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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

Adults With Diabetes Residing in "Food Swamps" Have Higher Hospitalization Rates
Measures the ratio of fast food outlets to grocers in 784 locations across 15 states, and estimates the association of food swamp severity and hospitalization rates. Includes statistics with breakdowns by mostly urban, mostly rural, and completely rural locations.
Author(s): Aryn Z. Phillips, Hector P. Rodriguez
Citation: Health Services Research, 54(1), Part II, 217-225
Date: 02/2019
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Biting Into Food Access: A View of Nebraska's Food System
Provides an overview of food access and food systems in Nebraska. Discusses opportunities to collaborate with rural grocery stores. Provides a map of food deserts by rural and urban census tracts and a county-level map of community gardens in Nebraska.
Author(s): Megan McGuffey, Sandra Renner
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
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School Meals Programs and Other USDA Child Nutrition Programs: A Primer
Describes how federal child nutrition programs operate under current law, including eligibility rules, participation, and funding. Features statistics including reimbursement rates with breakdowns by rural or urban locations.
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Fruit and Vegetable Preferences and Practices may Hinder Participation in Community Supported Agriculture among Low-Income Rural Families
Presents a study on the effect food preferences have on rates of participation in community agriculture programs for low-income families in rural areas. Bases results on interviews with families regarding fruit and vegetable preferences.
Author(s): Karla L. Hanson, Jennifer Garner, Leah M. Connor, et al.
Citation: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(1), 57-67
Date: 01/2019
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Community-Wide Efforts to Improve the Consumer Food Environment and Physical Activity Resources in Rural Kentucky
Highlights the efforts of a community project in Kentucky to increase access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active. Details the project's work with grocery store managers to increase the availability of healthy food and with community members to develop and improve physical activity resources.
Author(s): Alison Gustafson, Margaret McGladrey,Tammy Stephenson, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16:180322
Date: 01/2019
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Frontier Food Hub Tool Kit
Describes the process of designing and operating the Southwest New Mexico Food Hub, a program dedicated to increasing local food production, supporting local food systems, and ensuring food distribution to those in need. Includes discussion of logistics, planning, needs assessment, and the process of working with growers and food pantries. Highlights unique challenges experienced in frontier communities.
Author(s): Ben Rasmussen
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Frontier Communities
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Healthy Eating and Active Living Through an Equity Lens
Describes how three predominantly Black North Carolina communities in rural Appalachia addressed their health disparities and improved quality of life with the establishment of a community garden and the promotion of active living.
Author(s): Laura Gerald
Citation: Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2019
Date: 2019
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Association Between the Food and Physical Activity Environment, Obesity, and Cardiovascular Health Across Maine Counties
Study examining associations between demographic and environmental factors, such as food availability and access to fitness facilities, and prevalence of obesity and poor cardiovascular health (CVH) in the predominantly rural state of Maine. Includes relationships between individual characteristics, like age and income, and risk factors for poor CVH, including smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, poor diet, and diabetes.
Author(s): Allison Briggs, Adam Black, F. Lee Lucas, Andrea Siewers, Kathleen Fairfield
Citation: BMC Public Health, 19(1), 374
Date: 2019
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A Holistic Definition of Healthy Traditional Harvest Practices for Rural Indigenous Communities in Interior Alaska
Explores the ways in which sharing of wild resources is important for food security, wellness, and cultural identity in Indigenous Alaska communities. Discusses how environmental changes are affecting Alaskans' way of life and challenging access to foods needed for nutrition and cultural preservation.
Author(s): Krista M. Heeringa, Orville Huntington, Brooke Woods, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(2, Suppl. 2), 115–129.
Date: 2019
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Shaping Summertime Experiences: Opportunities to Promote Healthy Development and Well-Being for Children and Youth
Examines the impact of summertime experiences on school-age children and youth related to academic learning, social and emotional development, physical and mental health, and health-promoting and safety behaviors. Includes discussion of rural residence and its impact on children's access to supportive services, including food programs, during the summer.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on Summertime Experiences and Child and Adolescent Education, Health, and Safety
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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