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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

EITC Continues to Reach Families in Poor Places
Briefly discusses the role of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in helping low-income workers. Includes maps showing county-level information on EITC filers, with Map 1 identifying high child poverty counties and Map 2 identifying nonmetropolitan counties.
Additional links: Map 2: Nonmetropolitan Counties
Author(s): Andrew Schaefer, Beth Mattingly, Kennedy Nickerson , Jessica Carson
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Supporting Family Physician Maternity Care Providers
Summarizes strategies, provides suggestions, and examines the role family physicians play in providing maternity care to the underserved. Also presents ideas for training and retaining family physician maternity care providers in rural areas.
Author(s): Jessica Taylor Goldstein, Scott G. Hartman, Matthew R. Meunier, et al.
Citation: Family Medicine, 50(9), 662-671
Date: 10/2018
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More Employers Are Paying for Telemedicine, but Enrollee Take-Up Has Been Relatively Low
Analyzes 2018 Employer Health Benefit Survey (EHBS) data regarding telemedicine trends in employer health plan coverage. Includes discussion on telemedicine improving access to healthcare in rural areas. Covers statistics of telemedicine utilization between rural and urban large employer health plan enrollees.
Author(s): Matthew Rae, Cynthia Cox
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Travel Patterns of American Adults with Disabilities
Discusses travel habits of people with and without disabilities, including comparisons of duration and distance of travel among rural and urban dwellers. Briefly mentions rural disability prevalence and disparities in frequency of travel.
Author(s): Stephen Brumbaugh
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Transportation
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Urban-Rural Differences in Aerobic Physical Activity, Muscle Strengthening Exercise, and Screen-time Sedentary Behavior
Highlights a study of physical activity (PA) among rural and urban residents. Compares rates of aerobic PA, muscle strengthening PA, and sedentary behavior in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Michael C. Robertson, Jaejoon Song, Wendell C. Taylor, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(4), 401-410
Date: 09/2018
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Analysis of Indiana's Primary Care Physicians Providing Obstetric Services
Quantifies and describes the Indiana primary care physicians who report providing some level of obstetric care. Includes county-level maps with data on infant mortality rates from 2012-2016 and access to prenatal, labor and delivery, postnatal, and comprehensive obstetric services, with shadings indicating rural counties.
Author(s): Hannah Maxey, Sierra Vaughn, Courtney Randolph
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Leveraging Technology to Promote Smoking Cessation in Urban and Rural Primary Care Medical Offices
Study examining use of telemedicine to promote smoking cessation in 8 New York counties, comparing the effectiveness of automated voice recognition (AVR) messages directed to residents of underserved areas. Analyzes data from 5812 participants based on sociodemographic characteristics, including residence in rural versus urban areas.
Author(s): Martin Mahoney, Deborah Erwin, Annamaria Twarozek, et al.
Citation: Preventative Medicine, 114, 102-106
Date: 09/2018
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Body Mass Index Category Moderates the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Diet Quality in Overweight and Obese Rural-Dwelling Adults.
Examines questionnaire responses from adults in rural Kentucky to determine whether overall diet quality varies according to body mass index (BMI) category and presence of depressive symptoms in people with or at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Contains data comparing healthy eating habits among depressed and non-depressed individuals who are overweight or obese, including breakdowns by age, sex, marital status, education, comorbidities, and other characteristics.
Author(s): Demetrius Abshire, Terry Lennie, Misook Chung, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(4), 377-387
Date: 09/2018
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Weight Loss Success of Participants Residing in Rural and Urban Areas
Compares the weight loss outcomes of residents in rural and urban areas of Arkansas and Vermont participating in an on-line behavioral weight loss intervention, and assesses any rural and urban differences in adherence to treatment goals.
Author(s): Elise Mench, Delia West, Rebecca Krukowski, Jean Harvey
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(4), 396-400
Date: 09/2018
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Health Research Participation, Opportunity, and Willingness Among Minority and Rural Communities of Arkansas
Examines factors associated with opportunities and willingness to participate in health research, as well as health research participation rates for rural populations based on questions added to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in Arkansas. Addresses the impact of age group, sex, marital status, education, employment, poverty, access to healthcare, and health status.
Author(s): Pearl A. McElfish, Christopher R. Long, James P. Selig, et al.
Citation: Clinical and Translational Science, 11(5), 487-497
Date: 09/2018
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