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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social determinants of health

Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 2
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities with an overview for each of the top health priorities ranked 11 through 20 identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 1 discussed the top 10 priorities.) Topics include: cancer, health education, oral health, immunizations and infectious disease, public health, sexual health and family planning, injury and violence prevention, and social determinants of health. Includes reviews of the relevant literature and model programs appropriate for rural communities. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and 30 Day Rehospitalizations: An Analysis of Medicare Data
Examines the association between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and 30-day rehospitalizations for patients discharged with congestive heart failure, pneumonia, or acute myocardial infarction. Includes data by location of patient residence for small town/rural, large town, suburban, and urban core areas.
Author(s): Amy J.H. Kind, Steve Jencks, Jane Brock, et al.
Citation: Annals of Internal Medicine, 161(11), 765-774
Date: 12/2014
Type: Document
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Determinants of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation from 2008 to 2012
A discussion of the social and economic determinants of enrollment in the SNAP program. Includes data and statistics regarding economic variables, the effect of state policy on program use, demographics of the recipients, and length of use and re-entry into the program. Rural specific information included on pages A 33-34 and the food access table (A.29).
Author(s): James Mabli, Thomas Godfrey, Nancy Wemmerus, Joshua Leftin, Stephan Tordella
Date: 12/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Healthy Alaskans 2020 Health Assessment: Understanding the Health of Alaskans
Provides an overview of the statewide health assessment data used to inform the Healthy Alaskans 2020 initiative, and explains the selection and target-setting process for the 25 included leading health indicators. Addresses mortality rates, chronic disease incidence, healthcare access, disparities, and social determinants of health.
Date: 09/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Department of Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
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Persistent Poverty Dynamics: Understanding Poverty Trends Over 50 Years
Reports on high-poverty counties, with a poverty rate of 20% or more, based on data from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, compared to 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 Census data. Includes comparison of rural (micropolitan and noncore) counties and metropolitan counties. Identifies counties with persistent and intermittent high poverty, as well as newly high poverty counties.
Author(s): Kathleen Miller, Bruce Weber
Date: 07/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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Socioeconomic Policy Is Health Policy
Draws on international studies and argues that medical care is not the only factor in improving people's health in rural areas.
Author(s): Wayne Myers
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Intersection of Rural Poverty and Federal Human Services Programs
Discusses challenges faced by federal human services programs in addressing rural poverty. Highlights two case studies offering different approaches for meeting these challenges, one from Montana and one from Colorado.
Date: 01/2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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The Role of Community Health Centers in Assessing the Social Determinants of Health for Planning and Policy: The Example of Frontier New Mexico
Discusses the use of the Tool for Health and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE) by a frontier-based community health center in New Mexico for evaluating and addressing social determinants of health.
Author(s): Sean Bruna, Lisa Cacari Stone, Susan Wilger, Jeremy Cantor, Carolina Guzman
Citation: Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, 37(3), 258-268
Date: 2014
Type: Document
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The Long-Term Unemployed in the Wake of the Great Recession: Percent of Unemployed Americans Seeking Work for Longer Than Six Months More Than Doubled Between 2007 and 2013
Describes the demographic and economic characteristics of the urban and rural long-term unemployed and compares them with their short-term unemployed counterparts.
Author(s): Andrew Schaefer
Date: 2014
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report - United States, 2013
Addresses the differences in mortality and disease risk factors related to behaviors, access to healthcare, and social determinants of health in both rural and urban settings.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 62(3)
Date: 11/2013
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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