Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physical activity

Implementing Play Streets in Low-Income Rural Communities in the United States
Reports on a literature search and subsequent interviews with key informants related to the implementation of play streets in rural, low-income communities. Provides the core components for implementing play streets with necessary adaptations for rural areas.
Author(s): Keshia M. Pollack Porter, Christina N. Bridges Hamilton, M. Renée Umstattd Meyer
Citation: Health Promotion Practice, 23(3), 372-374
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
view details
Evaluating the Dissemination and Implementation of a Community Health Worker-Based Community Wide Campaign to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity among Latinos along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Describes a culturally tailored community-wide program to augment fruit and vegetable consumption and promote physical activity among 5,686 low-income Latinos of Mexican descent living in Texas. Features demographics and statistics on changes in fruit and vegetable consumption over the course of the intervention.
Author(s): Paul Gerardo Yeh, Belinda M. Reininger, Lisa A. Mitchell-Bennett, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4514
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
view details
Promoting Healthy Futures: Afterschool Provides the Supports Parents Want for Children's Well-Being
Discusses the impact of afterschool programs related to opportunities for physical activity, nutritious food options, decrease in risky behaviors, and more, based on 31,055 households participating in the America After 3PM survey. Includes charts of survey responses by community type, including race/ethnicity, low-income, and rural, suburban, and urban.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Afterschool Alliance, America After 3PM Health & Wellness
view details
Black/White Disparities in Obesity Widen with Increasing Rurality: Evidence from a National Survey
Analyzes Black/White disparities in obesity, diabetes, and lack of physical activity, with breakdowns by county-level rurality quintile. Utilizes data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Author(s): Steven A. Cohen, Caitlin C. Nash, Erin N. Byrne, Lauren E. Mitchell, Mary L. Greaney
Citation: Health Equity, 6(1), 178-188
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
view details
Rural Children's Health and Health Care
Examines differences in child health conditions by rural and urban residency. Explores differences in use of preventative dental and medical services by poverty rate, adverse childhood experiences, overweight and obesity, food insecurity, and physical activity.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
view details
Case Studies of Communities of Less Than 10,000 People with Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure
Examines the availability of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in rural communities in the U.S. based on a sample of 5 states that represent the different regions of the U.S.: Northeast, North Central, South-Gulf, South-Atlantic, and the West. Discusses the health and community benefits of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, issues of maintaining infrastructure, and ways to engage communities in planning based on survey and interview data.
Author(s): Natalie Villwock-Witte, Karalyn Clouser
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Western Transportation Institute
view details
2022 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistical Update Fact Sheet: American Indian/Alaska Natives & Cardiovascular Diseases
Reports statistics on cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Includes data on smoking, physical inactivity, and diabetes.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Heart Association
view details
Assessment of a Community-Based Exercise Program for Older Adults in a Mixed Rural/Urban Catchment Area: Silver Sneakers in Central Pennsylvania
Study assessing the Silver Sneakers program, a federally funded, community-based exercise program for older adults, based on interviews with program staff in central Pennsylvania. Discusses rural/urban access to the program, facilities that offer the programs, and closures due to COVID-19.
Author(s): Eileen Flores, Sage Nakawa, Robbin Moyer, Shirley M. Bluethmann
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19, 210283
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
view details
Health-Related Behavioral Risk Factors and Obesity Among American Indians and Alaska Natives of the United States: Assessing Variations by Indian Health Service Region
Study examining behavioral risk factors and obesity in American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) based on 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Investigates rates of current cigarette smoking, heavy drinking, binge drinking, and physical activity, analyzing disparities in AI/AN and non-Hispanic White populations.
Author(s): Guixiang Zhao, Jason Hsia, Alexander Vigo-Valentín, William S. Garvin, Machell Town
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19, 210298
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
view details
Quantifying the Food and Physical Activity Environments in Rural, High Obesity Communities
Results of a study to assess the nutrition and physical activity environments in rural South Dakota communities with high rates of obesity, to understand whether there are common strengths and challenges that emerge across communities. Features a comparison of availability of various healthful food options between grocery and convenience stores and pricing for healthful vs. regular food options in grocery stores and convenience stores.
Author(s): Lacey A. McCormack, Jessica R. Meendering, Linda Burdette, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13344
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
view details