Rural Maternal Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Maternal Health.
American Indian and Alaskan Native Maternal Mental Health
Report discusses the rates of maternal mental health conditions experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native women. Highlights correlations and contributing factors driving mental health disparities among native mothers.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health
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Report discusses the rates of maternal mental health conditions experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native women. Highlights correlations and contributing factors driving mental health disparities among native mothers.
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health
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Rural and Urban Differences in Insurance Coverage at Prepregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum
Examines insurance coverage in rural and urban women at prepregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Analyzes 154,992 postpartum individuals in the U.S. part of the 2016-2019 PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) and breaks down rural versus urban data by age, race/ethnicity, income, state Medicaid expansion, education, marital status, chronic disease, and more. Discusses disparities in insurance for rural and urban women.
Author(s): Lindsay K. Admon, Jamie R. Daw, Julia D. Interrante, et al.
Citation: Obstetrics & Gynecology, 14(3), 570-581
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
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Examines insurance coverage in rural and urban women at prepregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Analyzes 154,992 postpartum individuals in the U.S. part of the 2016-2019 PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) and breaks down rural versus urban data by age, race/ethnicity, income, state Medicaid expansion, education, marital status, chronic disease, and more. Discusses disparities in insurance for rural and urban women.
Author(s): Lindsay K. Admon, Jamie R. Daw, Julia D. Interrante, et al.
Citation: Obstetrics & Gynecology, 14(3), 570-581
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
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Obstetric Readiness in Rural Communities Lacking Hospital Labor and Delivery Units
Policy brief discussing the current rural maternal healthcare workforce and their capacity to manage obstetric emergencies during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Offers recommendations to promote obstetric readiness for emergency care in rural hospitals without obstetric units and support for community-based, emergency department-adjacent health workers.
Author(s): Eneka Lamb, Madeline Merwin, Quinyatta Mumford, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief discussing the current rural maternal healthcare workforce and their capacity to manage obstetric emergencies during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Offers recommendations to promote obstetric readiness for emergency care in rural hospitals without obstetric units and support for community-based, emergency department-adjacent health workers.
Author(s): Eneka Lamb, Madeline Merwin, Quinyatta Mumford, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural–Urban Disparities in Adverse Maternal Outcomes in the United States, 2016–2019
Analyzes maternal mortality and admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) in rural and urban areas in the U.S. between 2016 and 2019. Utilizes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to examine rural versus urban maternal health disparities.
Author(s): Katharine A. Harrington, Natalie A. Cameron, Kasen Culler, William A. Grobman, Sadiya S. Khan
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 113(2)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Analyzes maternal mortality and admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) in rural and urban areas in the U.S. between 2016 and 2019. Utilizes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to examine rural versus urban maternal health disparities.
Author(s): Katharine A. Harrington, Natalie A. Cameron, Kasen Culler, William A. Grobman, Sadiya S. Khan
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 113(2)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Rural Obstetric Training for Family Physicians
Reports findings from a mixed-methods study on the availability and characteristics of obstetric (OB) training in rural family medicine residency programs, as well as the barriers to and facilitators of rural OB training.
Author(s): Erin Fredrickson, David V. Evans, Sara Woolcock, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 55(6), 381-388
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Reports findings from a mixed-methods study on the availability and characteristics of obstetric (OB) training in rural family medicine residency programs, as well as the barriers to and facilitators of rural OB training.
Author(s): Erin Fredrickson, David V. Evans, Sara Woolcock, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 55(6), 381-388
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Closure of Labor & Delivery Units in Rural Counties Is Associated with Reduced Adequacy of Prenatal Care, Even When Prenatal Care Remains Available
Examines adequacy of prenatal care following the closure of labor and delivery units in rural Iowa counties using birth certificate information from 47 rural counties between 2017 and 2019. Compares rural counties with a closure to those without a closure. Examines the difference in impact for Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients, age, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and more.
Author(s): Stephanie M. Radke, Laurel Smiens, Kelly K. Ryckman, Thomas S. Gruca
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 746-755
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Examines adequacy of prenatal care following the closure of labor and delivery units in rural Iowa counties using birth certificate information from 47 rural counties between 2017 and 2019. Compares rural counties with a closure to those without a closure. Examines the difference in impact for Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients, age, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, and more.
Author(s): Stephanie M. Radke, Laurel Smiens, Kelly K. Ryckman, Thomas S. Gruca
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 746-755
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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Exploring Remaining Needs and Opportunities for Improvement in Rural Communities: A Focus on Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Services
Provides an overview of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Presents findings from interviews with rural human services providers across 8 sites with MIECHV-funded programs. Describes the experiences of rural practitioners as they deliver home visiting services in their communities. Offers lessons learned and practitioner recommendations to help inform policy and service delivery moving forward.
Author(s): Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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Provides an overview of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Presents findings from interviews with rural human services providers across 8 sites with MIECHV-funded programs. Describes the experiences of rural practitioners as they deliver home visiting services in their communities. Offers lessons learned and practitioner recommendations to help inform policy and service delivery moving forward.
Author(s): Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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"It Was Just Really Hard to Be Pregnant in a Smaller Town …": Pregnant and Parenting Teenagers' Perspectives of Social Support in Their Rural Communities
Examines the levels of support available for pregnant and parenting teenagers in rural communities. Provides information from 26 interviews with current and former pregnant/parenting teenagers who report on the availability of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal social supports.
Author(s): Lauren Baney, Alison Greene, Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16906
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Examines the levels of support available for pregnant and parenting teenagers in rural communities. Provides information from 26 interviews with current and former pregnant/parenting teenagers who report on the availability of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal social supports.
Author(s): Lauren Baney, Alison Greene, Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 16906
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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A Comparison of Evidence-Based Supports for Maternal and Infant Health in 133 Rural US Counties with and without Hospital-Based Obstetric Care
An infographic that provides information on available maternal and infant supports in rural areas. Includes data from 133 surveyed hospital administrators regarding access to breastfeeding groups, doula care, childbirth education classes, and more.
Author(s): Phoebe L. Chastain, Mariana S. Tuttle, Alyssa H. Fritz, Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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An infographic that provides information on available maternal and infant supports in rural areas. Includes data from 133 surveyed hospital administrators regarding access to breastfeeding groups, doula care, childbirth education classes, and more.
Author(s): Phoebe L. Chastain, Mariana S. Tuttle, Alyssa H. Fritz, Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Doula Care and Maternal Health: An Evidence Review
Examines the role of doula care in maternal health as well as impacts, challenges, access, disparities, reimbursement, and policy efforts related to maternity/doula care. Includes a county-level U.S. map of maternity care deserts and discussion of rural-specific maternity programs.
Author(s): Kathleen Knocke, Andre Chappel, Sarah Sugar, Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Examines the role of doula care in maternal health as well as impacts, challenges, access, disparities, reimbursement, and policy efforts related to maternity/doula care. Includes a county-level U.S. map of maternity care deserts and discussion of rural-specific maternity programs.
Author(s): Kathleen Knocke, Andre Chappel, Sarah Sugar, Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Last Updated: 5/17/2024