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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Poverty

How Might Internet Connectivity Affect Health Care Access?
Describes how a lack of internet access may negatively impact access to healthcare. Features data and statistics on internet access, with information broken down by race/ethnicity, age, poverty level, insurance status and type, and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan location. Discusses COVID-19 and how social distancing measures have led to increased implementation of telehealth, resulting in additional challenges accessing healthcare among people with little to no internet connectivity.
Author(s): Krutika Amin, Matthew Rae, Giorlando Ramirez, Cynthia Cox
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Changes in Poverty Rates and Poverty Areas Over Time: 2005 to 2019
Examines changes in county poverty rates, the prevalence of poverty areas, and changes in their distribution over three time periods: 2005-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2019.
Author(s): Alemayehu Bishaw, Craig Benson, Emily Shrider, Brian Glassman
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: 2019
Highlights from the 2019 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provides single-year median household income and poverty statistics. Includes county-level maps showing income and poverty rates in 2019 and changes from 2007 to 2019.
Author(s): Staci Bell, Sara Robinson
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Synergistic Disparities and Public Health Mitigation of COVID-19 in the Rural United States
Describes how public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize racial, economic, and geographic disparities, especially among rural and poor populations. Covers public health mitigation measures, including disease surveillance, physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, and public health communication. Discusses the ethical demands of public health practice during and following a public health emergency.
Author(s): Kata Chillag, Lisa Lee
Citation: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 17(4), 649-656
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Ethnic/Racial Disparities: Social and Systemic Inequities
Highlights the racial and ethnic disparities related to the social determinants of health. Breaks down rates of poverty, broadband access, education, and insurance, among other measures, of Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Per Ostmo
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Income Disparities Widen the Gap in Oral Health of California Adults
Policy brief discussing associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and oral health in California adults using data from the 2017 and 2018 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS). Describes barriers related to oral health education, literacy, access to care, and oral health screening for low-income populations. Related infographic offers a map of oral health differences by region, noting disparities in rural California counties and data on income and racial/ethnic population characteristics.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Nadereh Pourat, Maria Ditter
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
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Pipeline Programs Can Support Reforms in Medical Education: A Cohort Study of Alabama's Rural Health Leaders Pipeline to Engage Community Leaders
Presents a study examining the efficacy of a medical education pipeline program to provide healthcare professionals for rural communities in Alabama. Details the distributions of graduates throughout the state and highlights the counties by the percentage of their populations that are rural, poor, and Black, among other measures.
Author(s): John R. Wheat, James D. Leeper
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
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Rural Legal Deserts Are a Critical Health Determinant
Highlights the role attorneys play in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their absence in rural areas exacerbates SDOH. Discusses the concept of "legal deserts" in rural areas, how they affect SDOH, and how things have changed during the pandemic.
Author(s): Michele Statz, Paula Termuhlen
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 110(10), 1519-1522
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
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The Unseen Picture: Issues with Health Care, Discrimination, Police and Safety, and Housing Experienced by Native American Populations in Rural America
Report presents a study on the experiences of rural Native American adults related to housing, discrimination, policing, and healthcare access, quality, and affordability. Compares the experiences of rural Native American and rural White adults. Breaks down data by gender, age, and U.S. region, among other measures.
Author(s): Mary T.G. Findling, Robert J. Blendon, John M. Benson, Carolyn Miller
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(1), 180-186
Date: 10/2020
Type: Document
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The Impact of Coronavirus on Households Across America
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. households. Covers health, economic, and work-related impacts and related issues such as broadband access. Includes a section on problems specific to rural households. A separate report is available that focuses specifically on rural impacts of COVID-19.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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