Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Food security and nutrition

Understanding the Rural Food Environment: Perspectives of Low-income Parents
Describes barriers rural, low-income families face to access quality, affordable, and healthful food. Concludes that remedies used in urban areas will not help to fix the problem of food deserts in rural areas.
Author(s): Anush Yousefian, Al Leighton, Kimberly Fox, David Hartley
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 11(2), 1631
Date: 04/2011
Type: Document
view details
Hunger and Obesity: Understanding a Food Insecurity Paradigm: Workshop Summary
Presents the results from a workshop, held November 16-18, 2010, which explored the relationship between food insecurity and obesity. Chapter 4 focuses on four populations - children, immigrants, American Indians, and rural populations - as a way to discuss potential links between food insecurity and obesity.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
Diet, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behaviors as Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity: An Urban and Rural Comparison
Examines rates of childhood obesity, compared by rural and urban location. Also discusses issues related to physical activity, sedentary behavior, dietary quality, and other associated risk factors. Includes breakdowns of data by gender, age group, and race/ethnicity.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): Jihong Liu, Sonya J. Jones, Han Sun, Janice C. Probst, Philip Cavicchia
Date: 11/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Local and Regional Food Systems for Rural Futures
Explores the opportunities for social, economic, and environmental challenges in the local and regional food movement and systems for rural populations.
Author(s): Jennifer Jensen
Date: 11/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
view details
Commute Times, Food Retail Gaps, and Body Mass Index in North Carolina Counties
Examines potential impact that longer commute times and limited access to affordable, healthy food have on the rural obesity disparity. Includes statistical breakdowns by age, weight status, race, education, and income level.
Author(s): Stephanie B. Jilcott, Haiyong Liu, Justin B. Moore, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 7(5)
Date: 09/2010
Type: Document
view details
Patterns of Food Insecurity, Food Availability, and Health Outcomes Among Rural and Urban Counties
Compares food insecurity for rural versus urban counties and addresses factors contributing to food insecurity risk, as well as associated health outcomes.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Joel Halverson, Cheryl Brown, Melissa Olfert, Melissa Ahern, Christiaan Abildso
Date: 06/2010
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
view details
Means-Tested Programs: Information on Program Access Can Be an Important Management Tool
Discusses access to and participation in low-income programs, such as welfare and public housing, by those who are eligible. Includes information on strategies used by federal, state, and local administrators to improve access.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2005
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Rural Healthy People 2010
A three-volume publication that focuses on the top rural health concerns and objectives associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus areas. Volume 1 contains brief overviews of the top ten rural health priority areas, as well as associated models for practice. Volume 2 contains in-depth literature reviews for each of the top rural health priority areas. Volume 3 addresses additional focus areas, with overviews, literature reviews, and accompanying models for practice.
Additional links: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3
Date: 2003
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
view details
Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit
Toolkit of standardized measurement tools for assessing various aspects of community food security.
Date: 07/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Wisconsin Equitable Program Development Dashboard
An interactive data map of Wisconsin that provides information on socioeconomic factors and community-based assets. Includes census tract, county subdivision, and block group-level data on the social determinants of health, such as education, income, housing, race/ethnicity, language, location of hospitals, and location of retailers accepting FoodShare.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension
view details