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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

A Statewide Investigation of Geographic Lung Cancer Incidence Patterns and Radon Exposure in a Low-Smoking Population
Examines Utah Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) data to describe smoking-adjusted lung cancer rates between nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties by indoor radon levels, sex, and cancer stage. Compares lung cancer rates between Utah and all SEER sites. Includes statistics of nonmetropolitan and metropolitan Utah counties by race/ethnicity, smoking prevalence, education, income, and more.
Author(s): Judy Y. Ou, Brynn Fowler, Qian Ding, et al.
Citation: BMC Cancer, 18, 115
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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Rural Hunger in America: Get the Facts
Describes effects of food insecurity in rural areas and offers strategies to increase participation in federal nutrition programs. Includes statistics comparing levels of poverty and food insecurity in rural and metropolitan areas in 2016, and a state-level map with percentages of food insecure households.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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The Opioid Crisis in Rural and Small Town America
Provides data on opioid mortality rates in 2016 and changes in opioid mortality from 1999 through 2016 for metropolitan and nonmetro counties. Also provides metro/nonmetro data on drug overdoses by type of opioid - heroin, prescription opioids, synthetic opioids, and unspecified opioids - from 1999 through 2016. Discusses challenges rural areas face in addressing the opioid crisis.
Author(s): Shannon M. Monnat, Khary K. Rigg
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Wisconsin Health Atlas: Obesity
Reports on Wisconsin obesity trends from 2015 to 2016. Includes analysis by age and rurality and provides ZIP code level data for adult and childhood obesity rates.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 2018
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
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Growing Up Rural in America
Presents a report on the state of childhood in rural America. Details challenges rural children face, such as poverty, adolescent pregnancy, and food access issues. Features rural-urban comparisons and state-by-state data.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Save the Children
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Health Equity Report 2017
Reports on trends in health equity and health disparities in the U.S. Provides statistics and information on multiple program areas, including: maternal and child health, primary care, access, quality, HIV/AIDS, mental and behavioral health, chronic disease, health promotion, health workforce, rural versus urban, and geographic disparities. Addresses disparity patterns for 3 priority areas: mental health, opioid use, and childhood obesity.
Author(s): Gopal K. Singh, Andrew "Drew" De Los Reyes, Michelle Allender, et al.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Portraying a More Complete Picture of Illicit Drug Use Epidemiology and Policy for Rural America: A Competing Viewpoint to the CDC's MMWR Report
Commentary on the CDC MMWR report, Illicit Drug Use, Illicit Drug Use Disorders, and Drug Overdose Deaths in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas — United States. Discusses a range of factors that may impact our understanding of nonmetropolitan drug use and identifies additional studies that have been undertaken related to nonmetro drug use. Also discusses potential differences in effective ways to address drug use in nonmetro compared to metro areas.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(1), 3-5
Date: 2018
Type: Document
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The Differential Effects of Rural Health Care Access on Race-Specific Mortality
Investigates the association between race-specific rural mortality and the health infrastructure of rural counties using data from the National Center for Health Statistics Compressed Mortality File (2008-2012); county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare indicators from Health Resources and Services Administration's Area Health Resource File; and the U.S. Census. Covers the rural public health infrastructure index that indicates the presence or absence of 4 types of healthcare measures: public health employees, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) or rural referral centers, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), and emergency departments within counties.
Author(s): Jeralynn Cossman, Wesley James, Julia Kay Wolf
Citation: SSM Population Health, 3, 618-623
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
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Healthcare Resource Availability and Cardiovascular Health in the USA
A cross sectional, multivariate analysis investigating the relationship between provider supply and physical facilities, including Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and cardiovascular health of individuals and populations in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Courtney S Pilkerton, Sarah S Singh, Thomas K Bias, Stephanie J Frisbee
Citation: BMJ Open, 7(12)
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
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Behavioral Health Integration into Primary Care: A Microsimulation of Financial Implications for Practices
Evaluates the financial impact of integrating behavioral health services into primary care practices by simulating data using Medicare payments. Compares the potential impact for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural versus urban non-FQHCs in high-poverty areas, and practices in lower-poverty areas. Addresses the costs and revenues for two types of behavioral health integration, the collaborative care model (CoCM) and the primary care behaviorist model (PCBM).
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(12), 1330-1341
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
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