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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Nursing Home Closures and Access to Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Services in Rural Areas
Examines distance to care for residents needing post-acute care (PAC) and long-term care (LTC) services. Analyzes nursing home closures from 2008 to 2018 and identifies closest PAC and LTC services in rural versus urban areas, with data broken down by population demographics, nursing home characteristics, and distance to providers.
Author(s): Hari Sharma, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Fred Ullrich, A. Clint MacKinney, Keith J. Mueller
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Food Insecurity Increased to 1 in 10 Adults Ages 50 and Older in 2022
Fact sheet describing food insecurity among adults ages 50 and older. Identifies trends, presents data on demographic disparities, and provides state-by-state and age group comparisons. Figure 4 compares metropolitan and nonmetropolitan food insecurity prevalence.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Carlos Figueiredo
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Driver Electronic Device Use in 2022
National data on driver use of electronic devices from 2013-2022. Features statistics on percentage of drivers holding cellphones to their ears, speaking with visible headsets, and visibly manipulating handheld devices while driving, with breakdowns including age, gender, race, and urban or rural location. Includes tables listing states banning texting and use of handheld cellphones while driving, as of June 2022.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Discretionary Transportation Grants: DOT Should Improve Transparency in the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Program
Examines the Department of Transportation (DOT)'s processes to solicit, evaluate, and select applications for Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant awards in fiscal year (FY) 2022, and the extent to which DOT's evaluation and selection processes aligned with federal guidance. Includes information about the Rural Surface Transportation program, which receives INFRA funding, and statistics on number of INFRA grant awards in FYs 2016–2022, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Informing the Surgical Workforce Pathway: How Rural Community Characteristics Matter
Explores meanings associated with community characteristics by rural and urban surgeons, utilizing interview data from 22 rural and 15 urban general surgeons in the Midwest. Identifies rural-urban differences in approach to physical environment, health resources, and professional/personal community roles. Discusses implications for surgeons' practice location choices and surgical workforce education and recruitment.
Author(s): Dorothy Hughes, Joshua Mammen, Tomas L Griebling, Joanna Veazey Brooks
Citation: Remote and Rural Health, 24(1), 8363
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model: Second Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) Model, incorporating analyses of home dialysis use, transplantation, acute care hospitalizations, outpatient ED visits, and hospital readmissions. Features results from interviews and surveys involving model participants and beneficiaries, and examines impacts of the ETC Model during calendar years 2021 and 2022. Includes facility-level statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Author(s): Brighita Negrusa, Jennifer Wiens, Darin Ullman, et al.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Lewin Group
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The State of Rural Minnesota: 2024
Presents an overview of rural Minnesota. Includes county-level data and statistics on population migration, economic vitality, agriculture, employment, income, race/ethnicity, rural versus urban comparisons, and more.
Additional links: Changes in the Labor Force Video Presentation, 02/12/2024, Changing the Narrative Among High School Graduates Video Presentation, 02/12/2024, Deaths of Despair Video Presentation, 02/12/2024, Significant Changes in Migration Patterns Video Presentation, 02/12/2024, The Disappearing Rural Newspapers Video Presentation, 02/12/2024
Author(s): Kelly Asche, Marnie Werner
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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Telehealth Expansion, Internet Speed, and Primary Care Access Before and During COVID-19
Analyzes changes in primary care telehealth access among 172,387 Wisconsin Medicaid beneficiaries before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Covers the period June 2019 to December 2021, with data on telehealth visit count, telehealth share of visits, and PHE-induced decline in visits offset by telehealth. Assesses change in access over time by demographic characteristics, rural-urban dwelling, access to high speed internet, and health status.
Author(s): Alyssa Shell Tilhou, Arjun Jain, Thomas DeLeire
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(1), e2347686
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Determinants of Disparities of Diabetes-Related Hospitalization Rates in Florida: A Retrospective Ecological Study Using a Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression Approach
Analyzes the determinants related to diabetes hospitalizations in Florida according to ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) level. Utilizes 2016 to 2019 data to examine socioeconomic, demographic, healthcare-related, and built environment characteristics that correlate with diabetes-related hospitalizations. Includes state maps showing diabetes hospitalizations according to specific determinants, including rurality.
Author(s): Jennifer Lord, Agricola Odoi
Citation: International Journal of Health Geographics, 23(1)
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Minnesota - Shift in Migration Patterns Continue in 2022
Describes migration patterns in Minnesota due to natural changes and out- versus in-migration. Includes county-level maps and data according to entirely rural, town/rural mix, urban/town/rural mix, and entirely rural.
Author(s): Kelly Asche
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
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