Social Determinants of Health for Rural People – Resources

Health Disparities in Rural Women
Discusses the health disparities that exist for rural women in all categories of women's health, including obstetric and gynecologic outcomes and access to care. Covers programs to improve healthcare services for rural women and recommendations to reduce health disparities.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
view details

Addressing Health-Related Social Needs to Improve Rural Health: Ideas to Action
Identifies strategies for building community and regional systems of care to better address the social needs of patients and inform the design of community-level rural health transformation initiatives, pilots, or demonstrations in rural Maine. Examines existing literature and evidence from similar initiatives in Vermont, Idaho, and Oregon, and highlights key observations. Describes key components of a demonstration designed to build, implement, and test strategies for aligning health, social service, and other systems in order to advance whole-person care.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Deborah A. Deatrick
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Action Network, New England Rural Health Association
view details

Housing Affordability, Adequacy, and Access to the Internet in Homes of Medicaid Enrollees
Examines the housing adequacy, affordability, and internet access among Medicaid enrollees in 2019. Describes the impact of housing conditions on health, with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses policy options for Medicaid programs to address housing challenges. Presents data by Medicaid enrollee demographic characteristics, including race/ethnicity, age, sex, and metro/non-metro status.
Author(s): Bradley Corallo
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details

The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2020
Provides estimates of poverty for the official poverty measure and the supplemental poverty measure, which takes into account government programs that support low-income families. Appendix Tables 1, 2, and 8 provide data for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Liana E. Fox, Kalee Burns
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details

Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020
Reports on income levels and poverty rates for 2019 and 2020, along with the percent change from 2019 to 2020. Includes statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2021 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Author(s): Emily A. Shrider, Melissa Kollar, Frances Chen, Jessica Semega
Date: 09/2021
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details

Some Digital Divides Persist Between Rural, Urban, and Suburban America
Highlights differences in broadband access and digital technology adoption, such as smart phone, tablet, or computer, between rural, urban and suburban residents of the U.S.
Author(s): Emily A. Vogels
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organization: Pew Research Center
view details

A Qualitative Assessment of Barriers and Facilitators Associated with Addressing Social Determinants of Health among Members of a Health Collaborative in the Rural Midwest
Examines capacities and barriers in addressing social determinants of health for patients in rural Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin based on interviews from 37 participants of a healthcare collaborative. Discusses specific needs of rural providers, including access to community-based social services, aligned payment models, and capacity for collaboration, among others.
Author(s): Kim Nichols Dauner, Lacey Loomer
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 21
Date: 08/2021
view details

Rural Poverty Has Distinct Regional and Racial Patterns
Describes the findings of a study of persistent poverty, examining the prevalence of poverty in Appalachia, the Black Belt, the Mississippi Delta, the U.S.-Mexico border, and on Native American lands. Discusses the impacts of persistent poverty on access to healthcare, food access, social programs, and other support services.
Author(s): Tracey Farrigan
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 08/2021
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details

Leveraging Evidence-Based Policies to Improve Health, Control Costs, and Create Health Equity
Explores healthcare access for various populations, including people living in rural communities. Discusses strategies and policies focused on access to healthcare, economic mobility, affordable housing, safe learning environments for young adults and children, and health-promoting excise taxes.
Author(s): Adam Lustig, Marilyn Cabrera
Date: 07/2021
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
view details

Exploring the Role of Critical Health Literacy in Addressing the Social Determinants of Health
Brief reporting on a workshop held by the Roundtable on Health Literacy that explored Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and health literacy to serve vulnerable communities. Discusses SDOH models, research methods to engage communities, and critical health literacy. Project examples include work with rural Native American communities.
Author(s): Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details