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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

Kick the Bucket: The Future of Rural Sanitation in Alaska
Discusses the challenges rural Alaskan communities face related to installing and maintaining water and sewage treatment facilities, particularly as climate change impacts the region's infrastructure. Discusses the health impacts of a lack of running water and flush toilets. A series reporting on water and sewage treatment in rural Alaska.
Additional links: Experts Seek Alternatives To Costly, Ineffective Sanitation Systems, Health Implications of Third World Conditions in Alaska, Lack of Funding Hampers Development of Modern Sanitation in Rural Alaska, Rural Sanitation Series: Innovating Beyond the Honey Bucket
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Public Media
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Health, United States, 2014: With Special Feature on Adults Aged 55-64
Presents an annual overview of national trends in health statistics. Covers health status and determinants, healthcare utilization, access, and expenditures. Includes data on rural areas - see index under "Metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data." 2014 edition includes a special section on adults aged 55-64, covering health status, health behaviors, health insurance coverage, healthcare utilization, and more.
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Characteristics of Joint Use Agreements in School Districts in the United States: Findings from the School Health Policies and Practices Study, 2012
Examines a sample of school districts in the U.S. to identify characteristics associated with having a formal joint use agreement for recreational facilities and how the agreement applies to different activities. Includes data for school districts with joint use agreements by percent of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, percent of White students, rural versus urban status, and number of students in the district.
Author(s): Sherry Everett Jones, Arthur M. Wendel
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 12
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Associations Between Neighborhood-Level Factors Related to a Healthful Lifestyle and Dietary Intake, Physical Activity, and Support for Obesity Prevention Polices among Rural Adults
Analyzes the cross-sectional associations between neighborhood- and individual-level factors related to a healthy lifestyle, diet, physical activity, and support for obesity prevention policies in rural eastern North Carolina adults.
Author(s): Stephanie B. Jilcott Pitts, Thomas C. Keyserling, Larry Johnston, et al.
Citation: Journal of Community Health, 40(2), 276-284
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Rural Populations and Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Services: Challenges and Opportunities for Local Public Health Departments
Results of a study using data from 1995 to 2010, examining geographic differences in screening, diagnosis, and treatment of South Carolina normal birth weight infant cohorts with continuous Medicaid coverage. Explores how the level of services changed as local health departments transitioned away from direct service provision to a population-based delivery service model. Includes statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural residence.
Author(s): Nathan L. Hale, Michael Smith, James Hardin, Amy Brock-Martin
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 105(Suppl 2), S330-S336
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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A Rural Appalachian Faith-Placed Smoking Cessation Intervention
Describes a faith-oriented smoking cessation program comprising 590 smokers in 26 churches located in rural Appalachia. Discusses 3 themes identified by the participants' evaluation of the program including the program's ability to leverage social connections, be conveniently orientated, and to provide financial support for smoking cessation.
Author(s): Nancy E. Schoenberg, Henry E. Bundy, Jordan A. Baeker Bispo, et al.
Citation: Journal of Religion and Health, 54(2), 598-611
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Using Photovoice with Youth to Develop a Drug Prevention Program in a Rural Hawaiian Community
Presents the results of a community-university research project involving 10 youth from rural areas participating in 8 focus groups with the purpose of developing a Native Hawaiian model of drug prevention.
Author(s): Susana Helm, Wayde Lee, Vanda Hanakahi, et al.
Citation: American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 22(1), 1-26
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
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Population Health in Rural Communities
Policy paper discussing the concept of population health in rural communities with a focus on providing better care, improving health, and lowering costs.
Author(s): Sally Buck, Patricia A. Crawford, John Gale, Deborah Holzmark, Michelle Mills
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Addressing Chronic Disease Through Community Health Workers: A Policy and Systems-Level Approach
Provides guidelines for the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into community based chronic disease prevention programs. Includes examples from a variety of CHW programs, some of which serve rural communities.
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Harnessing the Power Of Cross-Sector Collaboration: Menominee Indian Tribe, Keshena, Wis.
Describes the Menominee Indian School District (Wisconsin) "Bridges Out of Poverty" trauma informed strategy and training program that recognizes how historical oppression and inequality can influence social determinants that perpetuate poor health outcomes and low academic achievement in students.
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Public Health Association
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