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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Urban-Rural Differences in COVID-19 Exposures and Outcomes in the South: A Preliminary Analysis of South Carolina
Examines confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina from March 1 - September 5, 2020. Compares data between urban and rural counties and their relationship to mitigation strategies and social vulnerability. Includes figures that show space-time analysis of COVID-19 impacts.
Author(s): Qian Huang, Sarah Jackson, Sahar Derakhshan, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 16(2)
Date: 02/2021
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Traffic Safety in Appalachia: Final Report
Defines the traffic safety culture in Appalachia and discusses causes of common safety problems in the region, including drug- and alcohol-impaired driving. Explores environmental concerns of Appalachian drivers, such as expansive rural regions, mountainous and curved terrain, and dense forests exposed to extreme weather elements. Includes analysis of Appalachian traffic fatalities, fatal crash data statistics, and an evaluation of the Appalachian Development Highway System as a possible intervention measure for treating traffic safety problems. Also includes a case study of severe crashes in Appalachian North Carolina, featuring statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban areas.
Additional links: Research Brief
Author(s): Wesley Kumfer, Katherine Harmon, Bo Lan, et al.
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: Appalachian Regional Commission
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Rural-Urban Disparities in All-cause Mortality among Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries, 2004–17
Examines the change in all-cause mortality rates among low-income Medicare beneficiaries dually-enrolled in Medicaid between 2004 and 2017. Compares rates between rural and urban beneficiaries by age, ethnicity, insurance type, and census region.
Author(s): Emefah Loccoh, Karen E. Joynt Maddox, Jiaman Xu, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 40(2), 289-296
Date: 02/2021
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Racial/Ethnic Heterogeneity and Rural-Urban Disparity of COVID-19 Case Fatality Ratio in the USA: a Negative Binomial and GIS-Based Analysis
Examines racial heterogeneity in COVID-19 case fatality ratio, using data from January-December 2020. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban, completely rural, and mostly rural locations.
Author(s): Ayodeji E. Iyanda, Kwadwo A. Boakye, Yongmei Lu, Joseph R. Oppong
Citation: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 9(2), 708-721
Date: 02/2021
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Rural Community-Based Palliative Care: Final Report
Evaluates the outcomes of the Stratis Health Rural Community-Based Palliative Care Project, a 3-year project that provided financial and technical assistance to State Offices of Rural Health (SORHs) in Washington, North Dakota, and Wisconsin that supported the implementation of palliative care programs in rural communities. Provides an overview of palliative care and barriers to palliative care in rural areas. Offers lessons learned that can be applied to existing palliative care efforts in rural communities.
Author(s): Alana Knudson, Jennifer Satorius, Kathleen Taylor
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Uplifting America's Left Behind Places: A Roadmap for a More Equitable Economy
Report examining economic inequality on a geographic scale, addressing inequity across states, rural and urban areas, and counties. Discusses types of spatial inequality, including health, economic, and racial inequities. Offers recommendations to leverage federal economic development policy to support local and regional development. Discusses investments in connectivity and capacity-building, including broadband, infrastructure, labor markets, and civic institutions, particularly in rural areas.
Author(s): Kenan Fikri, Daniel Newman, Kennedy O'Dell
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: Economic Innovation Group
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Projected Estimates of Opioid Mortality After Community-Level Interventions
Presents a study on the effectiveness of different evidence-based practices to prevent opioid overdose mortality in simulated rural and urban communities. Highlights data by evidence-based practice and by projected rural and urban population group, which is broken down by age, sex, and opioid injection versus non-injection.
Author(s): Benjamin P. Linas, Alexandra Savinkina, R.W.M.A. Madushani, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 4(2), e2037259
Date: 02/2021
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America at a Glance: 5310 & 5311 Transportation Funding in Rural Counties
Examines how much funding is received by rural counties from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (section 5310) and Formula Grants for Rural Areas (section 5311) programs. Discusses the type of agencies that receive section 5310 and 5311 funding in rural counties. Includes a map to highlight geographic differences in funding distribution.
Author(s): Andrew Myers, Ari Lissau
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities, University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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Use of Certified Health IT and Methods to Enable Interoperability by U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals, 2019
Data brief examining hospital interoperability, including finding, sending, receiving, and integrating electronic health information (EHI) outside their health system, from 2017-2019. Examines rates of interoperability by hospital size, type, method of interoperability, and rural and suburban-urban status. Discusses barriers to EHI interoperability and steps forward.
Author(s): Christian Johnson, Yuriy Pylypchuk
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Rural-Urban Residence and Emergency Contraception Use, Access, and Counseling in the United States, 2006-2017
Study examining emergency contraception access, counseling, and use by rural and urban county of residence for women ages 15-44. Analyzes 2006-2017 data from the National Survey of Family Growth including participant characteristics, contraceptive methods, and emergency contraception counseling.
Author(s): Carly M. Milkowski, Erika C. Ziller, Katherine A. Ahrens
Citation: Contraception: X, 3, 100061
Date: 02/2021
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