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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Pesticide Exposure Among Latinx Children in Rural Farmworker and Urban Non-Farmworker Communities: Associations With Locality and Season
Presents a study on pesticide exposure of Latinx children. Compares exposure rates of rural children from farmworker families and urban children from non-farmworker families. Breaks down data by sex, family size, and types of pesticide detected, among other measures.
Author(s): Thomas A. Arcury, Haiying Chen, Sara A. Quandt, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(9), 5647
Date: 04/2023
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Factors Associated with Lengths-of-Stay for Inpatients with Substance Use Disorders
Policy brief identifying factors associated with inpatient length-of-stay (LOS) for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) and exploring whether there are systematic differences in LOS for rural and urban residents. Includes statistics on characteristics of stays for a primary SUD diagnosis in Kentucky, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington in 2018, with breakdowns by Mental Health Professional Shortage Area and rural or urban location, and selected factors on LOS for an SUD diagnosis, with breakdowns by mental diagnoses, chronic conditions, and sociodemographic measures.
Author(s): Curt Mueller, Craig Holden, Shena Popat, Alana Knudson
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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More than One in Five Adults with Limited Public Transit Access Forgo Health Care Because of Transportation Barriers
Provides information on adults who have foregone healthcare due to lack of transportation. Analyzes June 2022 data from the Urban Institute's Health Reform Monitoring Survey (HRMS) on healthcare access, missed appointments, and access to vehicles, with data broken down by demographics, disability status, health insurance coverage, and rural versus urban residence.
Author(s): Laura Barrie Smith, Michael Karpman, Dulce Gonzalez, Sarah Morriss
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Urban Institute
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Hunger Among Adults Age 50-59 in 2021: An Annual Report
Reports on the extent, distribution, and trends of food insecurity among U.S. residents ages 50-59. Features state-level estimates and data breakdowns on food insecurity by income, race/ethnicity, metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan location, sex, and more.
Author(s): Craig Gundersen, James P. Ziliak
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2021: An Annual Report
Discusses food insecurity rates among Americans age 60 or older. Includes demographics and characteristics of seniors lacking sufficient access to food, and provides trends and state-level information on food insecurity. Features data breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan settings.
Author(s): James P. Ziliak, Craig Gundersen
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Association of Rurality and Identifying as Black with Receipt of Specialty Care Among Patients Hospitalized with a Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Medicare Cohort Study
Examines if rural, Black patients with diabetes receive specialty care at the same rate as the larger, aggregated population of diabetes patients. Analyzes 124,487 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with diabetic foot ulcers from 2013 to 2014. Includes data broken down by rural versus urban, race/ethnicity, and characteristics and severity of disease.
Author(s): Lindsay Taylor, Ronald Gangnon, W. Ryan Powell, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 11(2), e003185
Date: 04/2023
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Location, Age, and Race Matter: A Path Model of Emotional Distress in the U.S. During COVID-19
Examines factors that contributed to emotional distress during COVID-19 such as rurality, race, demographics, substance use, and more. Provides 2020 survey results from 947 U.S. adults and discusses mental health in vulnerable populations.
Author(s): Viktor Clark, Hannah Ming, Sunny Jung Kim
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 762
Date: 04/2023
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A Match Made in Rural: Interpreting Match Rates and Exploring Best Practices
Documents patterns in match rates for rural versus urban residency programs, compares rural residency match rates with program characteristics for match years 2009-2013, examines the association of match rates with program outcomes for graduates in years 2013-2015, and explores recruitment strategies using residency coordinator interviews.
Author(s): Randall Longenecker, Natalia V. Oster, Lars Peterson, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 55(7), 426-432
Date: 04/2023
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Biopsychosocial Contexts of Timely and Adequate Prenatal Care Utilization among Women with Criminal Legal Involvement and Opioid Use Disorder
Examines utilization patterns of rural pregnant women with criminal legal involvement and opioid use disorder (CL-OUD) and adequate prenatal care utilization (APNCU). Analyzes medical records from 317 women with CL-OUD between 2015 and 2022 according to several social, health, and demographic factors, including rural versus non-rural prenatal location.
Author(s): Milan F. Satcher, Martha L. Bruce, Daisy J. Goodman, Sarah E. Lord
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 729
Date: 04/2023
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Analysis of Hospital Operating Margins and Provision of Safety Net Services
Explores the association between five hospital safety net services - undercompensated care measured using the Disproportionate Share Hospital index, uncompensated care, essential community services, and Sole Community Hospital and Critical Access Hospital status - and hospital operating margins. Includes information on the relationship between bed count, Census region, urban/rural location, ownership status, and having a Graduate Medical Education residency program with operating margins.
Author(s): Lukas K. Gaffney, Kenneth A. Michelson
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(4), e238785
Date: 04/2023
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