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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Increasing Vaccine Confidence in Rural Communities of South-Central Kentucky
Provides educational resources, data, and advice for community leaders and healthcare professionals to promote vaccine confidence in rural south-central Kentucky. The included toolkit provides in-depth discussion of rural attitudes toward vaccination, strategies for effective communication, and information on rural vaccination disparities.
Additional links: Getting to "YES" for Routine Vaccines: A Toolkit to Increase Vaccine Confidence for Rural Communities in Kentucky
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Lung Association
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Environmental Inequality in Estimated Cancer Risk from Airborne Toxic Exposure across United States Communities from 2011 to 2019
Examines disparities in cancer risk due to airborne toxic exposure at the census tract level, utilizing American Community Survey, NATA, and AirToxScreen data sets. Breaks down cancer risk data in rural, suburban, and urban census tracts by race, educational attainment, and median household income, with year-by-year comparisons for the period 2011-2019.
Author(s): Patrick Hurbain, Matthew J. Strickland, Yan Liu, Dingsheng Li
Citation: Environmental Science & Technology, 58(43), 19115-19127
Date: 10/2024
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Emergency Medical Services (EMS): A Look at Disparities in Funding and Outcomes
Details disparities related to rurality, income, sex, and race in emergency medical services (EMS) funding, staffing, and patient outcomes. Provides a case study of local EMS agencies in 11 California counties, highlighting challenges rural agencies face related to funding and quality of care.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Access to Health Care in Rural America: Current Trends and Key Challenges
Highlights patterns in insurance coverage and uninsurance rates in rural and urban areas, explores non-financial challenges in accessing care faced by rural residents, and describes disparities in health outcomes between urban and rural areas. Features statistics on number of uninsured rural non-elderly adults by state, in 2010 and 2023.
Author(s): Gina Turrini, Eden Volkov, Christie Peters, Nancy De Lew, Thomas Buchmueller
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Recovery From COVID-19–Related Disruptions in Cancer Detection
Examines changes in cancer screening and diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing 2000-2021 SEER Program data. Identifies trends in overall cancer incidence and diagnosis, and provides data on clinical and demographic disparities in diagnosis, including breakdowns by level of rurality. Discusses the significance of pandemic-influenced missed cancer diagnoses for underserved patients.
Author(s): Uriel Kim, Johnie Rose, Bryan T. Carroll, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(10), e2439263
Date: 10/2024
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'A Silent, Unmet Need': Rural Motherhood and the Challenges of Postpartum Care
Discusses the importance of rural access to postpartum care, including perinatal mental healthcare. Features programs in Montana, Maine, and Alaska that are providing support to rural mothers via postpartum doulas, telehealth, and home visiting.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Prevalence of Self-Reported Diagnosed Diabetes Among Adults, by County Metropolitan Status and Region, United States, 2019–2022
Examines rural versus urban diabetes disparities according to U.S. region. Utilizes 2019-2022 National Health Interview Survey data to analyze disparities according to demographic variables such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and bodyweight; urbanicity of large central metro, large fringe metro, small/medium metro, or nonmetro; and region of Northeast, Midwest, South, or West.
Author(s): Stephen Onufrak, Ryan Saelee, Ibrahim Zaganjor, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 21
Date: 10/2024
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Rural–Urban Differences in Dental Opioid Prescribing among Adolescent/Young Adult and Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries
Examines dental opioid prescription rates for adolescents and adults in rural and urban communities, utilizing 2021 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System Analytic Files data. Breaks down data by race and ethnicity, neighborhood disadvantage, and other demographic factors. Includes color-coded maps showing ranges of prescribing rates in rural and urban areas by state.
Author(s): Carla Shoff, Alex Sheen, Luping Qu, Natalia I. Chalmers
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12
Date: 10/2024
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How is Digital Health Suitability Measured for Communities? A Systematic Review
Provides a systemic review of how digital health suitability is measured to determine if communities can access digital health services. Provides descriptions of various community, ecological, and social vulnerability indices and their ability to measure digital health suitability. Includes discussion about how rurality impacts digital health equity.
Author(s): John Geracitano, Luke Barron, David McSwain, Saif Khairat
Citation: Digital Health, 10
Date: 10/2024
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Disparities in Infectious Disease-Related Health Care Utilization Between Medicaid-Enrolled American Indians and Non-Hispanic Whites—Lessons from the First 16 months of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and a Decade of Flu Seasons
Analyzes mortality and healthcare utilization disparities between American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) and non-Hispanic White populations related to influenza-like-illness (ILI) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Utilizes 2009-2021 New York Medicaid claims data, comparing pre-COVID-19 data to 4 time periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes data breakdowns according to respiratory illness type, health outcomes, race/ethnicity, and rural versus nonrural county.
Author(s): Scarlett Sijia Wang, Randall Akee, Emilia Simeonova, Sherry Glied
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(1)
Date: 10/2024
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