Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Population health

Hunger in Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for the Aging Services Network
Report details the state of food security in older adults throughout the nation. Examines some of the negative health outcomes caused or worsened by malnutrition at an older age. Discusses some of the barriers that inhibit many elderly people from accessing food, such as immobility, lack of transportation, and poverty, among others.
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Meals on Wheels America
view details
Third Annual Report: HCIA Disease-Specific Evaluation
Findings from the third year for 18 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects targeting patient populations with specific diseases. Provides information on program effectiveness based on Medicare and Medicaid claims data and awardee-collected data. Includes projects that serve a variety of rural areas and address conditions such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain. Approaches discussed include care coordination, education, and telehealth.
Additional links: Addendum, June 2017
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NORC at the University of Chicago
view details
New CDC Series Looks at Rural Health Topics
Highlights a 2017 special series in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that focuses on rural health issues, including mortality, health-related behaviors, chronic diseases, and more.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Health-Related Behaviors by Urban-Rural County Classification — United States, 2013
Provides data on five self-reported health-related behaviors for residents of rural and urban areas. Behaviors include sufficient sleep, current nonsmoking, nondrinking or moderate drinking, maintaining normal body weight, and meeting aerobic leisure time physical activity recommendations. Includes data for each behavior for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore (rural) areas, as well as prevalence of 4-5 health behaviors by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and education level. Based on 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.
Author(s): Kevin A. Matthews, Janet B. Croft, Yong Liu, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(5), 1-8
Date: 02/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Engaging Tribal Nations of North Dakota in Conducting Community Health Assessments
Outlines the purpose and process of conducting a community health assessment (CHA) for Native American communities. Covers tribal public health policy and governance, community engagement in CHAs, steps for planning a CHA, working with data, and preparing a tribal community health improvement plan.
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: American Indian Public Health Resource Center, North Dakota Department of Health
view details
Understanding Treatment Gaps for Mental Health, Alcohol, and Drug Use in South Dakota: A Qualitative Study of Rural Perspectives
Details a study on gaps in access to behavioral health treatment in rural South Dakota. Discusses data collected from interviews with people in rural and tribal areas of the state with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Author(s): Lauren Broffman, Margaret Spurlock, Kristen Dulacki, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 22(1), 71-81
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
view details
Health Inequities by Sexual Orientation among New Mexican Adults, 2011-2014
Examines health outcomes and behaviors by sexual orientation for adults in New Mexico. Covers demographics, access to healthcare, chronic health conditions, behavioral risk factors including binge drinking and smoking, protective factors such as HIV and cervical cancer screening, and quality of life differences such as mental health. Includes rural/urban breakdowns for demographics and addresses disparities by race/ethnicity, including American Indian/Alaska Native lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults.
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
view details
A Longitudinal Study of Atrazine and 2,4-D Exposure and Oxidative Stress Markers among Iowa Corn Farmers
Presents a study on oxidative stress in Iowa corn farmers who have been exposed to certain pesticides and herbicides. Breaks down data by age, smoking history, and alcohol use, among other factors.
Author(s): Catherine C. Lerro, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Lützen Portengen, et al.
Citation: Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, 58(1), 30-38
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
view details
Assessing Differences in the Availability of Opioid Addiction Therapy Options: Rural Versus Urban and American Indian Reservation Versus Non-Reservation
Examines differences in the number of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) facilities and physicians with Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) waivers in the state of Washington. Includes rural versus urban and tribal land versus non-tribal land comparisons.
Author(s): Katherine A. Hirchak, Sean M. Murphy
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 33(1), 102-109
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
view details
Respirator Use among U.S. Farm Operators with Asthma: Results from the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey
Details a study on respirator use by farm workers with work-induced asthma based on the 2011 Farm and Ranch Safety Survey. Analyzes data based on type of farm/ranch, acreage, and individual farm-worker characteristics, such as age, marital status, and smoking status, among others.
Author(s): Megan L. Casey, Jacek M. Mazurek
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 22(2), 78-88
Date: 01/2017
Type: Document
view details