Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Poverty

2020 County Health Rankings Key Findings Report
Discusses county-level health disparities by examining health factors and outcomes throughout the U.S. Covers life expectancy, racial and ethnic opportunity gaps, homeownership rates, child poverty, and more. Includes key findings and examples of community efforts to improve health outcomes.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
view details
Tribal TANF-Child Welfare Coordination: Collaboration Assessment Tool
Details assessment criteria for collaborations between Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Child Welfare Coordination (TT-CW) programs. Provides instructions for conducting the assessment and includes a copy of the tool in the appendix.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tribal TANF-Child Welfare
view details
Highest U.S. Poverty Rates Are in the South, with over 20 Percent Poor in Its Rural Areas
Bar chart showing rural and urban poverty rates by region for the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West, based on data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Many Rural Americans Are Still "Left Behind"
An overview of trends in rural poverty from 1959 through 2016. Discusses how rural and urban poverty are different. Highlights changes in education and employment, the impact of race/ethnicity, and data on rural child poverty.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Institute for Research on Poverty
view details
Quantification of Neighborhood-Level Social Determinants of Health in the Continental United States
Results of a study examining 71,901 census tracts, to quantify the social determinants of health (SDOH) consisting of advantage, isolation, opportunity, and mixed immigrant cohesion. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by 7 multidimensional neighborhood typologies, including Rural Affordable. Offers comparisons between SDOH in Chicago and the rest of the continental United States.
Author(s): Marynia Kolak, Jay Bhatt, Yoon Hong Park, Norma A. Padron, Ayrin Molefe
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(1)
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
view details
The Motivations and Needs of Rural, Low-Income Household Food Gardeners
Results of a study using surveys, interviews, and garden visits to households in rural, western Pennsylvania to explore behavior and motivations of rural food gardeners, and the challenges they face. Discusses the financial, spiritual, and ecological value of gardening, and opportunities for community support.
Author(s): Kate J. Darby, Taylor Hinton, Joaquin Torre
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(2), 55-69
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
view details
Access to Autism Spectrum Disorder Services for Rural Appalachian Citizens
Summarizes the challenges of accessibility and affordability faced by residents of rural southwest Virginia as they seek services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Highlights the effects of extreme poverty and the need for cultural sensitivity among service providers. Offers suggestions for policymakers and features demographic statistics on caregivers and providers.
Author(s): Angela Scarpa, Laura S. Jensen, Denis Gracanin, Sharon L. Ramey, Angela V. Dahiya
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 2(1), 25-40
Date: 2020
Type: Document
view details
The Strong African American Families Program Improves Lives of Rural African American Youth
Video with transcript, describing a program developed by the Center for Family Research at the University of Georgia, designed to foster wellbeing and improve outcomes for rural African American young people ages 10-14. Describes challenges they face, and explores ways in which the program strengthens parenting, promotes youth protective factors, and decreases the likelihood that participants will engage in high-risk behaviors, including substance abuse.
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document, Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: National Institute on Drug Abuse
view details
It's Time to Connect Rural Health Equity with Community and Economic Development
Discusses research on the relationship of health equity with rural and economic development. Presents resources demonstrating innovative projects to help people in rural communities live healthy lives.
Author(s): Katharine Ferguson, Katrina Badger
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
view details
Oral Health Status of Low-Income Children in Pennsylvania: A Rural-Urban Comparison
Describes research examining the oral health component of the Medical Assistance (MA) program for Pennsylvania children, additional oral health programs and services, the supply and distribution of Pennsylvania dentists, and the overall oral healthcare delivery system for low-income children in rural Pennsylvania. Features statistics including the number of general dentists and specialists who were active MA providers as of 2017, with breakdowns by urban or rural location, and a county-level map showing low-income Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas by rural status as of 2018.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Lisa Davis, Kelly Braun, Myron R. Schwartz
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
view details