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Rural Health
Resources by State: Kentucky

A Cross-Sectional Survey of Potential Factors, Motivations, and Barriers Influencing Research Participation and Retention Among People Who Use Drugs in the Rural USA
Study examining research participation and retention among rural people who use drugs (PWUD) based on surveys of 255 research cohort members from Oregon, Kentucky, and Ohio. Examines participant demographics, drug use history, factors influencing research participation, and barriers and motivators related to research retention.
Author(s): Angela T. Hetrick, April M. Young, Miriam R. Elman, et al.
Citation: Trials, 22, 948
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
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Policy Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Insecurity in Rural America: Evidence from Appalachia
Study examining food access during the COVID-19 pandemic in a rural Appalachian community in Kentucky, based on qualitative data from 5 focus groups. Discusses food scarcity, supply chain disruptions, federal food assistance, community food resources, and home gardening, and highlights policy implications related to federal programs and social determinants of health.
Author(s): Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12792
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
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Losses, Gains, and Changes to the Food Environment in a Rural Kentucky County during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results of a study conducted in rural Laurel County, Kentucky, regarding changes to the food environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Offers suggestions for future programming to address inequitable access and response during public health emergencies.
Author(s): Makenzie L. Barr, Courtney Martin, Courtney Luecking, Kathryn Cardarelli
Citation: Nutrients, 13(11), 3929
Date: 11/2021
Type: Document
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Grantee Sourcebook: Rural HIV/AIDS Planning Program, 2020-2021
Detailed descriptions of 7 Rural HIV/AIDS Planning Program grant projects funded in fiscal year 2020. Reports on each grantee's key Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) strategies, secondary focus areas, target populations served, network development and planning activities, initial outcomes of their planning work, and sustainability strategies of the HIV/AIDS rural health networks and HIV-related programming beyond the planning year. Grantee profiles identify the geographic areas served, network partners, and primary contact person.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Emergence of Wasp Dope in Rural Appalachian Kentucky
Surveyed 278 Appalachian Kentucky adult residents between February 2018 and April 2019 that had used opioids or injected drugs in the previous 30 days about their use of "wasp dope," a drug made from insecticides. Discusses factors associated with wasp dope use. Includes break down of study participants by level of rurality.
Author(s): April M. Young, Melvin Livingston, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Hannah L.F. Cooper
Citation: Addiction, 116(7), 1901-1907
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
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Physical Activity Barriers and Assets in Rural Appalachian Kentucky: A Mixed-Methods Study
Study examining barriers, resources, and community support for physical activity to address obesity in rural Appalachia, focusing on Martin County, Kentucky. Describes data related to physical activity, social determinants of health, and physical environment for a cohort of 152 people and 34 focus group participants.
Author(s): Natalie Jones, Dierdre Dlugonski, Rachel Gillespie, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), 7646
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
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Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality Rates in Kentucky, 2019-2020
Evaluates the changes in drug overdose mortality rates for Kentucky residents, using provisional 2020 death certificate data from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics. Features statistics on Kentucky drug overdose deaths by month from 2011-2020, and Kentucky drug overdose mortality rates and rate ratios by demographic group from 2019-2020, with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan residence.
Author(s): Svetla Slavova, Dana Quesinberry, Sarah Hargrove, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(7)
Date: 07/2021
Type: Document
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Community-Based Efforts Aim to Improve the Food Environment within a Highly Obese Rural Appalachian County
Discusses efforts to improve nutrition of rural Appalachian citizens through community-developed marketing strategies. Examines statistical differences in food purchases at 5 Kentucky gas stations before and after healthier options were noted on station shelves via a "Smart Snack" logo.
Author(s): Rachel Gillespie, Emily DeWitt, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Brynnan Dunnaway, Alison Gustafson
Citation: Nutrients, 13(7), 2200
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
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COVID-19 Vaccine Communications Campaign Online Analysis
Provides links to online communication tools and state-level resources to increase COVID-19 vaccination confidence across the 8 Delta Regional Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Legato Healthcare Marketing, National Rural Health Resource Center
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Understanding Declining Rates of Drug Overdose Mortality in Eastern Kentucky
Identifies potential policies and strategies that might have contributed to the decline in drug overdose mortality in the 5-year periods from 2008-2012 to 2013-2017 in 8 counties in eastern Kentucky. Offers recommendations for approaches that could be implemented in other communities. Includes statistics on overdose mortality in 8 eastern Kentucky counties; a county-level map showing changes in rates of overdose mortality in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio; and a graph showing rates of overdose mortality in the Appalachian counties of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia from 1999-2019.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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