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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Public health

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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North Carolina Community Health Worker Program - 2023 Profile
Fact sheet with information about the Community Health Worker (CHW) program, including responsibilities and core competencies, and ways in which CHWs in North Carolina responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes a county-level map showing CHW organization supporting counties, with shadings indicating rural or urban counties.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Office of Rural Health
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Testing Evidence-based Strategies to Improve HPV Vaccination Coverage in Rural Primary Care Clinics
Describes a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination intervention providing training, evaluation, and support to clinics in rural Iowa. Discusses challenges rural clinics face in their efforts to increase HPV vaccine initiation.
Author(s): Natoshia M. Askelson, Shelley Walker
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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Impact of the COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate on the Primary Care Workforce and Differences Between Rural and Urban Settings to Inform Future Policy Decision-Making
Analyzes the impact of COVID-19 vaccination mandates on the primary healthcare workforce in rural and urban settings. Examines 2021 survey data from 38 rural and 42 urban clinics in Oregon about issues such as job losses, vaccination waivers, and newly vaccinated staff. Includes data on clinic characteristics and impacts of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate across rural and urban clinics, as well as qualitative feedback from survey respondents.
Author(s): Brigit A. Hatch, Erin Kenzie, NithyaPriya Ramalingam, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 18(6)
Date: 06/2023
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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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Indicators of Healthy Aging: A Guide to Explore Healthy Aging Data through Community Health Improvement
Provides an overview for local health departments (LHDs) and partners to assess the components of healthy aging in their communities through research, data, and practice. Focuses on tracking health indicators and the social determinants of health (SDOH) and how to use data while considering community-level factors that impact healthcare access, such as race/ethnicity, location/rurality, Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) status, and more.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organizations: National Association of County and City Health Officials, Trust for America's Health
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2018-2020 Georgia Maternal Mortality Report
Includes statistics on pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia and leading causes of maternal deaths. Describes initiatives currently underway to impact maternal outcomes and the maternal mortality review process. Features statistics on mortality with breakdowns by public health district, timing of death, age, race or ethnicity, education level, insurance provider, and preventability.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Department of Public Health
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National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) Accomplishments 2022
Provides an overview of the work of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) and their public health partners in 2022. Covers infectious disease surveillance, detection and tracking of infectious disease threats, and response to various outbreaks. Includes mentions about infectious disease surveillance and response in rural and underserved areas.
Additional links: NCEZID 20222 Accomplishments: Video Overview
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Monthly Excess Mortality Across Counties in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022
Analyzes all-cause excess mortality between March 2020 and February 2022 by county and month to show trends in mortality by date and location. Highlights patterns seen over time between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the trends.
Author(s): Eugenio Paglino, Dielle J. Lundberg, Zhenwei Zhou, et al.
Citation: Science Advances 9(25)
Date: 06/2023
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