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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Environmental health

Arizona State Health Assessment, 2024
Reports on the health of people in Arizona, including population subgroups, social determinants of health, and priority health issues. Discusses health and access disparities in rural, tribal, and border areas. Includes county-level data.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
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Water Affordability Needs Assessment: Report to Congress
Reports on access to affordable, safe water across the United States. Discusses challenges faced by community water systems and household-level access challenges, and recommends policies to increase affordable water access. Highlights rural, tribal, and underserved communities throughout, including discussion of funding and program case studies.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects In Smaller Communities
Discusses bicycle and pedestrian projects in smaller communities, with a focus on community planning and involvement, funding, and policy support. Includes information about the importance of active transportation on population health, community engagement and safety, environmental health, and resilient infrastructure.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Stressors for Farmworker Parents During Wildfire Season
Outlines themes identified during interviews and town hall discussions with farmworker parents in 2 Washington counties about childcare, work, and concerns about children's exposure to wildfire smoke and the impact on absenteeism in the workplace. Discusses the informational needs for farmworkers and the role of community-based organizations.
Author(s): Savannah M. D'Evelyn, Isabel Nerenberg, Maria Blancas, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 3314
Date: 11/2024
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Residential Instability, Neighborhood Deprivation, and Outcomes for Children
Examines the effects of residential instability and neighborhood deprivation on children's educational outcomes via an analysis of North Carolina births, lead testing, and standardized testing score data. Includes data on differences in study outcomes based on movement between rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Mercedes A. Bravo, Dominique Zephyr, Marie Lynn Miranda
Citation: BMC Public Health, 24, 3343
Date: 11/2024
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Future Directions for Rural Population Research: Findings from RPRN's Listening Sessions
Summarizes 5 listening sessions with rural development practitioners aiming to identify areas of research need by rural population researchers. Discusses trends in agriculture and food systems, community and economic development, the environment and natural resources, and health, healthcare, and disability services. Offers recommendations related to information sharing, community involvement in research, data gathering, and best practices and evaluation.
Author(s): Kristina Brant, Paige, Kelly, Danielle Rhubart, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Population Research Network
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Texas Task Force of Border Health Officials Recommendations Report, 2024
Report addressing public health issues in the Texas-Mexico border region, offering short- and long-term planning recommendations. Covers health workforce training, communicable diseases, environmental health, mental health, and maternal child health.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Task Force of Border Health Officials
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Enhancing Rural Resilience: The Intersection of Climate, Behavioral Health and Workforce
Presentation slides that cover environmental and behavioral health topics such as climate, agricultural health, mental health, and more.
Author(s): Mona Arora, Kari Northeim, Melissa Oden, et al.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telementoring Training Center
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Environmental Inequality in Estimated Cancer Risk from Airborne Toxic Exposure across United States Communities from 2011 to 2019
Examines disparities in cancer risk due to airborne toxic exposure at the census tract level, utilizing American Community Survey, NATA, and AirToxScreen data sets. Breaks down cancer risk data in rural, suburban, and urban census tracts by race, educational attainment, and median household income, with year-by-year comparisons for the period 2011-2019.
Author(s): Patrick Hurbain, Matthew J. Strickland, Yan Liu, Dingsheng Li
Citation: Environmental Science & Technology, 58(43), 19115-19127
Date: 10/2024
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Rural Development: Actions Needed to Improve Assistance to Southwest Border Communities Known as Colonias
Provides an overview of colonias, predominately rural, Hispanic communities near the U.S.-Mexico border. Examines conditions in colonias and the challenges they face in obtaining and using federal assistance. Presents results of an analysis of American Community Survey data, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program documentation and funding data for fiscal years 2020–2023, and interviews with stakeholders. Offers recommendations for Congress and the USDA to preserve eligibility to funding set aside for colonias and identify applications for Single Family Housing assistance for projects in colonias.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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