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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social connectedness

Community Responses and Adaptations Following the Closure of a Rural Pharmacy and Primary Care Facility
Uses interviews with 26 community members to identify the impact of a pharmacy and primary healthcare facility closure in a rural Pennsylvania community. Discusses challenges for vulnerable populations, distance to care, social networks, delayed treatment, emergency medical services, alternative medicine, and more.
Author(s): Hazel Velasco Palacios, Kristina Brant, Danielle Rhubart, Jorden Jackson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 2024
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Social Isolation and Loneliness Prevention among Rural Older Adults Aging-in-Place: A Needs Assessment
Surveyed 82 rural older adults aging in place in rural Appalachian Tennessee to determined local factors contributing to social isolation and loneliness. Discusses neighborhood conditions, interpersonal relationships and activities, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics. Offers rural-specific strategies for addressing social isolation and loneliness in rural communities.
Author(s): Jodi L. Southerland, Shimin Zheng, Kayla Dodson, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1404869
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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America's Military and Veteran Caregivers: Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows
Offers a profile of caregivers for military members and veterans. Discusses demographic, physical and mental health, geography, costs, support systems, and more. Includes recommendations for healthcare access, policy, and research based on report findings. Discusses rural throughout and includes an analysis on the differences between rural and urban caregiving in Chapter 7.
Author(s): Rajeev Ramchand, Sarah Dalton, Tamara Dubowitz, et al.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Building On and Tailoring To: Adapting a Cancer Caregiver Psychoeducational Intervention for Rural Settings
Describes the process for adapting the CARING intervention for rural cancer patient caregivers. Offers lessons learned related to intervention selection, involving impacted populations, and communicating with the original intervention developers.
Author(s): Erin E. Kent, Kelly R. Tan, Zev M. Nakamura, et al.
Citation: Cancer Medicine, 13(7), e70187
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Variations in Caregivers' Health and Well-Being in the North Central Region: Research Snapshot
Examines the emotional and financial health of caregivers across gender, race/ethnicity, household income, rurality, and caregiving type. Utilizes 2023 data from the North Central Region and provides statistics on physical, mental, social, and financial effects of caregiving.
Author(s): Elena Pojman, Florence Becot, Shoshanah Inwood
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
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Mental Health of Women in Rural Illinois: Insights from the Household Pulse Survey, June-July 2024
Explores the mental health of women in nonmetropolitan Illinois. Utilizes 2024 data from the Household Pulse Survey to examine rate of mental illness in nonmetro Illinois women according to race, education, income and marital status; impacts of role overload; and feelings on loneliness and connectedness.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Discharge Disposition for Home Health Care Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia: The Role of Living Arrangements and Rural Living
Examines rural versus urban differences in living arrangements and their impact on discharge disposition of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD). Analyzes 531,269 Medicare fee-for-service patient records with data breakdowns for living arrangement, such as living alone, living at home with others, or living in a congregate setting, as well as sociodemographic and health condition variables. Discusses rural versus urban disparities when a patient discharges to their community or an institution and the impact of social support on ADRD patients.
Author(s): Daniel Jung, Jeong Ha (Steph) Choi, Kerstin Gerst Emerson
Citation: Journal of Rural Health
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Active Social Engagement and Health among Older Adults: Assessing Differences by Cancer Survivorship Status
Evaluates whether recent cancer survivorship affects the relationship between active social engagement and health-related quality of life among older adults, utilizing data from 2,914 survey participants in seven states. Includes data on physical and mental health-related quality of life in rural versus urban populations.
Author(s): Jennifer L. Moss, Veronica Bernacchi, Erin Kitt-Lewis
Citation: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 22, 67
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
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Community-Level Factors and their Associations with Changing Opioid Overdose Fatality Rates in Kentucky, 2019–2021
Identifies associations between community-level factors and opioid overdose fatality rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky counties, and examines how these associations have changed from 2019 to 2021. Discusses societal changes that occurred due to COVID-19, including social isolation, and which may be linked to an increase in overdose deaths. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, adjacent-to-metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Shawn R. Nigam, Philip M. Westgate, Svetla Slavova, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Katherine L. Thompson
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(1), 90-115
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Social Induction via a Social Behavioral Intervention on Changes in Metabolic Risk Factors: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Appalachia, United States
Examines the effects of a social network intervention on metabolic health in rural, Appalachian Kentucky. Presents data of 301 participants, including data on change in body weight, waist circumference, mean arterial blood pressure, and other cardiovascular and metabolic health indicators. Evaluates the relationship between social networks, health behaviors, and physical health outcomes.
Author(s): Eric L. Ding, Kathleen T. Watson, Leila Makarechi, et al.
Citation: Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 99(7), 1058-1077
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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