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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Department of Health Care Services: It Has Not Ensured That Medi-Cal Beneficiaries in Some Rural Counties Have Reasonable Access to Care
Findings from a study to determine whether rural beneficiaries of the Medi-Cal Regional Model health plan were given acceptable access to care and adequate quality of care after the state transitioned into managed care plans in 2013. Includes county-level map showing Medi-Cal Managed Care Models and statistics showing maximum distance required to access care, with breakdowns by provider type.
Author(s): Elaine M. Howle
Citation: California State Auditor Report 2018-122
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Auditor of the State of California
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Vital Signs: Pharmacy-Based Naloxone Dispensing — United States, 2012–2018
Reports on trends and characteristics of naloxone dispensing from retail pharmacies. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural counties on high-dose opioid and naloxone prescriptions. Also includes county-level maps of naloxone prescriptions per 100,000 people and naloxone prescriptions per 100 high-dose opioid prescriptions.
Author(s): Gery P. Guy Jr., Tamara M. Haegerich, Mary E. Evans, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(31), 679-686
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Urban-Rural Differences in Drug Overdose Death Rates, by Sex, Age, and Type of Drugs Involved, 2017
Data brief examining differences in urban and rural areas, using the most recent data from the National Vital Statistics System. Features statistics including age-adjusted rates of overdose rates from 1999-2017 by urban and rural residence, and rates of overdose death in 2017 by sex, age group, and type of drug, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Holly Hedegaard, Arialdi M. Minino, Margaret Warner
Citation: NCHS Data Brief, No. 345
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Rural and Urban Patients with Diffuse Large B-cell and Follicular Lymphoma Experience Reduced Overall Survival: A National Cancer Database Study
Investigates overall survival (OS) in cancer patients related to geography-based factors. Discusses intersecting lower OS factors including higher rates of poverty, comorbid disease, treatment delay, lack of insurance, and decreased access to specialty care. Patients were classified into rural, urban, and metropolitan segments utilizing Rural – Urban Continuum Codes.
Author(s): Andrew J. Ritter, Jordan S. Goldstein, Amy A. Ayers, Christopher R. Flowers
Citation: Leukemia & Lymphoma, 60(7), 1656-1667
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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Mental Health Status, Need, and Unmet Need for Mental Health Services Among U.S. Pacific Islanders
Study examining mental health needs for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHPI) of Marshallese and Samoan descent residing in Los Angeles County and rural Northwest Arkansas. Presents survey data for anxiety, depression, and alcohol use as well as need for, avoidance of, and delay in seeking mental healthcare. Discusses prevalence of these issues among the 223 survey respondents, comparing rural and urban-residing populations and noting disparities by gender.
Author(s): Andrew M. Subica, Nia Aitaoto, Bruce G. Link, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 70(7), 578-585
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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Provider‐Level Variation in Smoking Cessation Assistance Provided in the Cardiology Clinics: Insights from the NCDR PINNACLE Registry
Presents a study on the variation in smoking cessation assistance programs across the U.S. Highlights the prevalence of these programs in primary care settings and details the data by patient characteristics, census region, and urbanity.
Author(s): Mayank Sardana, Yuanyuan Tang, Jared W. Magnani, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(13)
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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E-Cigarette Minimum Legal Sale Age Laws and Traditional Cigarette Use among Rural Pregnant Teenagers
Uses 2010-2016 data from 32 states to explore how minimum legal sale age laws for e-cigarettes affects cigarette use among pregnant teenagers in rural areas. Provides data and statistics on smoking before and during pregnancy, underage teen births, and birth outcomes. Includes rural/urban comparisons.
Author(s): Michael Pesko, Janet Currie
Citation: Journal of Health Economics, 66, 71-90
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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Understanding Symptom Burden in Patients with Advanced Cancer Living in Rural Areas
Explores research methods for understanding differences in rural and urban cancer care, treatment, and symptom-based stressors. Discusses challenges in recruiting and retaining rural study participants and capturing differences between rural patients receiving local care and those receiving care in metro areas. Studies the severity of advanced cancer symptoms for 21 rural patients in Iowa, drawing data from patient surveys. Describes disparities in advanced cancer diagnosis and differences in treatment experiences.
Author(s): Stephanie Gilbertson-White, Yelena Perkhounkova, Seyedehtanaz Saeidzadeh, et al.
Citation: Oncology Nursing Forum, 46(4), 428-441
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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Adverse Childhood Experiences of Urban and Rural Preschool Children in Poverty
Examines the interaction of race and geographic location on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) for preschool children living in poverty in Arkansas. Data was collected using the Family Map Inventory–Early Childhood (FMI-EC) tool of structured interviews and observation items for assessing family and home environment characteristics linked with children's well-being.
Author(s): Leanne Whiteside-Mansell, Lorraine McKelvey, Jennifer Saccente, James P. Selig
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(14), 2623
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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Urban/Rural Residence Effect on Emergency Department Visits Arising From Food-induced Anaphylaxis
Examines urban/rural differences by age and race/ethnicity in emergency department (ED) pediatric visit rates for food-induced anaphylaxis using 2009-2014 data from New York and Florida.
Author(s): Rie Sakai-Bizmark, Scott M.I. Friedlander, Karin Oshima, Eliza J. Webber, Laurie A. Mena, et al
Citation: Allergology International, 68(3), 316–320
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
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