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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Household Experiences in Rural America During the Delta Variant Outbreak
Examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural U.S. households. Covers financial, education, childcare, health and healthcare, and employment and work-related impacts related to the pandemic.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Changes in the Associations of Race and Rurality with SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Mortality, and Case Fatality in the United States from February 2020 to March 2021: A Population-based Cohort Study
Examines the associations of ethnicity, urban or rural residence, and clinical risk factors on COVID-19 infection and mortality among U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system enrollees between February 2020 and March 2021. Describes how these associations changed during this period.
Author(s): George N. Ioannou, Jacqueline M. Ferguson, Ann M. O'Hare, et al.
Citation: PLoS Medicine, 18(10)
Date: 10/2021
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The Use of Community Health Workers in Community Health Centers
Examines changes in the community health workers (CHWs) workforce among community health centers (CHCs) from 2016-2018 and factors associated with the use of CHWs. Features statistics on characteristics of CHCs in the study and factors associated with use of CHWs in CHCs, with breakdowns by rural location.
Author(s): Jeongyoung Park, Marsha Regenstein, Nicholas Chong, Chinelo L. Onyilofor
Citation: Medical Care, 59(10), S457-S462
Date: 10/2021
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The Effect of National Health Service Corps Clinician Staffing on Medical and Behavioral Health Care Costs in Community Health Centers
Examines the contribution of National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and non-NHSC clinicians to medical and behavioral health costs per visit, using 2013-2017 data from 1,022 Federally Qualified Health Centers merged with the NHSC participant data. Features statistics on average costs per visit for medical or behavioral healthcare, with breakdowns including rural facility location.
Author(s): Xinxin Han, Patricia Pittman, Leighton Ku
Citation: Medical Care, 59(10), S428-S433
Date: 10/2021
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Unpacking the Geography of America's Youth Suicide Epidemic
Analyzes data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database from 2000 through 2019 looking at suicide rates in 10 to 24-year-olds by 15 community types such as aging farmlands, Native American lands, rural middle America, and more. Includes discussion highlighting suicide rates among Native American populations and differences between rural and urban residents.
Author(s): Dante Chinni
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
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Rural–Urban Health Disparities among US Adults Ages 50 and Older
Report examining health disparities for Americans ages 50 and older by rural/urban location and by race/ethnicity. Analyzes rates of healthcare access, health behaviors, and chronic health conditions based on 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.
Author(s): Beth Carter, Olivia Dean
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
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Analysis of Suicide After Cancer Diagnosis by US County-Level Income and Rural vs Urban Designation, 2000-2016
Study examining suicide risk among 5,362,782 people diagnosed with cancer between January 2000 and December 2016 based on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program 18 (SEER 18) data. Analyzes suicide risk based on rural and urban county of residence and other demographic factors.
Author(s): Ryan Suk, Young-Rock Hong, Rachel M. Wasserman, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(10), e2129913
Date: 10/2021
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2021 CMS Hospital Quality Star Ratings of Rural Hospitals
Results of a study comparing the 2021 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Quality Star Rating results for rural and urban hospitals, comparing the 2021 and 2016 results for rural hospitals, and identifying implications for the usefulness of these ratings for rural hospitals. Features statistics including percentages of hospitals by Star Ratings with breakdowns by urban or rural location, and numbers of unrated rural hospitals by Medicare payment classification, net patient revenue, and census region.
Author(s): Laura Bozovich, Randall John, Kristie Thompson, George H. Pink
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Urban-Rural Differences in Unintentional Injury Death Rates Among Children Aged 0–17 Years: United States, 2018–2019
Describes rates of unintentional injury death for children in 2018-2019 based on data from the National Vital Statistics System, offering rural/urban comparisons and breaking down data by contributing mechanisms.
Author(s): Matthew F. Garnett, Merianne Rose Spencer, Holly Hedegaard
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Overdose Prevention Strategy
Examines trends in overdose deaths between 1999 and 2019. Describes the development and four priority areas of the new Overdose Prevention Strategy, as well as objectives for each priority area. Highlights examples of programs that address substance use disorder prevention and treatment in rural areas.
Date: 10/2021
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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