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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Environmental health

COPD & Rural Health: A Dialogue on the National Action Plan
Video of rural health experts discussing the challenges, opportunities, and resources related to the COPD National Action Plan's 5 goals. Presentations feature data including county-level maps on prevalence of COPD and death rates.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organizations: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
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Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment: Sixth Report to Congress
Describes the results of the 2015 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment at the national and state levels. Includes information and statistics describing small water systems serving populations of 3,300 or fewer and addresses the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native Village water systems.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Epidemiological Study of People Living in Rural North Carolina for Novel Respiratory Viruses
Pilot study at an outpatient clinic in North Carolina examining individuals with influenza-like symptoms to identify respiratory viruses among people residing in a rural area with dense swine and poultry farming. Includes results from nasal swab and air samples as well as participant characteristics, including sex, age, animal exposure, and antibiotic and hospitalization history.
Author(s): X. Wang, B. D. Anderson, L. A. Pulscher, et al.
Citation: Zoonoses and Public Health, 65(1), e265–e269
Date: 02/2018
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Occupational Pesticide Exposure and Subclinical Hypothyroidism among Male Pesticide Applicators
Details a study on thyroid dysfunction in licensed pesticide applicators. Draws data from the Agricultural Health Study. Looks at other health factors such as obesity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption, as well as other demographic factors.
Author(s): Catherine C. Lerro, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Curt T. DellaValle, et al.
Citation: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 75(2), 79-89
Date: 02/2018
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Impact of Home Remediation and Household Education on Indoor Air Quality, Respiratory Visits and Symptoms in Alaska Native Children
Describes the results of an intervention providing education and household indoor air quality remediation for Alaska Native households with children 1 to 12 years of age with lung conditions. Assesses the impact on indoor air quality, respiratory symptoms, and lower respiratory tract infection clinical visits.
Author(s): Rosalyn Singleton, Aaron J. Salkoski, Lisa Bulkow, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 77(1)
Date: 02/2018
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National Trends in Drinking Water Quality Violations
Examines patterns in health-related violations in the Safe Drinking Water Act by analyzing data from 17,900 community water systems from 1982-2015. Identifies vulnerability factors in communities and water systems. Includes a rural and urban comparison of total violations by water system, and provides county-level information on violation hot spots and spatial trends in community water systems.
Author(s): Maura Allaire, Haowei Wu, Upmanu Lall
Citation: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 115(9), 2078-2083
Date: 02/2018
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Community Engaged Cumulative Risk Assessment of Exposure to Inorganic Well Water Contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana
Describes a community-based risk assessment to determine the health risks from consuming contaminated well water on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Includes discussion on how Crow families cope with poor quality well water and community well stewardship and water testing.
Author(s): Margaret J. Eggers, John T. Doyle, Myra J. Lefthand, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(1), 76
Date: 01/2018
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As the South Grows: Weathering the Storm
Discusses the impact of environmental change on the social and economic systems of the South and how climate change may disproportionately harm the South's already struggling communities. Presents opportunities and supporting information for foundations, hoping to encourage climate-related philanthropy throughout the South.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Ryan Schlegel, Stephanie Peng
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
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Leveling the Playing Field for Rural Students
Provides a snapshot of rural schools and discusses the challenges they face. Challenges include how to provide new, high quality educational opportunities, health barriers that affect learning, providing career and technical education programs, food insecurity for rural children, and investments in rural schools.
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organizations: School Superintendents Association, The Rural School and Community Trust
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A Prospective Study of Cancer Risk among Agricultural Health Study Farm Spouses Associated with Personal Use of Organochlorine Insecticides
Highlights an investigation into the health effects of exposure to organochlorine pesticides for farmers and their spouses. Draws data from the Agricultural Health Study, which surveys agricultural workers in Iowa and North Carolina.
Author(s): Lydia M. Louis, Catherine C. Lerro, Melissa C. Friesen, et al.
Citation: Environmental Health, 16(1), 95
Date: 09/2017
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