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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Research methods and resources

Evaluating Tablet Computers as a Survey Tool in Rural Communities
Examines whether two survey methods, paper and pencil versus tablet computers, yield similar survey responses to common health questionnaires in undeserved rural communities. Examines perceptions of usability for each survey method and whether findings could be replicated between the survey methods.
Author(s): Steve M. Newell, Henrietta L. Logan, Yi Guo, John G. Marks, James A. Shepperd
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 31(1), 108-117
Date: 01/2015
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An Optimization Framework for Measuring Spatial Access over Healthcare Networks
Examines spatial access, a dimension of healthcare access, using an optimization framework involving supply, demand, and network structure. Includes optimization models, maps, and accessibility estimates.
Author(s): Zihao Li, Nicoleta Serban, Julie L. Swann
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 15, 273
Date: 2015
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Review Strategies to Recruit and Retain Rural Patient Participating Self-Management Behavioral Trials
Discusses effective methods to encourage rural patients with cardiovascular disease to participate in self-management behavioral intervention trials designed to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
Author(s): Lufei Young, Susan Barnason, Van Do
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 10(2)
Date: 2015
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Using PhenX Toolkit Measures and Other Tools to Assess Urban/Rural Differences in Health Behaviors: Recruitment Methods and Outcomes
Describes the recruitment approaches used in a health behaviors study that sought participants from urban and rural locations in Minnesota and North Dakota. Reports on the response by sex for three separate recruitment mailings. Offers suggestions for cost-effective recruitment strategies to ensure an adequate number of participants.
Author(s): Michael M. Hitz, Pat G. Conway, Jeanette A. Palcher, Catherine A. McCarty
Citation: BMC Research Notes, 7, 847
Date: 11/2014
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Rural Parents' Perceived Stigma of Seeking Mental Health Services for Their Children: Development and Evaluation of a New Instrument
Discusses the effectiveness of a research tool to measure perceptions of stigma by parents living in rural Appalachia regarding the provision of mental health services for children with psychosocial issues.
Author(s): Stacey L. Williams, Jodi Polaha
Citation: Psychological Assessment, 26(3), 763-773
Date: 09/2014
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Spatial, Temporal and Relational Patterns in Respondent-Driven Sampling: Evidence from a Social Network Study of Rural Drug Users
Reports on a study that used respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit participants who were drug users in rural Central Appalachia. Focuses on the patterns of recruitment in this rural setting using RDS, which relies on an initial set of participants who recruit additional participants from their personal networks.
Author(s): April M. Young, Abby E. Rudolph, Deane Quillen, Jennifer R. Havens
Citation: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 68(8), 792-8
Date: 08/2014
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Random Assignment of Schools to Groups in the Drug Resistance Strategies Rural Project: Some New Methodological Twists
Discusses the random assignment procedures used in a school-based intervention study. The study assigned schools to three different groups. Two used different versions of a substance abuse intervention and the third served as a control group. Describes the assignment process used to achieve pretest equivalence among the groups, one factor of which was school rurality.
Author(s): John W. Graham, Jonathan Pettigrew, Michelle Miller-Day, et al.
Citation: Prevention Science, 15(4), 516-525
Date: 08/2014
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Developing an Agenda for Research about Policies to Improve Access to Healthy Foods in Rural Communities: A Concept Mapping Study
Identifies factors in accessing healthy, affordable food in rural areas of the U.S. and outlines a rural food policy research agenda.
Author(s): Donna B. Johnson, Emilee Quinn, Marilyn Sitaker, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 14, 592
Date: 06/2014
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Building Partnerships in Community-Based Participatory Research: Budgetary and Other Cost Considerations
Explores costs and budget considerations when implementing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework to work with communities to reduce health disparities. Analysis can inform budget discussions and assist with planning CBPR project timelines. Table 1 details budget concerns for CBPR project staff and Table 2 lists opportunity costs associated with community partners for a CBPR project.
Author(s): Theresa J. Hoeft, Wylie Burke, Scarlett E. Hopkins, et al.
Citation: Health Promotion Practice, 15(2), 263-270
Date: 03/2014
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Developing Empirically Based, Culturally Grounded Drug Prevention Interventions for Indigenous Youth Populations
Describes the relevance of a culturally grounded approach when developing a drug prevention program for Indigenous youth. Includes implications for culturally grounded approaches in behavioral health services and a case example of a drug prevention program for rural Native Hawaiian youth.
Author(s): Scott K. Okamoto, Susana Helm, Suzanne Pel, et al.
Citation: Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 41(1)
Date: 01/2014
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