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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Certain Medicare Beneficiaries, Such as Urban and Hispanic Beneficiaries, Were More Likely Than Others To Use Telehealth During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Data brief examining telehealth usage by Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting rural and urban differences, state-level trends, and usage by race/ethnicity and age according to Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service claims data. Offers policy recommendations and agency responses.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Consumer Finances in Rural Appalachia
Describes the financial needs and challenges of consumers in rural Appalachia. Features sections on consumer finance profiles, including a section on medical debt, and consumer distress and delinquencies. Appendix A includes state-level statistics for the 13 Appalachian states, including percent of rural people with medical debt in the state.
Author(s): Matthew Liu, Cooper Luce, Michael Orevba, Shawn Sebastian, Cortnie Shupe
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 6–17 Years Who Have Roads, Sidewalks, Paths, or Trails Where They Can Walk or Ride a Bicycle, by Urban-Rural Status and Family Income — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020
Bar chart showing children's access to locations where they can walk or ride a bicycle. Provides data for rural and urban neighborhoods for families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level and for families with incomes at or above 200% of the federal poverty level.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(35), 1136
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Strategies Adopted by Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men to Prevent Monkeypox virus Transmission — United States, August 2022
Reports on monkeypox vaccination among men who have sex with men (MSM), with data by location for urban, suburban, small/medium metro, and rural areas. Information is based on a monkeypox-specific follow-up survey to the annual American Men's Internet Survey, completed by a convenience sample of 824 MSM.
Author(s): Kevin P. Delaney, Travis Sanchez, Marissa Hannah, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(35), 1126-1130
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Booster COVID-19 Vaccinations Among Persons Aged ≥5 Years and Second Booster COVID-19 Vaccinations Among Persons Aged ≥50 Years — United States, August 13, 2021–August 5, 2022
Reports on booster and second booster vaccination coverage among eligible populations, with data by urban and rural location by age group for those age 5-11, 12-17, 18-39, 40-64, and 65 and older. Includes discussion of vaccination barriers in rural areas.
Author(s): Hannah E. Fast, Bhavini Patel Murthy, Elizabeth Zell, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(35), 1121-1125
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The Implications of Long COVID for Rural Communities
Discusses the differences in COVID-19 outcomes for rural and urban areas and assesses their relative risk for, and capacity to treat, long COVID. Explores how the usual barriers to health and wellness in rural areas could affect the diagnosis and treatment of long COVID.
Author(s): Nathan Hale, Michael Meit, Samuel Pettyjohn, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(4), 945-947
Date: 09/2022
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The Association of Crash Response Times and Deaths at the Crash Scene: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Using the 2019 National Emergency Medical Service Information System
Compares EMS response times with rates of crash scene deaths by rural and urban region and by rush and non-rush hour periods. Breaks down the demographic characteristics of the people involved in the crash, such as age, sex, substances involved, and injuries, as well as mortality and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Oluwaseun J. Adeyemi, Rajib Paul, Charles DiMaggio, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(4), 1011-1024
Date: 09/2022
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural and Urban Cancer Patients' Experiences, Health Behaviors, and Perceptions
Study examining the impacts of COVID-19 on rural and urban cancer patients based on a survey of 1,472 adult patients of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Compares rural and urban demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics; experiences with healthcare; health behaviors; and stress factors.
Author(s): Anita R. Peoples, Laura B. Oswald, Jennifer Ose, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(4), 886-899
Date: 09/2022
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National Veteran Health Equity Report
Examines Veterans Affairs (VA) data concerning the sociodemographics, utilization patterns, and rates of diagnosed health conditions among various groups of veterans to monitor, evaluate and act on identified disparities in healthcare access, use, quality, and health outcomes. Chapter 5 developed by the VA Office of Rural Health provides detailed information comparing rural and urban data.
Additional links: American Indian or Alaska Native Veteran Chartbook, Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Veteran Chartbook, Black Veteran Chartbook, Full Report, Hispanic and Latino Veteran Chartbook
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration
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The Intersection of Disability Status and Rurality in American Indian/Alaskan Native Communities
Presents statistics on American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) disability prevalence rates in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties using 2015-2019 American Community Survey data. Compares AI/AN and White disability prevalence, including comparisons of counties with greater than 5% AI/AN population with those not meeting that threshold.
Author(s): Genna M. Mashinchi, Emily C. Hicks, Arin J. Leopold, Lillie Greiman, Catherine Ipsen
Citation: Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 3, 875979
Date: 08/2022
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