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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Appalachia

Appalachian Employment Lagged Rest of United States from 2001 to 2021
Compares growth of employment in Appalachia from 2001-2021 with counties that neighbor Appalachia and counties in the rest of the United States. Features a county-level map with shadings indicating percent change in annual average employment.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Adaptation and Study Protocol of the Evidence-based Make Better Choices (Mbc2) Multiple Diet and Activity Change Intervention for a Rural Appalachian Population
Details the development of the Make Better Choices 2 (MBC2) mHealth diet and activity randomized trial and how it is being adapted for rural Appalachia. Outlines the adaptation process conducted in Appalachian Kentucky and subsequent revisions to the recruitment, retention, assessment, and intervention components of the study. Discusses the need for culturally appropriate research to reach underserved populations and achieve health equity.
Author(s): Nancy E. Schoenberg, Deanna Sherman, Angela Fidler Pfammatter, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 2043
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
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Social Media and Use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems among School-Going Adolescents in a Rural Distressed Appalachian Community
Evaluates the influence of social media engagement on electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use among 399 8th and 9th grade students in a rural Appalachian county in Tennessee. Provides data on current and ever ENDS use, social media use by type of platform, use of social media to discuss ENDS, attitudes toward ease of ENDS access and danger to health, parental advice against tobacco use, and participant demographics.
Author(s): H.M. Mamudu, C.A. Nwabueze, J.S. Yang, et al.
Citation: Preventive Medicine Reports, 29, 101953
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
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Ohio 2023-2026 State Plan on Aging
Highlights the state's health, equity, and justice goals for aging Ohioans. Notes priorities in the areas of community conditions, healthy living, access to care, social connectedness, population health, and preserving independence including those of particular importance to rural or Appalachian residents.
Date: 10/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Ohio Department of Aging
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Impact of Concurrent Hospice Care on Primary Care Visits among Children in Southern Rural Appalachia
Explores the relationship between concurrent hospice care and primary care visits among children in southern rural Appalachia between 2011 and 2013. Describes demographic and clinical characteristics of children in hospice care in this study. Discusses the findings in relation to the children's residence in medically underserved areas.
Author(s): Mary Lou Clark Fornehed, Radion Svynarenko, Lisa C. Lindley
Citation: Journal of Pediatric Health care, 36(5), 438-442
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Coal Production and Employment in Appalachia
Examines major trends in coal production and employment in Appalachia between 2000-2020 and assesses how those trends may affect economic performance in the region. Includes a section on health outcomes, with statistics comparing the mortality rate in Appalachian coal counties, Appalachian non-coal counties, and the rest of the United States, as well as the mortality rate in Appalachian coal region subregions.
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Rural Opioid Support Services Program
Study examining the impacts of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, nonprofit opioid use disorder (OUD) system support service program located in eastern Kentucky. Describes findings from interviews conducted in early fall 2020 discussing changes to daily life, service access and provision, and financial impacts.
Author(s): Jayme E. Walters, Aubrey E. Jones, Aaron R. Brown, Dorothy Wallis
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 11164
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Consumer Finances in Rural Appalachia
Describes the financial needs and challenges of consumers in rural Appalachia. Features sections on consumer finance profiles, including a section on medical debt, and consumer distress and delinquencies. Appendix A includes state-level statistics for the 13 Appalachian states, including percent of rural people with medical debt in the state.
Author(s): Matthew Liu, Cooper Luce, Michael Orevba, Shawn Sebastian, Cortnie Shupe
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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Broadband Internet Subscription Rates and Opioid Prescribing via Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Explores the effect of the DEA's temporary permission for providers to prescribe opioids via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky. Discusses the effect this permission had on rural areas and in counties with low and high rates of broadband access.
Author(s): Douglas R. Oyler, Svetla Slavova, Patricia R. Freeman, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(4), 900-907
Date: 09/2022
Type: Document
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Appalachian Regional Commission Service Area Map (37 Counties)
Georgia map showing counties included in the Appalachian Regional Commission service area.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Georgia State Office of Rural Health
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