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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

To Improve Rural Health Equity, Invest in Housing, Water, and Food Access
Discusses proven solutions state and federal policymakers can adopt to promote health equity in rural communities by focusing on investments in water, housing, and food access.
Author(s): Amanda Gold, Jorge Morales-Burnett, Corianne Payton Scally
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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NRHA Policy Paper: Rural Obesity
Policy position paper examining rural-urban differences in obesity prevalence, obesity as a factor in health disparities, differences in weight-related behaviors, and social determinants of health influencing rural obesity. Offers strategies and policy recommendations to address rural obesity.
Author(s): Demetrius Abshire, Cassity Gutierrez
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural America's Senior Citizens: Considerations for Transportation, Healthcare Access, Connectedness, Nutrition and Economics
Policy paper providing an overview of rural older adults. Examines the challenges rural older adults face in accessing healthcare. Discusses how transportation, social isolation, nutrition, and economics impact the health outcomes of this population.
Author(s): Tasha Brown, Kay Miller Temple, Josie Rudolphi
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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One Health: Bringing Health to Humans, Animals, and the Environment
Provides an overview of the One Health approach, which focuses on the inter-relationship between human, animal, and environmental health. Discusses the relevance of One Health in rural areas and offers examples of issues this approach can help address, such as zoonotic disease like COVID-19, food safety and security, and antimicrobial resistance. Highlights federal agencies and national organizations with One Health activities and initiatives.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Impact of Coronavirus on Households in Rural America
Reports on the experiences of rural households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discusses impacts on finances, employment, healthcare, housing, food, and child care. Concerns related to healthcare include access to care during the pandemic, concerns for those with special health issues such as chronic conditions, and use of telehealth.
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Place Effects and Chronic Disease Rates in a Rural State: Evidence from a Triangulation of Methods
Investigates the relationship between place effects, or food environment, and prevalence of chronic diseases in West Virginia. Features data and statistics on how areas with access to different food vendors (hot spots) and those that lack food providers (cold spots) impact diabetes and obesity rates, with information broken down by rural or urban setting.
Author(s): Mohamed Shabani Kariburyo, Lauri Andress, Alan Collins, Paul Kinder
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6676
Date: 09/2020
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Providing Menu and Shopping Toolkits to Improve Food Access and Security During a Pandemic
Describes menu and shopping list toolkits created by the University of Minnesota Extension to help consumers, rural grocery stores, and emergency food supply organizations achieve increased access to healthy food during emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, blizzards, or other situations in which people must shelter at home. Menus contain items commonly found in food pantries and small rural grocery stores.
Author(s): Kelly Kunkel, Abby Gold, Betsy Johnson
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(1), 257-260
Date: 09/2020
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Household Food Security in the United States in 2019
Reports on household food security, food expenditures, and use of federal food and nutrition assistance programs in 2019. Includes food insecurity statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Additional links: Report Summary, Statistical Supplement
Author(s): Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Matthew P. Rabbitt, Christian A. Gregory, Anita Singh
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Perceptions of the Food Environment and Access among Predominantly Black Low-Income Residents of Rural Louisiana Communities
Study of food security, food access, and perceptions of the food environment among predominantly Black, low-income rural Louisiana residents. Discusses issues of food insecurity in rural areas related to financial resources, transportation, and food shopping options. Presents recurring themes from focus group discussions including 44 participants, most of whom were Black women of various ages and employment statuses, including experiences finding and buying food, fishing and hunting, and utilizing food pantries, SNAP, WIC, and other assistance programs.
Author(s): Denise Holston, Jessica Stroope, Matthew Greene, Bailey Houghtaling
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), 5340
Date: 07/2020
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Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress
Features Butler Memorial Hospital and how it adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the switch to online delivery for a chronic disease project funded by a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. Also describes initiatives to address healthcare workforce stress, help patients use tablets to visit with loved ones, and distribute healthy food to the community.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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