Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social connectedness
Rural Social Isolation, with Carrie Henning-Smith
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, Deputy Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on rural social isolation, the negative effects it has on wellness, and how it can be mitigated.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, Deputy Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on rural social isolation, the negative effects it has on wellness, and how it can be mitigated.
Date: 07/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Social Connections Drive Healthcare Professionals to Locate to and Stay in Rural Towns
Bar chart showing reasons that healthcare professionals choose to work in rural communities, with a comparison of factors that impact the decision to practice there and the decision to stay.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Bar chart showing reasons that healthcare professionals choose to work in rural communities, with a comparison of factors that impact the decision to practice there and the decision to stay.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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The Built Environment and Social and Emotional Support among Rural Older Adults: The Case for Social Infrastructure and Attention to Ethnoracial Differences
Evaluated 110,850 rural older adults to determine the connection between social infrastructure and social and emotional support (SaES). Looks for variance across race and ethnicity and discusses the implication for mental health.
Author(s): Danielle Rhubart, Jennifer Kowalkowski, Logan Wincott
Citation: Rural Sociology 88(3), 731-762
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Evaluated 110,850 rural older adults to determine the connection between social infrastructure and social and emotional support (SaES). Looks for variance across race and ethnicity and discusses the implication for mental health.
Author(s): Danielle Rhubart, Jennifer Kowalkowski, Logan Wincott
Citation: Rural Sociology 88(3), 731-762
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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The Association Between Social Functioning and Health Literacy Among Rural Southeastern African Americans with Hypertension
Analyzes how the relationship between social support and health literacy may mitigate health outcomes in African American populations in rural Southeastern USA. Utilizes data from the Southeastern Collaboration to Improve Blood Pressure Control trial to examine social isolation and health literacy in 1,221 individuals, with data further broken down by age, sex, education, income, cognition impairments, marriage status, and study site.
Author(s): Iliana Gutierrez, Joanna Bryan, Elizabeth Baquero, Monika M. Safford
Citation: Health Promotion International, 38
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Analyzes how the relationship between social support and health literacy may mitigate health outcomes in African American populations in rural Southeastern USA. Utilizes data from the Southeastern Collaboration to Improve Blood Pressure Control trial to examine social isolation and health literacy in 1,221 individuals, with data further broken down by age, sex, education, income, cognition impairments, marriage status, and study site.
Author(s): Iliana Gutierrez, Joanna Bryan, Elizabeth Baquero, Monika M. Safford
Citation: Health Promotion International, 38
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Healthcare Professionals Seek Social Connections When Moving to Rural Towns
Summarizes results of a 2014-2015 survey of 900 rural healthcare providers. Describes the factors that were most often cited by survey respondents as important to their decisions to practice and stay in a rural community.
Author(s): John Pender
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Summarizes results of a 2014-2015 survey of 900 rural healthcare providers. Describes the factors that were most often cited by survey respondents as important to their decisions to practice and stay in a rural community.
Author(s): John Pender
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Indicators of Familial Social Support by Rurality and Gender Identity
Examines the differences in familial social support by rurality and gender identity using data from the 2016-2018 TransPop Study. Discusses the relationship between social and emotional support and health outcomes. Describes the implications of the findings for rural public health and community-based programs.
Author(s): Robert Libal, Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana Tuttle, Gilbert Gonzales
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Examines the differences in familial social support by rurality and gender identity using data from the 2016-2018 TransPop Study. Discusses the relationship between social and emotional support and health outcomes. Describes the implications of the findings for rural public health and community-based programs.
Author(s): Robert Libal, Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana Tuttle, Gilbert Gonzales
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Addressing the Long-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families
Report discusses the long-term physical, mental, and social outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the effects of social isolation, school closures, financial hardships, and physical illness caused by the pandemic and highlights the groups that have been disproportionately affected, such as American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Additional links: Read Online, Report Highlights
Author(s): Board on Children, Youth, and Families
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Report discusses the long-term physical, mental, and social outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Explores the effects of social isolation, school closures, financial hardships, and physical illness caused by the pandemic and highlights the groups that have been disproportionately affected, such as American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Additional links: Read Online, Report Highlights
Author(s): Board on Children, Youth, and Families
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2023
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health for older adults across 52 measures using data from 22 unique data sources. Covers social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes. Highlights health disparities, including rural-urban disparities, across five categories of health. Includes state-by-state summaries and county-level maps for risk of social isolation by state.
Additional links: County-Level Maps for Risk of Social Isolation
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health for older adults across 52 measures using data from 22 unique data sources. Covers social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes. Highlights health disparities, including rural-urban disparities, across five categories of health. Includes state-by-state summaries and county-level maps for risk of social isolation by state.
Additional links: County-Level Maps for Risk of Social Isolation
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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"It Was Just Really Hard to Be Pregnant in a Smaller Town …": Pregnant and Parenting Teenagers' Perspectives of Social Support in Their Rural Communities
Examines the levels of support available for pregnant and parenting teenagers in rural communities. Provides information from 26 interviews with current and former pregnant/parenting teenagers who report on the availability of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal social supports.
Author(s): Lauren Baney, Alison Greene, Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16906
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Examines the levels of support available for pregnant and parenting teenagers in rural communities. Provides information from 26 interviews with current and former pregnant/parenting teenagers who report on the availability of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal social supports.
Author(s): Lauren Baney, Alison Greene, Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16906
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Social Determinants of Health in the Age of COVID: Effects of Social Isolation Among Adults 62+ in Rural Pennsylvania
Results of a study analyzing the extent of social isolation among rural Pennsylvanians aged 62 or older during the pandemic, evaluating determinants of social isolation, identifying programs and services that minimize social isolation, and assessing potential replicability in Pennsylvania. Includes sections on factors such as mental health access, faith-based organizations, transportation, technology use, and housing options.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Christopher Harris, FangHsun Wei, Mary Rita Weller, Kelly Smith
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Results of a study analyzing the extent of social isolation among rural Pennsylvanians aged 62 or older during the pandemic, evaluating determinants of social isolation, identifying programs and services that minimize social isolation, and assessing potential replicability in Pennsylvania. Includes sections on factors such as mental health access, faith-based organizations, transportation, technology use, and housing options.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Christopher Harris, FangHsun Wei, Mary Rita Weller, Kelly Smith
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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