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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Assessment of a Community-Based Exercise Program for Older Adults in a Mixed Rural/Urban Catchment Area: Silver Sneakers in Central Pennsylvania
Study assessing the Silver Sneakers program, a federally funded, community-based exercise program for older adults, based on interviews with program staff in central Pennsylvania. Discusses rural/urban access to the program, facilities that offer the programs, and closures due to COVID-19.
Author(s): Eileen Flores, Sage Nakawa, Robbin Moyer, Shirley M. Bluethmann
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19, 210283
Date: 01/2022
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Online Pilot Grocery Intervention Among Rural and Urban Residents Aimed to Improve Purchasing Habits
Results of a study comparing food purchase choices of 129 rural and urban adults in 7 counties in Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina who shopped at online or brick-and-mortar stores during an 8-week-long intervention in the fall of 2021. Features statistics including intervention effect of fruit and vegetable purchases during the study as well as demographics with breakdowns by urban or rural location.
Author(s): Alison Gustafson, Rachel Gillespie, Emily DeWitt, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 871
Date: 01/2022
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Changes in Access to Medication Treatment during COVID-19 Telehealth Expansion and Disparities in Telehealth Use for Medicare Beneficiaries with Opioid Use Disorder
Discusses policies that allow access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) via telehealth before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examines outpatient telehealth use and MOUD treatment among Medicare beneficiaries by dual eligibility status, rurality, and presence of comorbid health conditions between April-December 2020.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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COVID-19 Vaccinations in Rural America
Provides an overview of trends in COVID-19 vaccination in rural areas through January 2022. Includes charts and maps comparing vaccination rates in metropolitan and nonmetro areas, as well as COVID-19 mortality. Discusses nonmetro vaccination rates among different demographic groups.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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CARES Act Telehealth Expansion: Trends in Post-Discharge Follow-Up and Association with 30-Day Readmissions for Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program Health Conditions
Provides an overview of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) and examines the impact of expanded Medicare payment for telehealth services on post-discharge follow-up and hospital readmissions for HRRP conditions. Describes trends in post-discharge follow-up before and after the telehealth expansion and compares trends by health condition, sociodemographic characteristics, rurality, and follow-up method.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Distressed Minnesota Community Hospitals, 2019
Explores the characteristics of financially distressed hospitals in Minnesota. Presents data by hospital type, including Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation and rural status.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Prescription Drug Affordability among Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the affordability of prescription drugs among Medicare beneficiaries. Explores whether Medicare beneficiaries skipped doses, took less medication, delayed filling a prescription, or did not fill needed prescriptions due to cost concerns. Explores affordability concerns by race and ethnicity, sex, family income, urban versus rural counties, and presence of select chronic conditions.
Author(s): Wafa Tarazi, Kenneth Finegold, Steven Sheingold, Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Association Between County-Level Risk Groups and COVID-19 Outcomes in the United States: A Socioecological Study
Analysis of 2,701 counties from January 2020 to February 2021 to identify distinct groups of counties, based on sociodemographic, health, and environmental domains and the association with COVID-19 cases and deaths. Features statistics and county-level maps showing rates of COVID-19 cases, rates of COVID-19 deaths, and county-level risk factors with breakdowns including rural counties with social and medical vulnerabilities and older rural counties with greater social assets.
Author(s): Sadiya S. Khan, Amy E. Krefman, Megan E. McCabe, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 22, 81
Date: 01/2022
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Unemployment Rates are Again at Pre-Pandemic Levels in Rural Counties, Still Higher in Persistently Poor Urban Counties
Chart comparing unemployment rates in rural and urban persistent poverty and non-persistent poverty counties from July 2019-October 2021. Uses data from the USDA Economic Research Service, 2015 County Typology Codes, and data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics program.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years — United States, 2015–2019
Provides data on suicidal thoughts, suicide plans, and suicide attempts among adults 18 years and older. Also reports on the number and percentage who attempted suicide requiring medical attention or hospitalization. Includes data for large metropolitan, small metropolitan, and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Asha Z. Ivey-Stephenson, Alex E. Crosby, Jennifer M. Hoenig, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 71(1), 1-19
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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