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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Public health

Border Health Epidemiology Report 2015
An overview of the health status of the population living along the California border region. Addresses healthcare access, obesity, diabetes, mental health, tuberculosis, sexually transmissible infections, HIV/AIDS, immunizations, and vaccine preventable diseases.
Author(s): Maggie Santibáñez, Stephanie Yoon, Jennifer Britton, et al.
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: California Office of Binational Border Health
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Kick the Bucket: The Future of Rural Sanitation in Alaska
Discusses the challenges rural Alaska communities face related to installing and maintaining water and sewage treatment facilities, particularly as climate change impacts the region's infrastructure. Discusses the health impacts of a lack of running water and flush toilets. A series reporting on water and sewage treatment in rural Alaska.
Additional links: Experts Seek Alternatives To Costly, Ineffective Sanitation Systems, Health Implications of Third World Conditions in Alaska, Lack of Funding Hampers Development of Modern Sanitation in Rural Alaska, Rural Sanitation Series: Innovating Beyond the Honey Bucket
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Public Media
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Increases in Hepatitis C Virus Infection Related to Injection Drug Use Among Persons Aged ≤30 Years - Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, 2006-2012
Discusses opioid abuse, drug injecting, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in central Appalachia, with data on HCV infection rates for four states. Includes data for rural and urban areas by gender and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Jon E. Zibbell, Kashif Iqbal, Rajiv C. Patel, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 64(17), 453-458
Date: 05/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Service Learning: A Vehicle for Building Health Equity and Eliminating Health Disparities
Details 5 different seven-day long service learning courses for emerging health professionals focused on urban, rural, border, and indigenous health. Includes information on the course themes, partners, impacts on the students, and communities.
Author(s): Samantha Sabo, Jill de Zapien, Nicolette Teufel-Shone, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 105(Suppl 1), S38-S43
Date: 03/2015
Type: Document
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Appalachia Then and Now: Examining Changes to the Appalachian Region since 1965
Presents a comparison of collected data on the Appalachian region from the 1960s and 2010s. Discusses a variety of determinants of health, including poverty, mortality, infrastructure, and employment, among others. Document includes Executive Summary, Technical Report, and State Meetings Report.
Additional links: Overview
Date: 02/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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West Virginia University Pediatric Stroke Registry: Clinical Description and Risk Factors Identification in Patients Living in a Rural Area
Describes the development of a custom database via a retrospective chart review to create a pediatric stroke registry at West Virginia University to support the classification and description of clinical and radiographic characteristics of children with stroke in West Virginia.
Author(s): P. Pergami, S. W. Thayapararajah, N. Seemaladinne
Citation: Clinical Pediatrics, 54(1), 40-46
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
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Fatalistic Beliefs and Completion of the HPV Vaccination Series Among a Sample of Young Appalachian Kentucky Women
Details a study based on surveys of women in rural Appalachian regions of Kentucky who have started the HPV vaccination regarding their perceived level of control over their health and, specifically, cervical cancer. Discusses the possible effect of fatalistic beliefs on rates of completion of all 3 doses of the HPV vaccination.
Author(s): Robin C. Vanderpool, Emily Van Meter Dressler, Lindsay R. Stradtman, Richard A. Crosby
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 31(2), 199-205
Date: 01/2015
Type: Document
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Overview of Tribal Epidemiology Centers
Presents a fact sheet listing the Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) throughout the country and a map of the regions they cover. Discusses the services provided at each center with links to each center's web page.
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 2
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities with an overview for each of the top health priorities ranked 11 through 20 identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 1 discussed the top 10 priorities.) Topics include: cancer, health education, oral health, immunizations and infectious disease, public health, sexual health and family planning, injury and violence prevention, and social determinants of health. Includes reviews of the relevant literature and model programs appropriate for rural communities. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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Risk Factors for HCV Infection Among Young Adults in Rural New York Who Inject Prescription Opioid Analgesics
Details a study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence among people who inject drugs and those who misuse prescription opioid analgesics in rural New York. Analyzes cohort by age, gender, age at first injection, and use of a syringe exchange program, among others.
Author(s): Jon E. Zibbell, Rachel Hart-Malloy, John Barry, Lillian Fan, Colleen Flanigan
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 104(11), 2226-2232
Date: 11/2014
Type: Document
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