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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Obesity and weight control

Development of a National Childhood Obesogenic Environment Index in the United States: Differences by Region and Rurality
Details the formation of a childhood obesogenic environment index (COEI), which was used to identify rural, urban, and other geographic differences in environmental factors associated with obesity. Variables used to calculate COEI scores include availability of fast-food restaurants, farmers markets, grocery stores, and other related facilities; access to exercise opportunities; violent crime; walkability; and more. Includes county-level data on COEI scores across the U.S.
Author(s): Andrew Kaczynski, Jan Eberth, Ellen Stowe, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(83)
Date: 2020
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A Health Equity Approach to Obesity Efforts: Proceedings of a Workshop
Proceedings of a workshop focused on health equity in demographic groups with a higher risk of obesity and how to address those issues in obesity treatment and prevention efforts. Covers disparities in obesity prevalence, including for rural areas and American Indian/Alaska Natives, social determinants of health, community and public health approaches for preventing and treating obesity, and effective healthcare interventions.
Additional links: Read Online: Full Proceedings, Read Online: Summary, June 2019
Author(s): Roundtable on Obesity Solutions
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Opioid-Related Hospitalization and Its Association With Chronic Diseases: Findings From the National Inpatient Sample, 2011-2015
Results of a study examining whether opioid-related hospitalization is associated with cancer, stroke, obesity, asthma, liver or spinal disease, and arthritis. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, Donglan Zhang, Heather M. Padilla, Sae Rom Chung
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 11/2019
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Risk Factors and Potentially Preventable Deaths in Rural Communities
Compares rates of potentially avoidable deaths in rural and urban communities and shows how these deaths vary by census region. Features statistics on modifiable risk factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, and obesity, and percent of potentially preventable deaths attributable to specific health conditions, with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Mark Holmes, Kristie W. Thompson
Date: 10/2019
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Community Coalitions for Change and the Policy, Systems, and Environment Model: A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Addressing Obesity in Rural Tennessee
Reports on a community-based participatory initiative, Community Coalitions for Change (C3), to address obesity in four rural Tennessee counties. Discusses program results related to health education, physical activity, and healthy food choices.
Author(s): Heather Sedges Wallace, Karen L. Franck, Cori L. Sweet
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Boosting Physical Activity in Rural Communities with Play Streets
Interview discussion about Play Streets, or the closing down of specific public places for physical activity and leisure, and how they can benefit rural communities that lack infrastructure for children to be active. Discusses public health benefits of Play Streets and the impact on addressing health disparities.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: State of Childhood Obesity
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Collaborative Implementation of a Community-based Exercise Intervention with a Partnering Rural American Indian Community
Presents a study on an intervention to address obesity and type 2 diabetes among rural American Indian youth. Details an exercise-based intervention implemented via a partnership between the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Author(s): Jennifer Q Chadwick, Mary A Tullier, Lisa Wolbert, et al.
Citation: Clinical Trials, 16(4), 391-398
Date: 08/2019
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Improving Physical Activity and Outdoor Recreation in Rural Alabama Through Community Coalitions
Describes a community-based obesity reduction and prevention initiative which used community coalitions to implement research-based interventions. Interventions focused on improving opportunities for physical activity in 14 Alabama counties with high rates of obesity. Reports on the types of interventions implemented and their potential reach.
Author(s): William M. Carter, Wayde C. Morse, Ruth W. Brock, Barbara Struempler
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Adult Health Status among Native American Families Participating in the Growing Resilience Home Garden Study
Reports the results of a randomized controlled trial examining the impacts of home food gardens on the health status of 176 adults from 96 families of the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes living on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Compares the rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes among study participants with the state and national disease rates in 2017, and national disease rates of participants from tribal communities in 2015.
Author(s): Christine M. Porter, Alyssa M. Wechsler, Shawn J. Hime, Felix Naschold
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
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Obesity and Diabetes in the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska: From Community Engagement to Action, 2014-2019
Describes interventions implemented on the Winnebago Tribe reservation in rural Nebraska and Iowa, focusing on community-selected and culturally adapted policies, systems, and environmental improvements to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes. Strategies include infant and childhood obesity prevention education, promotion of healthy foods and beverages, and improvements to pedestrian safety and built environment.
Author(s): Larry Alonso, Lorelei Decora, Ursula Bauer
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 08/2019
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