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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Travel Time and Attrition From VHA Care Among Women Veterans: How Far is Too Far?
Examines whether travel time impacts women veterans decisions to drop Veterans Health Administration care, with a comparison of the impact of travel time on rural and urban women veterans (see Figure 2).
Author(s): Sarah A. Friedman, Susan M. Frayne, Eric Berg, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 53(4 Suppl 1), S15-S22
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Overview of Alternative Schools and Education Programs
Analyzes data from 28 alternative education programs, including 16 programs located in rural Montana communities. Defines an alternative education program, from the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI), as a restructured academic program operating within an accredited public school to serve at-risk students. Provides information on student characteristics and alternative school services. Covers three local model programs that work to address the behavioral and mental health, substance abuse treatment, and counseling needs of students.
Additional links: Health Brief
Author(s): Katie Loveland, Aaron Wernham
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Montana Healthcare Foundation
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The Impact of Hospital Obstetric Volume on Maternal Outcomes in Term, Non-Low-Birthweight Pregnancies
Analyzes the impact of hospital obstetric volumes on maternal outcomes in low-risk women delivering non-low-birthweight infants at term. Includes hospital obstetric outcome data by rural and non-rural settings and hospital volume category. Compares rural and non-rural hospitals on maternal outcomes and characteristics.
Author(s): Jonathan M. Snowden, Yvonne W. Cheng, Cathy L. Emeis, Aaron B. Caughey
Citation: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 212(3), 380.e1-380.e9
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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Disparities Persist in Nutrition Policies and Practices in Minnesota Secondary Schools
Examines school nutrition policies and practices by school characteristics in Minnesota secondary schools between 2008 and 2012. Compares school nutrition policies by rural versus urban/suburban location and across three main areas: the availability of low-nutrient, energy dense (LNED) items, strategies to engage students in healthy eating, and restrictions on advertising LNED products around the school.
Author(s): Caitlin Eicher Caspi, Cynthia Davey, Toben F. Nelson, et al.
Citation: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(3), 419-425
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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A Persistent Disparity: Smoking in Rural Sexual and Gender Minorities
Examines the connection between sexual and gender minorities (SGM), rural residency, and smoking through surveys conducted online and at 6 Missouri Pride Festivals in 2012. Provides a comparison between urban and rural SGM demographics and smoking status.
Author(s): Keisa Bennett, Jane A. McElroy, Andrew O. Johnson, Niki Munk, Kevin D. Everett
Citation: LGBT Health, 2(1), 62–70
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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Lack of Healthy Food Options on Children's Menus of Restaurants in the Health-Disparate Dan River Region of Virginia and North Carolina, 2013
Community-based participatory research study describing the quality of food on children's menus in 137 restaurants located in three predominantly rural counties in Virginia and North Carolina, areas with high rates of diabetes and obesity among adults. Looked at healthy eating options for rural compared to urban locations and for areas that are predominantly Black, White, and mixed race.
Author(s): Jennie L. Hill, Nicole C. Olive, Clarice N. Waters, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 12
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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Acceptance of New Patients With Public and Private Insurance by Office-based Physicians: United States, 2013
Provides data on office-based physicians accepting new patients with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. See Figure 2 for comparison of metropolitan to nonmetropolitan acceptance rates by patient payment source. Also includes state-level data.
Author(s): Esther Hing, Sandra L. Decker, Eric Jamoom
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Migration Trends Shifted in 2014: Also Record Deaths and Continuing Low Fertility
Provides information on migration within the U.S. from 2010 to 2014. Includes data on migration for rural areas. Discusses population trends in different types of rural counties, including counties focused on farming, manufacturing, and those attractive to retirees.
Author(s): Kenneth M. Johnson
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Emergency Department Visits and Proximity to Patients' Residences, 2009-2010
Provides data on how often patients go to the emergency department (ED) closest to their home. Includes comparisons for patients living inside metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and outside MSAs, with data on whether patients visited the closest ED by patient age, hospital visit volume, and ED wait times.
Author(s): Amy M. Brown, Sandra L. Decker, Frederic W. Selck
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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An Examination of Hate and Bias Incidents in Pennsylvania, 1999 – 2012
Examines hate and bias incidents in Pennsylvania to compare their frequency, nature and impact on urban and rural communities.
Author(s): R. Barry Ruback, Andrew Gladfelter, Brendan Lantz
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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