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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Dissemination and Implementation Study: 24-Month Organizational Maintenance in a Countywide Initiative
Examines the effectiveness of the initial phase of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) program, an evidence-based program designed to help churches develop policy, methods, and environmental change to support physical activity and health eating within their congregation. Study was implemented in rural, medically underserved Fairfield County, South Carolina with 59 churches participating. Members were predominantly Black/African American and affiliated with the Baptist denomination.
Author(s): Sara Wilcox, Ruth P. Saunders, Danielle Jake-Schoffman, Brent Hutto
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 171
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
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The Impact of the Coronavirus on Local Food Insecurity
Investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity in the United States by examining county- and state-level data on changes in food insecurity from 2018-2020. Highlights information from counties in rural areas.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Older Americans Act: Nutrition Services Program
Provides an overview of the Nutrition Services Program authorized under the Older Americans Act. Describes the administration of the Nutrition Services Program, its funding, service delivery, program participation, and program evaluation. Includes brief rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Lack of In-Home Piped Water and Reported Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages among Adults in Rural Alaska
Examines associations between availability of in-home piped water service and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in rural Alaska using data from 2013 and 2015. Assesses health outcomes such as obesity and self-reported poor health as related to SSBs. Includes statistics broken down by age, sex, household income, and education level, among other things.
Author(s): Emily Mosites, Sara Seeman, Andrea Fenaughty, et al.
Citation: Public Health Nutrition, 23(5), 861-868
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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Food Insecurity Among Children Most Prevalent Among Single-Mother Households and Low-Income Households in 2018
Bar chart showing food insecurity among children by household characteristics, including metropolitan and nonmetro area of residence.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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The High Obesity Program: Overview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Cooperative Extension Services Efforts to Address Obesity
Describes the implementation of the High Obesity Program, a program designed to expand access to healthy foods, increase opportunities for physical activity, and reduce obesity and related diseases in high-risk and predominantly rural communities. Efforts were supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Cooperative Extension Service (CES).
Author(s): Ashleigh L. Murriel, Sahra Kahin, Anu Pejavara, Terrence O'Toole
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
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Rapid Health Impact Assessment on USDA Proposed Changes to School Nutrition Standards
Highlights a study on the health implications of proposed changes to the United States Department of Agriculture's nutrition guidelines for school lunches. Compares changes to current guidelines and highlights the impact the changes would have for students of color and students in rural communities.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Healthy Eating Research, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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CDC High Obesity Program Collection
Special publication featuring articles from the Preventing Chronic Disease journal. Includes articles highlighting programs that address the high rates of obesity in rural communities across the U.S. Each study evaluates the methods and efficacy of the interventions and discusses their implications on public health more broadly.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The High Obesity Program: A Collaboration Between Public Health and Cooperative Extension Services to Address Obesity
Describes the activities of Programs to Reduce Obesity in High Obesity Areas, also known as High Obesity Program (HOP), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with land grant universities and local Cooperative Extension Offices. HOP was designed to implement evidence-based strategies to improve physical activity and nutrition in mostly rural communities with high rates of obesity to reduce obesity and prevent or control diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Author(s): Sahra Kahin, Ashleigh Murriel, Anu Pejavara, Terrence O'Toole, Ruth Petersen
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
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Measurement of Nutrition Environments in Grocery Stores, Convenience Stores, and Restaurants in the Lower Mississippi Delta
Reports on the Delta Food Outlets Study, evaluating the local nutrition environments of pregnant woman and their infants living in rural Lower Mississippi Delta to assess environmental exposures influencing their dietary habits. Study participants had previously participated in a nutrition and physical activity intervention, the Delta Health Sprouts Project.
Author(s): Jessica L. Thomson, Melissa H. Goodman, Alicia S. Landry
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
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