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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Populations

Findings from the 2025 Minnesota Health Access Survey (MNHA): Uninsurance Rates in Minnesota
Provides data on Minnesota uninsurance rates according to year, demographics, and metro, large town, or small town/isolated rural.
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority on Pediatric Care Experiences: A National Secondary Data Analysis
Examines the impact of full practice authority (FPA) for pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) on pediatric primary healthcare access. Utilizes 2010–2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to analyze policy changes related to FPA implementation according to patient access, experiences, and rurality.
Author(s): Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, Maxwell Mehlman, Alicia Plemmons, et al.
Citation: Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 40(2), 251-257
Date: 03/2026
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Digital Health Assessment of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Examines the progress of digitally-enabled public health services and operations capacity across 38 local public health departments (LPHDs) and 9 tribal health department teams in Michigan. Covers 4 key domains of digital health ecosystems: interoperability, governance and workforce capacity, predictive analytics, and person-enabled health. Offers recommendations for advancing digital health ecosystems across the state. Includes rural data and considerations throughout.
Author(s): Anne Snowdon, Alexandra Wright, Abdul Hussein, Tim Story
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organizations: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
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Exploring Maternal Mental Health Conditions and Urban-Rural Disparities in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in South Carolina: A Fairlie Decomposition Approach
Examines the impact of maternal mental health on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in rural and urban areas of South Carolina. Utilizes data from 270,000 mothers with HDP to analyze maternal mental health conditions according to rural versus urban location, demographic variables, quality of prenatal care, mother's health condition, and more.
Author(s): Manan Roy, Maggie Sugg, Jennifer Runkle
Citation: Maternal and Child Health Journal, 30, 452-463
Date: 03/2026
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Assessing Environmental, Nutritional, and Genetic Factors for Otitis Media-Related Hearing Loss in Rural Alaska Native Children
Highlights a study on the relationship between otitis media, a middle ear disease associated with childhood hearing loss, and environmental, genetic, and dietary risk factors among children aged 1-4 in Alaska Native communities in the rural Norton Sound region of Alaska. Explores the presence of genetic factors that increase the likelihood of respiratory infections in newborns, rates of breastfeeding, and environmental factors, such as smoke exposure and availability of running water, among others.
Author(s): Samantha Kleindienst Robler, Alyssa Platt, Rolvix H Patterson, et al.
Citation: Ear & Hearing, 47(2), 404-416
Date: 03/2026
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Understanding Risk Factors for Otitis Media in Rural Alaska Native Children: A Cohort Study
Presents a study on the relationship between otitis media, a middle ear disease associated with childhood hearing loss, and environmental, genetic, and dietary risk factors among children aged 1-4 in Alaska Native communities in the rural Bering Strait region of Alaska. Explores the presence of genetic factors that increase the likelihood of respiratory infections in newborns, rates of breastfeeding, and environmental factors, such as smoke exposure and availability of running water, among others.
Author(s): Rolvix H Patterson, Susan D Emmett, Kelli L Scheinman, et al.
Citation: Ear & Hearing, 47(2), 417-428
Date: 03/2026
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Connected Care for Older Adults: A Pilot Intervention Engaging Community Health Workers to Advance Age-Friendly Care in Rural Oregon
Describes a pilot program implementing the 4Ms of the Age-Friendly Health System framework by embedding community health workers in rural primary care teams for 388 older adult medically frail patients. Assesses patient and clinician satisfaction and associated healthcare utilization.
Author(s): Bryanna De Lima, Lindsay Miller, Elizabeth Foster, Jodi Ready, Elizabeth Eckstrom
Citation: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 74(3), 705-711
Date: 03/2026
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WIC Participant and Local Agency Staff Perspectives on Increased Cash-Value Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables Within an American Indian Tribal Organization
Explores the perceived impacts of increased cash-value benefits for fruits and vegetables through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in tribal communities associated with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Bases findings on a survey of participants and staff on their perceptions about the increase and its effect on their ability to access a more nutritious diet.
Author(s): Emily M Melnick, Francesco Acciai, Nicole Vaudrin O'Reilly, et al.
Citation: Maternal & Child Nutrition, 22(1), e70148
Date: 03/2026
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Association of DNA Methyltransferase Polymorphisms with Breast Cancer: A Nested Case‒Control Study of the Arkansas Rural Community Health Study
Examines how DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B polymorphisms influence breast cancer risk using data of 2,407 participants in the Arkansas Rural Community Health cohort study.
Author(s): Sarah A. Mayberry, Ping-Ching Hsu, Hui-Yi Lin, et al.
Citation: BMC Cancer, 26, 357
Date: 02/2026
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Optimizing Mobile Mammography Deployment in Oklahoma 2024: A Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Approach
Examines how geographic and demographic access to fixed mammography centers varies among eligible women in Oklahoma, using 2024 FDA Mammography Facilities Database and 2022 Census block group data. Identifies priority areas for mobile mammography to address barriers and promote mammography. Includes data breakdowns by level of rurality, among other variables.
Author(s): Janis E. Campbell, Amanda Janitz, Ayesha B. Sambo, et al.
Citation: Geospatial Health, 21(1)
Date: 02/2026
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