Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

After a Parent Left Employment, One in Five Children Lost Private Insurance
Examines children's loss of private health insurance after parental job loss. Includes data on rural compared to urban privately insured children. Reports that, after parental job loss, rural and urban children were similarly impacted related to health insurance coverage.
Author(s): Kristin Smith
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
view details
Oral Health Services and Barriers to Care in North Dakota Long Term Care Facilities: Chartbook
Presents the findings of a survey of long term care (LTC) facility staff working in rural and urban North Dakota LTC facilities. Examines current oral health practices and any barriers regarding the provision of oral healthcare to LTC facility residents.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder, Patrick Bright
Date: 2016
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
view details
Delivery System Reform and Implications for Rural Communities
Policy brief discussing how rural healthcare providers can benefit from participating in delivery system reform (DSR) to be able to continue providing accessible, quality health services. Offers recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, such as requiring rural healthcare providers to participate in CMS quality programs and having CMS incorporate rural-relevant quality measures that are appropriate for rural healthcare providers.
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Child Poverty in Rural America
Policy brief describing the needs, challenges, and experiences of rural children and families living in poverty and how poverty affects their health. Offers recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop appropriate and integrated health and human service delivery programs and to create flexible grant opportunities that will reach children and families in need.
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
QuickStats: Percentage of U.S. Adults Who Looked up Health Information on the Internet in the Past Year, by Type of Locality - National Health Interview Survey, 2012–2014
Bar chart showing the percentage of adults who searched for health information online, comparing rates for those living in metropolitan and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Deborah D. Ingram, Shilpa Bengeri
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 64(49), 1367
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Syringe Service Programs for Persons Who Inject Drugs in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas - United States, 2013
Describes characteristics of syringe service programs in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Includes information on program size, number of syringes exchanged, total funding, and whether public funding supports the program. Discusses the increase in opiate overdoses and prescription opiate use in rural areas and concerns related to the availability of syringe exchange programs in these areas.
Author(s): Don C. Des Jarlais, Ann Nugent, Alisa Solberg, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 64(48), 1337-41
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Development and Validation of a Farmers' Market Audit Tool in Rural and Urban Communities
Describes a tool designed to measure availability of food items and key characteristics of farmers markets. Features statistics from 6 test sites in Kentucky, Montana, and North Carolina, showing differences among states and between urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Carmen Byker Shanks, Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Alison Gustafson
Citation: Health Promotion Practice, 16(6), 859-866
Date: 11/2015
view details
Is Availability of Mammography Services at Federally Qualified Health Centers Associated with Breast Cancer Mortality-to-Incidence Ratios? An Ecological Analysis
Explores associations between access to mammography services at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and breast cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios in every county in the United States using 2006-2010 data from the National Cancer Institute State Cancer Profile. Figure 1 illustrates FQHCs and breast cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios.
Author(s): Swann Arp Adams, Seul Ki Choi, Jan M. Eberth, et al.
Citation: Journal of Women's Health, 24(11), 916-923
Date: 11/2015
view details
Rural Adults Delay, Forego, and Strategize to Afford Their Pre-ACA Health Care
Provides an in-depth discussion regarding rural and urban adults under the age of 65 and their perceptions of the affordability of health insurance coverage and health services prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2015
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Rural Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries Spend More Out-of-Pocket Than Their Urban Counterparts
Analyzes differences in healthcare out-of-pocket spending, supplemental coverage, and spending by type of service between rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries. Also examines rural-urban differences for Medicare beneficiaries who qualify based on disability status.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 11/2015
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details