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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

Assessment of Structural Barriers and Racial Group Disparities of COVID-19 Mortality With Spatial Analysis
Explores social determinants of health such as minority status, income inequality, and lack of health insurance, among others, and their relationship to COVID-19 mortality rates. Analyzes data from rural, suburban, and urban counties across all 50 states from January 2020 to February 2021. Includes demographic data such as age, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic advantage index, and more.
Author(s): Qinyun Lin, Susan Paykin, Dylan Halpern
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(3)
Date: 03/2022
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Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Between Urban and Rural Counties — United States, December 14, 2020–January 31, 2022
Examines COVID-19 vaccination disparities between urban and rural people 5 years of age and older. Discusses factors that may have contributed to vaccination disparities, including healthcare access, views about COVID-19 specifically, and vaccine hesitancy more generally. Provides data based on a 6-level urban-rural classification and a 2-level urban-rural classification, with vaccination coverage by sex, age group, and state. Also includes data on vaccine series completion and receipt of a booster or additional dose.
Author(s): Ryan Saelee, Elizabeth Zell, Bhavini Patel Murthy, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(9), 335-340
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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COVID-19 and Alabama's Black Belt
Issue brief examining COVID-19 impacts on the Black Belt region of Alabama and rural Alabama in general, highlighting health outcome disparities. Addresses chronic diseases affecting residents of the Black Belt, access to primary care physicians, and policy recommendations to support healthcare in the region.
Author(s): Emily Grace Corley, Garrett Till, Sean O'Brien, Stephen G. Katsinas, Nathaniel J. Bray
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: The University of Alabama Education Policy Center
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Hawaii 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment
Reports on Hawaii's triennial community health needs assessment. Addresses access to healthcare, transportation challenges, healthy food access, cultural competency, social determinants of health, current health status, and more. Discusses impact of COVID-19 on the community. Includes discussions of rural-specific challenges and perspectives from Native Hawaiians.
Additional links: Addendum to the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment: Additional Tracking of Secondary Data
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Healthcare Association of Hawaii
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Healthy Alaskans 2030: State Health Improvement Plan
Provides an overview of the statewide health improvement plan and details the 30 health objectives to be met by 2030. Highlights objectives related to mental health, chronic disease incidence, healthcare access, disparities, and social determinants of health, among others.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Department of Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
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Assessing the Health Outcomes of the Food Access Pilot Project: An Evaluation of a Medically Supportive Food Support Program for People Living with HIV in Rural California Counties
Examines the effect of the Food Access Pilot Project (FAPP), which provided prepared meals or meal kits to food-insecure HIV-positive people, on HIV viral load, CD4 count, and food security among 158 participants in California's Humboldt, Napa, and San Joaquin counties.
Author(s): Linda Yu, Amee Madura, Claudia Gil, Paul Hepfer, Kartika Palar
Citation: AIDS and Behavior, 26, 2613-2622
Date: 02/2022
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2022-2027 Illinois Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan
Provides an overview of the cancer burden in Illinois as well as strategies to improve screening, treatment, and survivorship. Discusses geographic disparities related to healthcare access and provides county-level data on cancer rates and social determinants of health. Includes a section specific to issues of rural health and cancer control.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
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Implementing Community-Based Prostate Cancer Education in Rural South Carolina: A Collaborative Approach through a Statewide Cancer Alliance
Surveyed 40 primarily African American men in rural South Carolina to determine impact of a community-based prostate health education program. Discusses the effectiveness of community-based education in rural communities.
Author(s): Catherine Troy, Ashley Brunson, Andrew Goldsmith, et al
Citation: Journal of Cancer Education
Date: 02/2022
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Rural–Urban Differences in Influenza Vaccination Among Adults in the United States, 2018–2019
Provides data on influenza vaccination among adults during the 2018-2019 flu season. Utilizes 2019 National Health Interview Survey data, with breakdowns according to age, sex, race, and large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, or nonmetropolitan location.
Author(s): Bhav Jain, Joseph Alexander Paguio, Jasper Seth Yao, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 112(2), 304-307
Date: 02/2022
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What We Know (and Don't Know) About Caregiving in Rural America
Webinar offering an overview of informal caregiving for rural residents. Describes the tasks associated with caregiving, rural caregiving data and available research, mental health, cancer related caregiving, and rural and urban comparisons. Includes North Carolina-based caregiving projects. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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