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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Statistics and data

Apr 1, 2026 - The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is seeking experts for a workshop series examining how medical, public health, emergency management, and critical infrastructure data are collected and used to support the decision-making process before, during, and after disasters and emergencies. Both committee members and potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers are needed. Nominations are due April 17, 2026.
Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Apr 1, 2026 - Discusses population shifts in rural communities between 2024 and 2025. Identifies areas of population decline despite national trends toward growth.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Mar 31, 2026 - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is allowing an additional 30 days for comments on proposed revisions to an information collection titled "Medical Expenditures Panel Survey—Household Component, OMB No. 0935-0118." Proposed changes include revising the wording of 24 questions for clarity and to improve the response rate; replacing two exercise items on the 2022 MEPS Preventive Care Self-Administered Questionnaire (PSAQ) with five new items for exercise and strength training; adding questions to the PSAQ about use of sleep medication, trouble getting to sleep, screen time, use of wearable devices, self-assessed diet quality, fruit and vegetable consumption, meals eaten away from home, former smoking, and weight loss attempt; and more. Comments are due by April 30, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 24, 2026 - Discusses how a new dashboard offering Tennessee county-level data on various healthcare and quality of life measures will aid researchers and policymakers in understanding and impacting rural communities. Notes that programs such as the Rural Health Transformation Program will benefit from having data to help direct money to the areas most in need.
Source: The Daily Yonder
Mar 23, 2026 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the charter renewal of the National Committee on Vital Health and Statistics (NCVHS). The charter renewal is effective for a two-year period, through January 22, 2028.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 18, 2026 - Summarizes recent research finding disparities in mortality between urban and rural residents with cancer. The study analyzed 27,710,318 cancer deaths between 1969 and 2023 and compared rural and urban trends during that time. Notes drivers of outcome disparities including access to care, healthcare screenings, poverty, smoking, and more.
Source: American Cancer Society
Mar 18, 2026 - Offers lessons for implementing large-scale state-based programs like the Rural Health Transformation Program based on a California program investing in primary care for small independent practices, tribal practices, and community health centers. Discusses technical assistance, timing of payments, tracking success, and collaboration to overcome measurement barriers.
Source: Health Affairs Forefront
Mar 13, 2026 - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is seeking comments on a proposed methodological field tests for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The proposed methodological tests will examine ways to increase data quality, lower operating costs, and gain a better understanding of sources and effects of non-sampling error on NSDUH estimates. Comments are due by May 12, 2026.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 9, 2026 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is allowing an additional 30 days for comments on a proposed information collection project titled "Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)." PRAMS collects data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. CDC seeks to extend the approval for PRAMS data collection for 3 years. Comments are due within 30 days of this notice.
Source: Federal Register
Mar 9, 2026 - Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeking comments on a proposed information collection titled "Developmental/Methodological Projects to Improve the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and Related Programs." NHANES produces descriptive statistics, which measure the health and nutrition status of the general population. The purpose of these projects is to evaluate proposed survey designs, content, methods, and alternative approaches to survey activities for NHANES or National Center for Health Statistics-wide projects. Comments are due by May 8, 2026.
Source: Federal Register