community-based services, and caregiving infrastructure. Highlights population data on rural Arkansas citizens and rural-specific priorities.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Department of Human Services
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The Alaska State Plan for Senior Services FFY 2024 - FFY 2027
Provides an analysis of a statewide initiative to identify the issues and needs of seniors in Alaska to guide the development of senior health and human services in the state. Discusses the demographic trends and needs of this population based on ongoing needs assessment activities. Identifies specific goals, objectives, and performance measures developed by the State Plan for Senior Services Advisory Committee for FFY 2024-2027.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Department of Health
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Competencies, Training Needs, and Turnover Among Rural Compared With Urban Local Public Health Practitioners: 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey
Analyzes the rural and urban differences in 29,751 public health workers surveyed regarding competencies, training needs, and workplace stressors. Discusses COVID-19 impacts on public health work.
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Betty Bekemeier, Davis G. Patterson, Kay Schaffer
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 113(6), 689-699
Date: 06/2023
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2023 Minnesota Adolescent Sexual Health Report
Highlights the rates of pregnancies and births among Minnesota adolescents from 1990-2021, and sexually transmitted infections from 2010-2022. Features sections on variations across demographic groups, adolescent sexual health and COVID-19, and geographic disparities between urban and rural areas, including a county-level map showing counties with the highest chlamydia and gonorrhea rates among adolescents.
Author(s): Jill Farris, H. Olson
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Minnesota Department of Health, University of Minnesota
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