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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health conditions

"COVID Has Taken Its Toll on Us": The Pervasive Effects of COVID-19 on Programs Supporting Native People Who Have Experienced Human Trafficking
Examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Demonstration Grants to Strengthen the Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Native Communities (VHTNC) recipients. Utilizes data from award recipients' performance progress reports (PPRs) as well as 2022-2023 interviews. Discusses issues such as project implementation, trafficking vulnerability, participant identification, collaboration, and service delivery, including those in rural and remote areas.
Author(s): Elizabeth Tibaduiza, Rebecca Pfeffer, Liat Weinstein, Christina Melander
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Administration for Children and Families, RTI International
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Association Between Sociodemographics and Change in Alcohol or Tobacco Use Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Presents a study exploring the changes in alcohol and tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to identify correlating sociodemographic factors. Breaks down survey data by sociodemographic markers, such as age, sex, and rural versus urban location, among other factors.
Author(s): Selam Habtemariam, Chloe M. Hery, Xiaochen Zhang, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 19(5), e0304111
Date: 05/2024
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Listening to the Community: Identifying Obesity Prevention Strategies for Rural Preschool-Aged Children
Reports results from 4 workshops on obesity prevention initiatives for preschool-aged children in 2 rural North Carolina and Indiana counties. Provides data and discussion on participants' preferred intervention strategies and community settings, with additional discussion of implementation challenges and options for immediate interventions which could be implemented with limited funding.
Author(s): Katherine Jochim Pope, Alexandra F. Lightfoot, Lisa Macon Harrison, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12
Date: 05/2024
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Food Deserts and Hypertension Prevalence in the Central Valley
Policy brief analyzing the association between food deserts and hypertension by census tract in San Joaquin Valley, California. Includes color-coded census tract maps. Mentions high incidence of hypertension and food deserts in rural areas.
Author(s): G. Mendoza, E. Alcala
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Central Valley Health Policy Institute
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Sentinel Enhanced Dengue Surveillance System — Puerto Rico, 2012–2022
Highlights the results of viral Dengue surveillance in Puerto Rico from May, 2012 to December, 2022. Details and tracks the various forms of illnesses that Dengue presents as. Discusses other diseases caught via the surveillance, such as Zika, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses.
Author(s): Zachary J. Madewell, Alfonso C. Hernandez-Romieu, Joshua M. Wong, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 73(3), 1-29
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Pandemic-Era Trends in Telehealth Use among Americans with Private Health Insurance
Brief analyzing telehealth use between 2019 and 2021 for people younger than 65 with private health insurance. Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth use. Analyzes data by various factors such as age, rurality, access, broadband availability, and more. Discusses policy implications related to broadband access, mental healthcare provider shortages, costs, access, and equity. Includes both nationwide and state-by-state rural and urban comparisons.
Author(s): Beth Carter, Olivia Dean, Alex Hartzman, Luis Arzaluz, Aiden Wynia
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Enduring Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Access, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Rural Appalachia
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rural, Appalachian community in Kentucky. Utilizes focus group data from 39 participants to analyze ongoing issues such as social isolation, cost of living, and food access. Discusses how these issues affect mental health, access to needed medications, and ability to purchase nutritious food.
Author(s): Kathryn M. Cardarelli, Emily DeWitt, Rachel Gillespie, Nathan Bandy, Heather Norman-Burgdolf
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(5), 594
Date: 05/2024
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Association Between Characteristics of Employing Healthcare Facilities and Healthcare Worker Infection Rates and Psychosocial Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzes associations between healthcare facility characteristics and healthcare workers' likelihood of COVID-19 infection, access to personal protective equipment, and burnout. Utilizes April 2020-May 2022 Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) registry data. Covers facility characteristics including for-profit status, facility size, metropolitan or micropolitan location, and more.
Author(s): Jay B. Lusk, Pratik Manandhar, Laine E. Thomas, Emily C. O'Brien
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 24, 659
Date: 05/2024
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Chronic Cough Diagnosis, Treatment, and Referral Practices among Family Physicians in the United States: A Survey Study
Presents results of a survey of 588 family physicians on chronic cough management practices. Provides data on diagnosis, treatment, and referral, including breakdowns by years of practice and rural versus urban location. Discusses challenges associated with providing chronic cough care in rural primary care settings.
Author(s): Joel B. Shields, Elisabeth Callen, Natalia Y. Loskutova, Jonathan Schelfhout, Christina M. Hester
Citation: BMC Primary Care, 25, 181
Date: 05/2024
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Cohort Profile: The Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment (AIRE) Study
Details a prospective cohort study focused on examining the respiratory health effects of childhood exposures to wind-blown particulate matter (PM) in a rural area of California. Utilizes 2017-2019 data to observe asthmatic symptoms and other health indicators across sociodemographic categories. Discusses the impact of PM on childhood health and the potential for geographic disparities.
Author(s): Shohreh F. Farzan, Elizabeth Kamai, Dayane Duenas Barahona, et al.
Citation: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 38(4), 359-369
Date: 05/2024
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