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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

The Economic and Societal Impact of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2019
Examines costs resulting from motor vehicle crashes, including economic impact and premature death or lost quality-of-life for those who survive crashes with debilitating injuries. Features statistics on traffic fatalities from 1998-2019, portions of fatalities and injuries occurring in rural areas by injury severity for select states, and economic cost summary with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Lawrence Blincoe, Ted R. Miller, Jing-Shiarn Wang, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Disparities in Melanoma Incidence and Mortality in Rural Versus Urban Michigan
Examines rural versus urban disparities in disease stage and disease-specific mortality of melanoma patients in Michigan. Analyzes 2014-2018 data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to observe county-level melanoma rates. Includes demographic breakdowns by age, sex, and residence, as well as discussions about potential causes of rural disparities.
Author(s): Richard A. Shellenberger, Timothy M. Johnson, Fatima Fayyaz, et al.
Citation: Cancer Reports, 6(2), e1713
Date: 02/2023
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Geographic Disparities in the Availability of Mental Health Services in U.S. Public Schools
Analyzes geographic factors associated with the availability of mental health services in public schools, utilizing 2017-2018 School Survey on Crime and Safety data. Includes data on likelihood of providing mental health assessments or mental health treatment, and examines prevalence of factors limiting service availability at rural, urban, and suburban schools.
Author(s): Janessa M. Graves, Demetrius A. Abshire, Jessica L. Mackelprang, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 64(1), 1-8
Date: 01/2023
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Designing Home-Based Physical Activity Programs for Rural Cancer Survivors: A Survey of Technology Access and Preferences
Results of a survey of 298 adults with cancer on demographics, cancer characteristics, technology use and access, current physical activity, and preferred home-based physical activity program characteristics. Includes rural versus nonrural comparisons.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Salerno, Rohana Gao, Jason Fanning, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Oncology, 13, 1061641
Date: 01/2023
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Analysis of Substance Use and Suicidal Ideation in Midwestern Frontier and Non-Frontier Locations
Evaluated emergency department data in South Dakota from 2017 to 2018 to identify ED usage by frontier and non-frontier residents for substance use disorder and suicidal ideation. Discusses usage by substance and the connection between substance use and suicidal ideation.
Author(s): Alexandra Dolezal, Marie Severson, Rusul Ali, Phil Dohn, Lisa McFadden
Citation: South Dakota Medicine, 76(1), 24-27
Date: 01/2023
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A Study Pursuant to (Pennsylvania) House Resolution 68: Rural Dental Health
Results of a study to identify the availability, costs, and barriers to receiving dental services in rural Pennsylvania. Offers recommendations to expand oral healthcare services in rural areas. Features county-level maps showing distribution of Pennsylvania dentists with breakdowns by rural and nonrural areas, and population-to-dentist ratios.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Legislative Budget and Finance Committee of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
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Graduate Medical Education in New York: The Nation's Largest Supplier of Physicians
Examines the contribution of New York Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs to the nation's supply of physicians. Features a section on rural areas, including a state-level map showing the percentage of active physicians in nonmetropolitan areas who completed GME in New York as of 2022.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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America at a Glance: Transportation Use During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Reports trends in transportation use of people with and without disabilities during the period 2017-2021. Compares rural and urban populations and modes of transportation, including driving and walking, accepting rides from others, and use of public transit.
Author(s): Andrew Myers
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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Association of Rurality with Utilization of Palliative Care and Hospice among Medicare Beneficiaries Who Died from Pancreatic Cancer: A Cohort Study
Explores the association between the rurality of patient residence and the use of palliative care and hospice among Medicare decedents with pancreatic cancer between 2016 and 2018. Also examines the use of palliative care at least 90 days after diagnosis and before death and hospice care at least three days before death. Presents data by metropolitan, micropolitan, small town, and rural classifications.
Author(s): Niveditta Ramkumar, Qianfei Wang, Gabriel A. Brooks, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 557-564
Date: 01/2023
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Radiotherapy Deserts: The Impact of Race, Poverty, and the Rural-Urban Continuum on Density of Providers and the Use of Radiation Therapy in the US
Investigates the prevalence of radiotherapy deserts for prostate cancer (PC) and invasive breast cancer (BC) at the county level in the United States. Analyzes physicians to persons at risk (PPR) and use to persons at risk (UPR) according to sex, race/ethnicity, poverty level, and metro versus non-metro county. Includes U.S. maps depicting death and incidence rate hot zones, high PPR density, high UPR density, and more.
Author(s): Anna W. LaVigne, Theodore L. DeWeese, Jean L. Wright, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 116(1), 17-27
Date: 01/2023
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