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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Fewer Hospitalized Medicare Beneficiaries Are Receiving Recommended Home Health Care
Describes trends in Medicare patients' receipt of recommended home health services following a hospitalization between 2016 and 2022. Presents data on home health referral completion rates by sex, race, dual eligibility status, rural/urban location, and social deprivation index groups. Discusses factors that could influence home health utilization trends and considerations for policymakers.
Author(s): Marie Steele-Adjognon, Clarence Kelley, Lane Koenig
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Commonwealth Fund, KNG Health Consulting, LLC
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Patterns of Digital Health Access and Use among US Adults: A Latent Class Analysis
Evaluates patterns of access and use of digital technology for health purposes via a latent class analysis of 2017-2020 Health Information National Trends Survey data. See Table 3 for data on people dwelling in metropolitan, non-metropolitan urban, and rural areas.
Author(s): Phillip C. Hegeman, Daniel T. Vader, Kristyn Kamke, Sherine El-Toukhy
Citation: BMC Digital Health, 2, 42
Date: 07/2024
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Adult Smoking Cessation — United States, 2022
Reports estimates of cigarette smoking cessation indicators among U.S. adults. Includes rural and urban data on interest in quitting, past-year attempts to quit smoking, recent successful cessation, health professional assistance and counseling, and use of medication to quit smoking.
Author(s): Brenna VanFrank, Ann Malarcher, Monica E. Cornelius, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(29), 633-641
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Food as Medicine Survey Findings: How Anti-Hunger Organizations Partner With Health Care Providers to Address Food Insecurity
Analyzes how anti-hunger organizations are partnering with healthcare providers and facilities to promote food security and connect patients with federal food assistance programs. Utilizes 2023/2024 quantitative and qualitative survey data from 56 respondents and provides characteristics of the respondent's organization; types of healthcare facilities involved; food assistance programs to which patients are referred; screening and referral process; and demographics of people served, such as race/ethnicity, age group, special populations, and geographic location of urban, suburban, or rural. Includes a case study of the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) and their use of mobile food delivery to reach rural populations.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Pennsylvania's Population is Declining Faster Than Expected
Fact sheet examining changes in rural and urban Pennsylvania populations between 2020 and 2023. Features statistics with breakdowns by year and a county-level map showing percentages of population increase or decrease.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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The Prevalence of Mental Health Conditions Was on the Rise Before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Pandemic Had a Negative Effect on Mental Health
Data spotlight on mental illness, depression, and suicide among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes disparities and discusses barriers to care related to a variety of sociodemographic factors including geography. See Figures 3, 7, and 8 for data on health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), mental health-related emergency department visits, and suicide deaths by level of rurality.
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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The Poverty Area Measures Data Product
Provides background and technical information on the 2022 Poverty Area Measures (PAM) data product that examines the geography of poverty in the United States. Includes discussion on data selection, methodological considerations, and more, with analysis of poverty measures according to rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes.
Author(s): Tracey Farrigan, Austin Sanders
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Medicare Advantage Enrollees Account for a Rising Share of Inpatient Hospital Days
Describes the growth of Medicare Advantage (MA) as a share of hospital inpatient days between 2015 and 2022. Presents data from hospital cost reports submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) regarding the share of inpatient days attributable to MA compared to traditional Medicare, the percentage of hospitals with more inpatient days from Medicare Advantage than traditional Medicare, and the variation across hospitals within counties. Compares trends in the share of inpatient days for MA enrollees across rural, micropolitan, and metropolitan hospitals.
Author(s): Jamie Godwin, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Zachary Levinson, Tricia Neuman
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Email Recruitment for Chronic Pain Clinical Trials: Results from the LAMP Trial
Evaluates the use of postal mail and email as recruitment methods for a mindfulness-based chronic pain intervention trial, Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain (LAMP). Measures effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of responses in a population of veterans diagnosed with chronic pain. Includes data on rural versus urban response rates.
Author(s): John E. Ferguson, Emily Hagel Campbell, et al.
Citation: Trials, 25, 491
Date: 07/2024
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Rural-Urban Differences in Midwifery Care During Childbirth in the US
Compares rural and urban births that were midwife-attended. Highlights changes over time and locations of midwife-attended births including homes, hospitals, and more.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, Julia D. Interrante
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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