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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Physical activity

Inequities in Physical Activity Environments and Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Rural Communities
Examines access to physical activity (PA) environments in 3 rural counties in Georgia. Analyzes 2019 survey data from 728 participants in relation to leisure-time PA, walking and biking for transport, and perceived PA environments with data broken down by race, household income, and neighborhood rurality.
Author(s): Michelle C. Kegler, Nicole Gauthreaux, April Hermstad, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19
Date: 07/2022
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QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Met the 2018 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Both Muscle-Strengthening and Aerobic Physical Activity, by Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020
Bar chart showing the percentage of adults meeting physical activity guidelines overall and by urbanization level for large central metro, large fringe metro, medium and small metro, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(27), 887
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Study of a Community Health Worker-Delivered Intervention to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk in a Rural, Underserved Non-Hispanic Black Population: The CHANGE Study
Examines a sample of 255 Black participants on the effectiveness of the Carolina Heart Alliance Networking for Greater Equity (CHANGE) Program delivered by Community Health Workers (CHW) to rural adults in North Carolina. Provides information on program content, participant characteristics, implementation variables, and overall program effectiveness on blood pressure, nutritious eating, and physical activity.
Author(s): Carmen D. Samuel-Hodge, Ziya Gizlice, Sallie D. Allgood, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Health Promotion, 36(6), 948-958
Date: 07/2022
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Obesity Treatment Initiation, Retention, and Outcomes in the Veterans Affairs MOVE! Program among Rural and Urban Veterans
Compares rural, highly rural, and urban veterans' likelihood of initiating participation in the Veterans Affairs weight management program (VA MOVE!) or of receiving anti-obesity medication or bariatric surgery. Utilizes 2015-2017 Veterans Affairs patient data. Includes data on treatment retention and weight loss.
Author(s): Kathleen M. Robinson, Mark Vander Weg, Helena H. Laroche, et al.
Citation: Obesity Science & Practice, 8(6), 784-793
Date: 06/2022
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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
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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 demographics and rural, suburban, or urban location.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Afterschool Alliance, America After 3PM Health & Wellness
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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthy Lifestyles in Rural Families
Evaluates the effects of the early COVID-19 pandemic on family health behaviors, utilizing thematic analysis of 30 interviews conducted from June 2020 through September 2020 with rural caregivers who were participants in a healthy lifestyles intervention. Discusses themes related to mental health, physical activity, time use, approaches to parenting and family routines, and food choice.
Author(s): Keisha M. England, Bethany Forseth, Maheen Bangash, et al.
Citation: Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living, 2(1), 23-31
Date: 03/2022
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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
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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
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
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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
Sponsoring organization: Western Transportation Institute
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