Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

A Portrait of Louisiana 2020: Human Development in an Age of Uncertainty
Assesses well-being and access to opportunities among Louisiana residents by examining health disparities, access to healthy food, social determinants of health, racial inequality, and other topics. Provides human development index (HDI) scores for Louisiana state by gender, race, ethnicity, and parish.
Author(s): Kristen Lewis
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Measure of America
view details
2020 Navajo Nation Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment
Report documenting a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Needs Assessment for the Navajo Nation reservation. Describes health status, healthcare system strengths and weaknesses, and uses a Navajo-specific cultural framework to discuss health outcomes in relation to environmental, community, family, and individual health. Offers data on demographics, environmental health, women's health, maternal health, perinatal and infant health, child health, and adolescent health.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Arizona Department of Health Services, Navajo Nation Department of Health, Navajo Native American Research Centers for Health
view details
Supporting American Indian & Alaskan Native Communities Combating COVID-19
Reports on a virtual roundtable panel on health disparities related to COVID-19 facing American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Discusses the Indian Health Service response to the pandemic and gaps in pandemic-related services, including telehealth access, underfunded and understaffed healthcare facilities, data quality and information access, cultural literacy, and behavioral health needs. Addresses social determinants of health for Native populations, citing data from research studies and quoting roundtable panelists.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Executives for Health Innovation
view details
After Hurricane Maria - Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Recovery Needs in Puerto Rico
Report details the state of Puerto Rico's economy, environment, education, and healthcare both before and after hurricane Maria. Discusses the barriers to rebuilding various infrastructures across the commonwealth, including in rural communities.
Author(s): Jordan R. Fischbach, Linnea Warren May, Katie Whipkey, et al.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details
Funding and Service Delivery in Rural and Urban Local US Health Departments in 2010 and 2016
Uses nationally representative data from 2010 and 2016 to explore rural/urban differences in local health department (LHD) funding and service delivery. Includes data and statistics on LHD characteristics, sources of revenue, and types of services provided by LHDs, with information broken down by rurality.
Author(s): Kate Beatty, Megan Heffernan, Nathan Hale, Michael Meit
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1293-1299
Date: 2020
Type: Document
view details
Development of a National Childhood Obesogenic Environment Index in the United States: Differences by Region and Rurality
Details the formation of a childhood obesogenic environment index (COEI), which was used to identify rural, urban, and other geographic differences in environmental factors associated with obesity. Variables used to calculate COEI scores include availability of fast-food restaurants, farmers markets, grocery stores, and other related facilities; access to exercise opportunities; violent crime; walkability; and more. Includes county-level data on COEI scores across the U.S.
Author(s): Andrew Kaczynski, Jan Eberth, Ellen Stowe, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(83)
Date: 2020
Type: Document
view details
The Opioid Crisis and the Hispanic/Latino Population: An Urgent Issue
Report highlights the opioid crisis in Hispanic/Latino populations. Details rates of illicit opioid use and prescription drug misuse, as well as overdose and death rates. Discusses measures taken in to provide treatment and prevention in Latino communities, including in rural and border areas.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Ten-Year Reflections on the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
Discussion of how data, evidence, guidance, and examples used in County Health Rankings & Roadmaps publications from January 2009 - January 2019 have helped communities improve the conditions in which their residents live. Examines how the methodology has changed over time, and includes a section on how the researchers adapted their methods so as to appropriately analyze data from rural areas with small populations.
Author(s): Bridget Booske Catlin, Willems Van Dijk
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
view details
Factors Associated with Lung Cancer Screening in Urban vs. Rural Individuals at Risk for Lung Cancer
Presentation slides on a study investigating rural/urban differences in Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) cancer screening. Study participants included current and former smokers ages 55-80 with a smoking history of 30 or more years.
Author(s): Anja Zgodic, Gabriel Benavidez, Whitney Zahnd, Jan Eberth
Date: 2020
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Compendium of Rural Oral Health Best Practices - 2020
Highlights examples of the best practices in rural oral healthcare across the country. Presents a number of models regarding workforce development and training, integration of care, telehealth, clinical care, and policy.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details