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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural definitions

North Carolina County Designations of Core Based Statistical Areas
Color-coded county-level map of metropolitan, micropolitan, and neither metropolitan nor micropolitan central and outlying counties in North Carolina. Indicates areas of high population density. Includes Office of Rural Health rural-urban designations.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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In Search of Rural: How Varying Definitions Shape Housing Research
Describes the effect of rural definitions on rural housing research. Categorizes rural definitions by type, and compares data produced by applying 11 rural definitions to 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Discusses definition impacts on estimated rural demographics and housing stock, characteristics, and challenges. Includes state-by-state estimates of rural population share for each definition.
Author(s): Alexander Hermann, Whitney Airgood-Obrycki
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS)
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Self-Identified Rurality in a Nationally Representative Population in the US
Evaluates self-identified rurality and ZIP code-derived Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) classification among 774 U.S. adults. Provides data on level of agreement between perceived rurality and RUCA classification, identifies factors contributing to discrepancies, and proposes a reclassification of selected RUCA codes.
Author(s): Dustin C Krutsinger, Kuldeep N Yadav, Joanna L Hart
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 24(1), 8483
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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RHCs, FQHCs, Tribal Clinics and CAHs in Rural Oregon
Shows a county-level map of Oregon identifying the Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), tribal clinics, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Highlights rural, urban, and frontier areas.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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How Rural Is All of Us? Comparing Characteristics of Rural Participants in the National Institute of Health's All of Us Research Program to Other National Data Sources
Compares the All of Us health research dataset that utilizes self-reported rurality to other nationally representative data sources that represent rurality. Discusses implications of using the All for Us dataset as a proxy measure of rurality in health research.
Author(s): Janessa M. Graves, Shawna R. Beese, Demetrius A. Abshire, Kevin J. Bennett
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 745-751
Date: 2024
Type: Document
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Counties by Metro/Micro Area Status: 2022
Map of the United States displaying metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas by county using data from the Office and Management and Budget (OMB). Uses metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas as defined by OMB as of July 2023.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Fact Sheet: How to Define Rurality
Fact sheet defines rural in the context of the Veterans Health Administration. Discusses RUCA codes, Census tracts, and how the VA assigns rurality.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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How Does the Definition of "Rural" Impact Research?
Webinar examining research from the Rural Health Research Centers, highlighting the importance of rural definitions and how those definitions impact research. Offers advice for what researchers should take into account when determining rural definitions for a study, and what non-researchers should look for in rural definitions when reading a study or brief.
Additional links: Slide Deck, Transcript
Author(s): Janice Probst, George Pink
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural Definitions and Data: Changes after the 2020 Census
Webinar recording discusses the changes to the way rural is defined in the 2020 Census and how those changes will affect rural programs', organizations', and facilities' access to federal funding. Features presentations from representatives of the Federal Office or Rural Health Policy.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Development of the Rural Perception Scale (RPS-18)
Examines perceptions of rurality through a survey of 1,384 people in rural Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Provides data breakdowns by geography of 18 perceptions related to belonging, attitudes toward rurality, loneliness, and community social ties. Discusses the relationship between individual factors, the concept of rurality, and geographically defined versus perceived rurality.
Author(s): Sunny Jung Kim, Jennifer Alford-Teaster, Jenna E. Schiffelbein, Tracy Onega
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 40(2), 348-367
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
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