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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Poverty

The Opioid Crisis and Economic Opportunity: Geographic and Economic Trends
Features a study on the relationship between economic opportunity and opioid use. Explores the correlation between poverty and opioid prescriptions, hospitalizations, and overdose rates. Features several nationwide maps of county-level data.
Author(s): Robin Ghertner, Lincoln Groves
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Rural Poverty, Part 1
Showcases two papers from the Rural Policy Research Institute's (RUPRI) March 2018 "Rural Poverty: Fifty Years After The People Left Behind" Conference. Covers the causes and consequences of rural poverty and discusses the evolving research agenda to address the issue to improve economic opportunities. Includes information on rural and urban poverty rates by gender, education, marital status, and employment.
Citation: IRP Focus, 34(2), 1-24
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
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EITC Continues to Reach Families in Poor Places
Briefly discusses the role of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in helping low-income workers. Includes maps showing county-level information on EITC filers, with Map 1 identifying high child poverty counties and Map 2 identifying nonmetropolitan counties.
Additional links: Map 2: Nonmetropolitan Counties
Author(s): Andrew Schaefer, Beth Mattingly, Kennedy Nickerson , Jessica Carson
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Resilient Rural America: Alabama: Perry County
Series of articles about various facets of life in Perry County, a rural community characterized both by extreme poverty and generations of strong families who have weathered adversity. Includes discussion of health disparities and the need for additional healthcare services and resources for people fleeing domestic violence. Part of the Resilient Rural America series.
Author(s): Blake Tommey
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Baptist News Global
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The Role of Social Support and the Neighborhood Environment on Physical Activity in Low-income, Mexican-American Women in South Texas
Presents a study on the effectiveness of a promotora-led intervention aimed at improving the rates of physical activity among low-income Mexican-American women in rural South Texas.
Author(s): Jennifer J. Salinas, Marisol McDaniel, Deborah Parra-Medina
Citation: Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 51(5), 234-241
Date: 09/2018
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National Food Affordability: A County-Level Analysis
Explores sociodemographic factors contributing to food affordability, with emphasis on differences between rural and urban areas. Features statistics on select food-related characteristics of U.S. counties, with breakdowns by rural or urban location and by Appalachian or Delta counties and other counties.
Author(s): Anne Cafer, Georgianna Mann, Sujith Ramachandran, Michelle Kaiser
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 15
Date: 09/2018
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Any Use and Frequent Use of Opioids among Non-elderly Adults in 2015-2016, by Socioeconomic Characteristics
Details a study on the rate of opioid prescribing for adults under the age of 65 from 2015-2016. Presents data regarding poverty status and whether prescription was filled in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or not, among other factors.
Author(s): G. Edward Miller, Asako S. Moriya
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Declines in Child Poverty Continue in 2017: Overall Rate Still Above Pre-Recession Level
Examines trends in child poverty from 2007 through 2017, with information for rural areas, suburban areas, and cities. Appendix Table 1 provides state-by-state data.
Additional links: Appendix Table 1
Author(s): Jessica A. Carson, Andrew Schaefer, Marybeth J. Mattingly
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2017
Provides estimates of poverty for the official poverty measure and the supplemental poverty measure, which takes into account government programs that support low-income families. Appendix Tables A-1 and A-2 provide data for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Liana Fox
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017
Reports on income levels and the number of people in poverty for 2016 and 2017, along with the percent change from 2016 to 2017. Includes statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas (see Table 1 and Table 3). Based on data from the 2018 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
Author(s): Kayla Fontenot, Jessica Semega, Melissa Kollar
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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