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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Children and youth

The Protective Role of Community Cohesion Across Rural and Urban Contexts: Implications for Youth Mental Health
Examines the impact of community cohesion on youth resilience during adverse experiences and socioeconomic issues. Utilizes longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and compares rural and urban youth across categories such as neighborhood characteristics, negative life events, community cohesion, and internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms.
Author(s): Alexis Brieant, Keith B. Burt
Citation: Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 30(2), 140-148
Date: 05/2025
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School-Based Health Centers and School Attendance in Rural Areas
Examines the relationship between the availability of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) and student absenteeism in rural areas. Analyzes 66,303 students from kindergarten to 12th grade for absenteeism in districts with a SBHC and those without a SBHC.
Author(s): Chris Kjolhede, Wendy M. Brunner, John W. Sipple
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(5)
Date: 05/2025
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Serving Beyond Summer School: Reaching More Kids with Rural Summer Meals
A recorded webinar that provides 3 program examples of non-congregate summer meal service in rural areas. Discusses program details such as operations, distribution, scheduling, menu, marketing, and overcoming challenges. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Lucretia Hertzock, Heidi Ottaway, Megan Adams
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Wisconsin Suicide Prevention Activity Report: July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
Provides information on suicide prevention activities in Wisconsin between July 2023 and June 2024. Includes data on suicide rates, method of suicide, and demographics of victims, including rural versus urban residence. Discusses suicide prevention programs for various groups, such as farmers, adolescents, rural residents, and more.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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Behavioral Health Epidemiologic Profile 2024: Rural Region, Nevada
Reports on behavioral health as of 2024 in Nevada's rural Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, and White Pine counties. Includes general population statistics with detailed data on mental health, suicide, and substance use. Highlights topics in youth behavioral health and substance use among pregnant Nevadans.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
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Traffic Safety Facts, 2023 Data: Children
Fact sheet containing information on fatal and non-fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes involving children 14 years of age and younger. Includes statistics on child traffic fatality rates per 100,000 child population and fatality rates by age group from 2014-2023, passenger vehicle occupants by survival status, age group, and restraint use in 2023, driver's blood alcohol level in fatal crashes, and percentages of child pedestrian and child pedalcyclist fatalities with breakdowns by urban and rural location. Features tables with child fatalities by state and age group in 2023.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Federal and State Reimbursement for Youth Behavioral Health Services
Report details Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage of behavioral health services for rural people under 21 years of age. Breaks down reimbursement eligibility for behavioral health providers in all 50 states and discusses barriers to access in rural areas.
Date: 04/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Resilient, Engaged and Connected (REC) Study: Protocol for a Type 2 Cluster-Randomised Trial of the Chicago Parent Program in Prekindergarten in Low-Income Urban and Rural Communities
Provides an overview of a intervention that aims to improve social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) readiness in pre-kindergarten (PreK) children by supporting and engaging low-income parents. Utilizes a mixed methods study design to examine PreK readiness in rural and urban children in Maryland when implementing an evidence-based SEB parenting program.
Author(s): Deborah Gross, Susan M. Breitenstein, Lieny Jeon, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 15(4)
Date: 04/2025
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Mapping Maternity Care Deserts: Driving Distance and Health Outcomes in North Carolina
Examines the relationship between maternity care deserts in North Carolina and maternal and infant health. Utilizes 2016-2021 hospitalization records to examine travel distance to care and health outcomes such as cesarean delivery rates, severe maternal morbidity, and hypertension. Discusses maternal health access issues across rural-urban commuting (RUCA) codes.
Author(s): Margaret Sugg, Shishir Shakya, Sarah Ulrich, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 04/2025
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Vitamin D Deficiency and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among American Indian Adolescents: The Strong Heart Family Study
Examines Vitamin D deficiency in adolescents from 12 tribal communities and the correlation with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Utilizes data from sovereign tribal nations located in multiple U.S. states and provides breakdowns on adolescents' demographic profiles, health status, and Vitamin D deficiency status.
Author(s): Jessica A. Reese, Erin Davis, Amanda M. Fretts, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 22
Date: 04/2025
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