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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

Rural-Urban Differences in Breast Cancer Surgical Delays in Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines patients with early-stage breast cancer to evaluate biopsy-to-surgery delays by rurality of patient and surgery location. Analyzes 238,491 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery with demographic breakdowns by age, hospital type/location, race/ethnicity, area deprivation index, and patient and surgery location such as isolated small rural town, small rural town, large rural city/town, and urban.
Author(s): Ronnie J. Zipkin, Andrew Schaefer, Changzhen Wang, et al.
Citation: Annals of Surgical Oncology, 29(9), 5759-5769
Date: 05/2022
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Food Access and Food Delivery Service: An Exploratory Study for the Role of Public Transportation During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020-2021
Explores public transportation services that offered food delivery services before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports on surveys completed by 392 transit agencies in December 2020 and 63 transit agencies in June 2021 about their role related to increasing food access in their communities. Includes discussions about food insecurity in rural and tribal areas and mitigating transportation strategies.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Hamad Al Qublan, Jeremy Mattson, Jill Hough
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Small Urban and Rural Center on Mobility, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Colorado Rural Sustainability Network Chronic Care Management, 2020–2021
Highlights the burden of chronic care management by rurality in Colorado. Looks at cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and heart attack management across the rural and urban spectrum.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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Veteran Mobility and COVID-19
Examines veterans living in rural areas and how their mobility options, cost of transportation, use of telehealth, access to healthy food, and social isolation have been impacted by COVID-19. Discusses issues and policies related to improving healthcare transportation and access to Veterans Administration (VA) services for rural veterans. Includes data on veteran demographics and survey responses to health- and transportation-related questions.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Video Summary
Author(s): Del Peterson, Jill Hough, Antonio Molina
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organizations: North Dakota State University, Small Urban and Rural Center on Mobility, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Rx for the Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care
Podcast with Tom Morris of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy about trends related to the rural healthcare workforce and efforts to overcome challenges. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospital closures, telehealth, graduate medical education in rural areas, community health workers and community paramedics, funding opportunities to promote healthcare access in rural areas, the opioid crisis, and more.
Author(s): Jessica Nicholson
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: The Conference Board
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Rural Youth Survey: Trends and Developments in the Attitudes and Aspirations of Rural Pennsylvania Youth
Results of a study conducted in the spring of 2021, to document the educational, career, and residential aspirations of rural Pennsylvania 9th and 11th grade students, to examine factors that shape aspirations, and to detail opportunities and barriers that youth experience. Notes that healthcare was the most common career field sought by students. Offers recommendation that additional mental health support be provided for rural youth as they return to in-person schooling after the COVID pandemic. Features demographics and statistics on career aspirations, with breakdowns by type of employment.
Author(s): Lacey Wallace, Sam Tanner, Freyca Calderon-Berumen, Lauren Jacobson
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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2022 Fact Sheet: Childhood Agricultural Injuries
Fact sheet compares the rates of fatal childhood agricultural injuries with those of other industries. Discusses nonfatal childhood agricultural injuries, as well.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
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Rural–Urban Disparities in Health Access Factors Over Time: Implications for Cancer Prevention and Health Equity in the Midwest
Examines environmental and socioeconomic factors in rural and urban counties to understand differences in cancer burden and healthcare access. Analyzes 123 counties in Kansas and Missouri from 2009 to 2017 for health equity factors such as primary care provider availability, lack of insurance, unemployment, and childhood poverty. Includes rural versus urban cancer mortality rates in Kansas from 2008-2017.
Author(s): Jordan Baker, Hope Krebill, Hanluen Kuo, et al.
Citation: Health Equity, 6(1), 382-389.
Date: 05/2022
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COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in the Blackfeet Tribal Community
Examines the occurrence of food insecurity on the Blackfeet reservation in rural Montana across a 4-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes survey data from 167 participants and discusses the public health implications of food insecurity and health disparities in indigenous populations.
Author(s): Neha A. John-Henderson, Benjamin J. Oosterhoff, Lester R. Johnson, et al.
Citation: Food Security, 14(5), 1337-1346
Date: 05/2022
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Big Population Shifts in Cities and Towns One Year Into Pandemic
Examines population gains and losses in cities and small towns in relation to COVID-19 impacts, including the population trends in small towns with less than 5,000 citizens. Provides a U.S. map that shows state-by-state information on percent change of population in the respective state's largest 15 cities or towns.
Author(s): Amel Toukabri, Crystal Delbé
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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