This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Statistics and data

The Digital Divide in U.S. Mobile Technology and Speeds
Report examining the digital divide in access to mobile broadband service for certain populations, including rural areas. Discusses age of mobile and WiFi technology and compiles speed test data to analyze access at the county level. Presents population data based on demographics, household size, employment, and offers maps of approximate LTE speeds by county.
Author(s): Judith Dempsey, Patrick Sun
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
view details
Impacts of COVID-19 on Rural Mental Health
Presentation slides from an American Farm Bureau Federation poll of 2,000 rural adults in December 2020, comparing results to a similar April 2019 poll. Addresses perceived importance of mental health, issues of stigma, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, barriers to care, and other mental health topics. Tracks response trends between 2019 and 2020, highlighting consistent aspects of the survey and changes in impressions and experiences.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: American Farm Bureau Federation
view details
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Could Improve Its Wage Index Adjustment for Hospitals in Areas With the Lowest Wages
Analyzes characteristics of hospitals with area wage indexes (AWI) in the bottom quartile in 2020, including rurality, geography, Medicaid expansion status, and hourly wages. Provides an overview of the hospital wage index system and AWI, circularity, and the impact of these policies on prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals. Offers policy recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding future adjustments.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
How Does DATA-Waiver Provider Patient Capacity Relate to Opioid and Buprenorphine Prescribing?
Explores if regulatory changes to increase the patient capacity among buprenorphine waivered providers effects buprenorphine and opioids prescription rates at the county-level. Compares prescription rates by metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.
Author(s): Robin Ghertner, Mir M. Ali
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Water Safety in California Public Schools Following Implementation of School Drinking Water Policies
Study examining results from a California testing program created to detect lead in charter and public school drinking water. Analyzes factors associated with access to safe drinking water, including differences between rural and urban schools. Features data and statistics indicating whether school water systems were compliant with health standards and whether school drinking water was tested for lead.
Author(s): Isioma L. Umunna, Lauren S. Blacker, Christina E. Hecht, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 12/2020
view details
Cost-Effectiveness of Scaling Up HCV Prevention and Treatment in the United States for People Who Inject Drugs
Highlights the cost-effectiveness of combining medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and syringe-service programs (SSP) with hepatitis C (HCV) treatment for people who inject drugs. Compares services for patients in rural Perry County, KY; and urban San Francisco, CA.
Author(s): Carolina Barbosa, Hannah Fraser, Thomas J. Hoerger, et al.
Citation: Addiction, 114(12), 2267-2278
Date: 12/2020
view details
Spatial Access to Vaccines for Children Providers in South Carolina: Implications for HPV Vaccination
Explores access to Vaccines for Children (VFC) enrolled clinics in South Carolina to understand rural/urban disparities in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation and improve rural HPV vaccination rates. Features information on VFC providers by rural and urban Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), spatial accessibility for VFC by rural and urban ZCTAs, and more.
Author(s): Radhika Ranganathan, Whitney Zahnd, Sayward Harrison, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 12/2020
view details
"We're, Like, the Most Unhealthy People in the Country": Using an Equity Lens to Reduce Barriers to Healthy Food Access in Rural Appalachia
Examines barriers and facilitators for accessing healthy food in Martin County, Kentucky. Aims to develop socially-, culturally-, and historically-informed policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) interventions to reduce obesity in Appalachia and other areas.
Author(s): Kathryn Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 12/2020
view details
Rural Hospitals Have Higher Percentages of Patients with COVID-19 than Urban Hospitals (October-December 2020)
Analyzes data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to compare the percent of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in rural versus urban hospitals. Features breakdowns by the Midwest, Northeast, West, and South.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details
Rural Hospitalizations for COVID-19: Snapshot on December 10, 2020
Analyzes U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data to compare rural and urban hospitals on the percent of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and the percent of hospital beds occupied by patients who have COVID-19. Features breakdowns by geographical region.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
view details