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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

How Far Americans Live from the Closest Hospital Differs by Community Type
Features an examination of the differences in the distance traveled between home and the nearest hospital for communities across the nation. Compares the travel time in rural, urban, and suburban areas, as well as by census region.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Research Center
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Broadband Subscription Rate for U.S. Counties
Bar chart showing average broadband subscription rates for households with incomes under $50,000 and incomes of $50,000 or more, for mostly urban, mostly rural, and completely rural counties.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Poverty Rates/Median Household Income in the United States by County Type: 2013-2017
Bar charts showing poverty rates and median household income for all counties, mostly urban counties, mostly rural counties, and completely rural counties.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Emergency Department Utilization by Native American Children
Examines pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization in Native American (NA) populations in urban and rural areas. Analyzes 8,294 visits by 5,275 NA patients and 44,503 visits by 33,945 White patients across 6 EDs between 2011-2012 to observe health disparities in different areas and populations. Includes data breakdowns of ED patient demographics and characteristics according to rural, mid-size urban, and large urban location.
Author(s): Heather G. Zook, Anupam B. Kharbanda, Susan E. Puumala, et al.
Citation: Pediatric Emergency Care, 34(11), 802-809
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Resource Guide
Provides an overview of elder abuse in rural and tribal communities as presented during a summit event hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative on November 14-15, 2018. Includes statistical data on impacts of elder abuse in rural settings and links to toolkits, federal resources, and community outreach resources. Supplemental document contains speaker presentation slides.
Additional links: Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Summit Materials
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Justice
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Rates of Obesity and Obesogenic Behaviors of Rural Appalachian Adolescents: How Do They Compare to Other Adolescents or Recommendations?
Evaluates data from a sample of Appalachian adolescents in Ohio to compare obesity and related behaviors to that of the national adolescent population. Includes comparisons for body mass index (BMI), mean body fat percentage, daily physical activity behaviors, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
Author(s): Laureen H. Smith, Devin Laurent, Erica Baumker, Rick L. Petosa
Citation: Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(11), 874-881
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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Rural-Urban Differences in Cancer Incidence and Trends in the United States
Examines the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries' public use dataset to compare rural and urban population-based cancer incidence rates from 2009-2013 and trends from 1995-2013. Explores factors associated with rural cancer disparities, including demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic characteristics as well as exposure to carcinogens, like tobacco and HPV.
Author(s): Whitney E. Zahnd, Aimee S. James, Wiley D. Jenkins, et al.
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 27(11), 1265-1274
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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Utility and Generalizability of Multi-State, Population-Based Cancer Registry Data for Rural Cancer Surveillance Research in the United States
Analyzes various cancer registries to determine the usability of these sources in rural cancer surveillance research. Includes data from 2009-2013 on rural and urban cancer incidence rates by cancer site and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Whitney Zahnd, Wiley Jenkins, Aimee James, et al.
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 27(11), 1252-1260
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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An Overview of the National Cancer Institute's Initiatives to Accelerate Rural Cancer Control Research
Highlights initiatives developed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to address the obstacles and opportunities in rural cancer control research. Summarizes discussions from an NCI-hosted national meeting held on May 30-31, 2018. Conference topics centered on rural definitions, surveillance and epidemiologic research, overcoming methodologic challenges, executing multilevel interventions, and using implementation science in rural cancer control.
Author(s): Amy E. Kennedy, Robin C. Vanderpool, Robert T. Croyle, Shobha Srinivasan
Citation: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 27(11), 1240-1244
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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Practice Rurality of Family Physicians Enrolled in a Practice Transformation Network
An analysis of the enrollment of small and rural practices in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI), supporting nationwide, collaborative and peer-based learning, to determine if a greater proportion of rural practices are enrolled in Practice Transformation Networks (PTNs) than are found among non-enrolled practices. In addition, the analysis includes the enrollment of family physicians across states and PTNs. Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA, version 2.0) codes were used to determine rurality. TCPI enrollment variation within rural practices is discussed.
Author(s): Robert L. Phillips, Elizabeth M. Bishop, Lars E. Peterson, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 31(6), 952-956
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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