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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health Disparities – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Disparities.

Suicide Trends Among and Within Urbanization Levels by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Age Group, and Mechanism of Death — United States, 2001–2015
Reports on county-level trends in suicide rates during 2001–2015 for large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and nonmetro counties. Includes data by sex and age group. Covers the mechanism of death, with data on firearms, hanging/suffocation, drug poisoning, non-drug poisoning, and other causes.
Author(s): Asha Z. Ivey-Stephenson, Alex E. Crosby, Shane P. D. Jack, Tadesse Haileyesus, Marcie-jo Kresnow-Sedacca
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1-16
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Despair as a Cause of Death: More Complex Than It First Appears
Describes studies showing urban-rural and racial/ethnic comparisons of premature deaths due to self-destructive behaviors and possible underlying social and economic factors in the communities.
Author(s): Ana V. Diez Roux
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(10), 1566-1567
Date: 10/2017
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Health Disparities in Appalachia
Measures population health in Appalachia and explores disparities within the region and between Appalachia and the country as a whole. Features statistics on mortality, morbidity, behavioral health, child health, community characteristics, lifestyle, healthcare systems, quality of care, and social determinants, with breakdowns between urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Julie L. Marshall, Logan Thomas, Nancy M. Lane, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, PDA, Inc., The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Bringing Change for Rural COPD Patients: Possibilities with the COPD National Action Plan
Highlights the mounting costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the substantial impact the disease has on rural communities, and the growing divide between COPD-related rural and urban mortality rates. The recently released COPD National Action Plan (CNAP) is set to bring COPD into the spotlight as a national health concern, and rural America will likely play a major role.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Making the Case for Investment in Rural Cancer Control: An Analysis of Rural Cancer Incidence, Mortality, and Funding Trends
Highlights rural-urban disparities in cancer prevalence and mortality from 2009-2013, and analyzes the five-year (2011-2016) funding trends for rural-focused, National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported cancer control grants.
Author(s): Kelly D. Blake, Jennifer L. Moss, Anna Gaysynsky, Shobha Srinivasan, Robert T. Croyle
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 26(7), 992-997
Date: 07/2017
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Prevalence of Arthritis and Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation by Urban-Rural County Classification — United States, 2015
Provides detailed data on prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation for six urban-rural categories. Includes urban-rural data by age, sex, education, employment, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity, self-rated health, and functionally disabled status.
Author(s): Michael A. Boring, Jennifer M. Hootman, Yong Liu, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 66(20), 527-532
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Differences in Health Care, Family, and Community Factors Associated with Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders Among Children Aged 2–8 Years in Rural and Urban Areas — United States, 2011–2012
Provides rural and urban data on a variety of health-related factors for children 2-8 years of age with and without mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders. Topics addressed include demographics, health insurance coverage, having a medical home, parental mental health, family financial difficulties, and community factors.
Author(s): Lara R. Robinson, Joseph R. Holbrook, Rebecca H. Bitsko, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(8), 1-11
Date: 03/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Health-Related Behaviors by Urban-Rural County Classification — United States, 2013
Provides data on five self-reported health-related behaviors for residents of rural and urban areas. Behaviors include sufficient sleep, current nonsmoking, nondrinking or moderate drinking, maintaining normal body weight, and meeting aerobic leisure time physical activity recommendations. Includes data for each behavior for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore (rural) areas, as well as prevalence of 4-5 health behaviors by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and education level. Based on 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.
Author(s): Kevin A. Matthews, Janet B. Croft, Yong Liu, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(5), 1-8
Date: 02/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The Role of Medicare and the Indian Health Service for American Indians and Alaska Natives: Health, Access and Coverage
Examines the health, healthcare access, income, and education disparities that exist within the Native American and Alaskan Native population, as well as the roles of Medicare and the Indian Health Service (IHS) in addressing these disparities.
Author(s): Cristina Boccuti, Christina Swoope, Samantha Artiga
Date: 12/2014
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
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