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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Chronic respiratory conditions

Risk Factors and Potentially Preventable Deaths in Rural Communities
Compares rates of potentially avoidable deaths in rural and urban communities and shows how these deaths vary by census region. Features statistics on modifiable risk factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, and obesity, and percent of potentially preventable deaths attributable to specific health conditions, with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Mark Holmes, Kristie W. Thompson
Date: 10/2019
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Overall and Cause-specific Mortality in a Cohort of Farmers and Their Spouses
Highlights a study examining the overall mortality rates of farmers and their families that participated in the Agricultural Health Survey in Iowa and North Carolina. Details participants by age, sex, education and smoking status, among other factors. Compares mortality rates to the general population.
Author(s): Srishti Shrestha, Christine G. Parks, Alexander P. Keil, et al.
Citation: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 76(9), 632-643
Date: 09/2019
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Characteristics of Asthma Visits to Physician Offices in the United States: 2012–2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
Examines asthma visits to offices of non-federally employed U.S. physicians, with information on asthma visit characteristics and trends. Includes data by geographic location of the visit for metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Lara J. Akinbami, Loredana Santo, Sonja Williams, et al.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Sociodemographic and Health Status Characteristics of Maine's Newly Eligible Medicaid Beneficiaries
Describes the sociodemographic characteristics, access to healthcare, and health status for Maine's adults with low income and no dependent children using data derived from the 2011-2016 Maine Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in preparation of Medicaid expansion. Offers recommendations to policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders supporting the effective implementation of Medicaid expansion to address the health needs of potential enrollees.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Erika Ziller, Barbara Leonard
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Catherine Cutler Institute, Maine Health Access Foundation
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Impact of Rural and Urban Hospital Closures on Inpatient Mortality
Examines the impact of California's hospital closures from 1995-2011 on adjusted inpatient mortality for sepsis, stroke, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute myocardial infarction. Features statistics including the number of closures by year, patient demographics with breakdowns by urban or rural location, and differential impacts of rural and urban closures with breakdowns by condition.
Author(s): Kritee Gujral, Anirban Basu
Citation: NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 26182
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Bureau of Economic Research
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A Rural Hospital Guide to Improving Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
A guide for rural hospital leaders, Rural Health Clinics, and their partners to help them understand rural chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) services and adopt best practices for COPD diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care. Addresses rural COPD prevalence and services, clinical diagnosis and treatment, service models, care management, technologies, and community support services. Includes considerations for implementing a pulmonary rehab program, roles and staffing needed, and basic billing and coding.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Stroudwater Associates, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Smoking Status — United States, 2017
Examines age-adjusted prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among current smokers, former smokers, and those who have never smoked. Includes data by urban-rural location.
Author(s): Anne G. Wheaton, Yong Liu, Janet B. Croft, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(24), 533-538
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Breathless and Betrayed: What is MSHA Doing to Protect Miners from the Resurgence of Black Lung Disease?
Provides a U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing on the increase in lung disease among coal miners, particularly in the Appalachian states of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia, and what the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) should do about it. Addresses the history of black lung in the U.S., black lung statistics, the impact of quartz exposure and ways to reduce it, and the finances of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Includes testimony from the Government Accountability Office, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, United Mine Workers of America, University of Illinois School of Public Health, and others.
Additional links: Cecil Roberts, John Howard Testimony, Robert Cohen Testimony
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: U.S. House of Representatives
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The Challenges of Chronic Disease in Rural Areas: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Video focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rural America. Experts discuss the high prevalence rate in rural areas, possible causes, COPD treatment options, and how we can better understand and address this disease.
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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A Geospatial Analysis of Distances to Hospitals That Admit Pediatric Asthma Patients
Study examining pediatric care concentration in urban areas of Florida and the impacts of regionalization on rural EMS operations, focusing on pediatric asthma exacerbations. Analyzes data from 11,226 EMS pediatric asthma encounters, tracking travel distance to admitting facilities using geospatial mapping, and comparing rural and urban EMS calls.
Author(s): Jennifer Fishe, Erik Finlay, Sam Palmer, Phyllis Hendry
Citation: Prehospital Emergency Care, 23(5), 882-886
Date: 04/2019
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