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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social determinants of health

Drive Time to Care and Retention in HIV Care: Rural–Urban Differences Among Medicaid Enrollees in the United States South
Presents a study on the role geography plays in HIV care retention and maintenance. Draws data from Medicaid enrollees in 13 southern states including the District of Columbia and compares patient drive times to care in rural and urban areas. Breaks down data by county social determinants of health, healthcare supply, and HIV prevalence, as well as patient characteristics.
Author(s): April D. Kimmel, Rose S. Bono, Zhongzhe Pan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12877
Date: 2025
Type: Document
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Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine for Sepsis Is Used Less Frequently in Communities with High Social Vulnerability
Examines the relationship between provider-to-provider emergency department-based telehealth consultation (tele-ED) and the prevalence of sepsis in counties with elevated social vulnerability index (SVI) scores. Analyzes 2016-2019 data from 1191 patients treated in rural, Midwestern EDs, with breakdowns according to patient, provider, hospital, and county characteristics. Discusses the relationship between SVI scores and tele-ED use.
Author(s): Kevin J. Tu, J. Priyanka Vakkalanka, Uche E. Okoro, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12861
Date: 2025
Type: Document
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Comparing Models That Integrate Obstetric Care and WIC on Improved Program Enrollment During Pregnancy: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
A study protocol that outlines the potential impact of linking women who are receiving obstetric care directly with the Women, Infants, and Children's (WIC) Program. Discusses plans to recruit 240 low-income, rural, pregnant patients from Pennsylvania and analyze WIC usage, social determinants of health, health status, and more.
Author(s): Kirstie M. Herb Neff, Kelsey Brandt, Alex R. Chang, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 3393
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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Domestic Violence in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations: A New Framework for Policy Change and Addressing the Structural Determinants of Health
Discusses the issue of domestic violence (DV) in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Analyzes historical structural determinants that impact DV, as well as how policy and funding can help prevent DV.
Author(s): Tassy Parker, Allyson Kelley, Lee Redeye, Marcello A. Maviglia
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 40
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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The Impact of Internet Connectivity When Conducting a Virtual Clinical Trial with Participants Living in Rural Areas
Evaluates the effectiveness of virtual randomized clinical trials for research involving rural family caregivers. Analyzes notes across 1,003 visits with research participants in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin to identify internet reliability issues and impact on the research. Discusses internet access a social determinant of health.
Author(s): Diane E. Holland, Catherine E. Vanderboom, Jay Mandrekar, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 42, 101366
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
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Residential Instability, Neighborhood Deprivation, and Outcomes for Children
Examines the effects of residential instability and neighborhood deprivation on children's educational outcomes via an analysis of North Carolina births, lead testing, and standardized testing score data. Includes data on differences in study outcomes based on movement between rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Mercedes A. Bravo, Dominique Zephyr, Marie Lynn Miranda
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 3343
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Building a Rural Cancer Care Network: Federal Funding Supports Collaboration of Urban, Regional, and Local Organizations
Features a rural cancer care network in Georgia funded by a federal care coordination grant that brings together an urban nonprofit organization, a regional healthcare system with rural locations, and a local rural physician's office. Highlights the network's work related to patient navigation and clinical cancer trial enrollment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural-Urban Differences in Housing Crowdedness, Cost Burden, Stability, and Quality
Examines housing as a social driver of health. Features statistics on proportions of residents living in crowded housing, experiencing housing cost burden, living with housing inadequacies, and owning their homes, with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Jessica Rosencrans, Per Ostmo
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model Evaluation: Third Evaluation Report
Provides an overview of the Accountable Health Communities (ACH) Model, which tests whether identifying and addressing core health-related social needs (HRSNs) of community-dwelling beneficiaries improves health outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and reduces unnecessary healthcare utilization. Explores which bridge organization and community characteristics were associated with better implementation outcomes, and the beneficiary-level characteristics were associated with a greater probability of accepting navigation, having at least one HRSN resolved, or having all HRSNs resolved. Examines the extent to which bridge organizations met model requirements. Includes information on the availability and quality of community resources to address HRSNs in rural communities.
Additional links: Appendices, Findings at a Glance
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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CAH Perspectives on Collection and Use of Demographic and Social Drivers of Health Data
Describes how collecting information about social drivers of health (SDOH) can help hospitals inform treatment and discharge planning decisions and identify local health disparities. Summarizes findings from interviews with nine Critical Access Hospital (CAH) staff regarding their experiences collecting demographic and SDOH data. Highlights themes related to challenges CAH staff face in collecting this data and how CAHs utilize the data they collect.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Carson Crane, Megan Lahr
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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