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

Harm Reduction – West Virginia Local Health Departments Lead Efforts to Mitigate Human and Financial Costs of Opioid Epidemic
Describes West Virginia public health departments' efforts to promote harm reduction programs, as a response to the opioid crisis and resulting overdose deaths. Gives examples of successful programs from across the state.
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Association of Local Health Departments
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Identifying Community Perspectives for a Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Campaign in Appalachia Kentucky: The Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) Study
Reports on the Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) study, an ongoing program to encourage community awareness about the importance of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in high need areas of Eastern Appalachia Kentucky. Offers recommendations for disseminating information about lung cancer screening for healthcare providers and patients seeking to learn more about LDCT screening.
Author(s): Roberto Cardarelli, Karen L. Roper, Kathryn Cardarelli, Frances J. Feltner, et al.
Citation: Journal of Cancer Education, 32(1), 125-134
Date: 03/2017
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"We Need Help in the Delta": Barriers to Health Promotion Among Older African American Men in the Mississippi Delta
Studies the challenges of promoting health in the rural Mississippi Delta, focusing on older African American men who participated in a small study group. Describes interviews with individuals and focus groups, emphasizing different understandings of the term "health" and structural concerns about health disparities that create barriers for health promotion.
Author(s): Sherry Wang, LaShaundrea Crook, Carol Connell, Kathy Yadrick
Citation: American Journal of Men's Health, 11(2), 414-425
Date: 03/2017
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Multilevel Prevention Trial of Alcohol Use Among American Indian and White High School Students in the Cherokee Nation
Evaluates a multilevel intervention program developed to prevent alcohol use among rural White and Native American youth in the Cherokee Nation. Studies 6 communities by comparing a control program with two intervention programs targeting access to alcohol and screening paired with targeted intervention through the school system. Evaluates survey data, reporting the outcomes of these intervention methods on heavy episodic drinking and 30-day alcohol use.
Author(s): Kelli Komro, Melvin Livingston, Alexander Wagenaar, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(3), 453-459
Date: 03/2017
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Native Children's Policy Agenda
Presents a report detailing policy recommendations for the health and well-being of Native American youth. Discusses the challenges facing Native children, such as lack of access to healthcare and healthy food, environmental hazards, and affordable housing, among others. Makes corresponding recommendations for tribal governments and federal policymakers.
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organizations: First Kids 1st Initiative, National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Child Welfare Association, National Indian Education Association, National Indian Health Board
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Implementation and Outcomes of a Community-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program in Rural Appalachia
Describes the implementation and outcomes of a community-based pulmonary rehabilitation program in rural Appalachia. Reports on data from three rural health centers and one large referral hospital for multiple measures, including pre- and post-exams, respiratory disease knowledge, smoking status, and more.
Author(s): Daniel Doyle, Chaffee Tommarello, Mike Broce, Mary Emmett, Cecil Pollard
Citation: Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 37(4), 295-298
Date: 03/2017
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A National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C: Phase Two Report
Report that considers strategies to eliminate Hepatitis B and C as a public health problem in the U.S. and potential barriers that could stand in the way of this goal. Includes recommendations for coordination and funding, as well as rural focused segments regarding injectable drugs such as opioids and other narcotics.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Committee on a National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C, Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Use of Cell Phones and Computers for Health Promotion and Tobacco Cessation by American Indian College Students in Montana
Results of a survey given to 153 American Indian students at two rural tribal colleges, designed to inform development and implementation of a text messaging smoking cessation intervention. Features statistics including age, sex, health status, degree of tobacco use, access to computer and cell phone, and frequency of phone and internet use.
Author(s): Jo Ann Walsh Dotson, Lonnie A. Nelson, Sara L. Young, Dedra Buchwald, John Roll
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 17(1), 4014
Date: 03/2017
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Evaluation of the Health Care Innovation Awards: Community Resource Planning, Prevention, and Monitoring: Third Annual Report
Third annual evaluations of 24 Health Care Innovation Awards Round One projects focused on enhancing care coordination and healthcare access through the use of health information technology, care coordination/patient navigation, and health promotion and prevention services. Discusses awardees' progress and impact over the 3-year funding period from 2012 to 2015. Includes profiles of rural-focused projects, as well as projects serving rural and urban areas.
Additional links: Addendum, August 2017
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) Study - A Mixed-Methods Population Approach to Increase Lung Cancer Screening Awareness and Low-Dose Computed Tomography in Eastern Kentucky
Reports on a study of a community awareness intervention supporting low dose computed tomography (LDCT) cancer screening in two high-risk regions of Eastern Appalachia Kentucky. Rates of awareness and LDCT screening in the intervention regions were compared to a control region where the intervention had not been implemented.
Author(s): Roberto Cardarelli, David Reese, Karen L. Roper, et al.
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, 46, 1-8
Date: 02/2017
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