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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Statistics and data

Child Hunger In Rural America
Discusses food insecurity impacts on children in rural America, with a focus on geographic isolation, lack of opportunities, limited resources, and programmatic barriers. Includes metro versus nonmetro comparisons of percent of households experiencing food insecurity.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Feeding America, No Kid Hungry
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The Rural Health Safety Net Under Pressure: Rural Hospital Vulnerability
Examines financial and operational metrics for closed hospitals in the 36 months prior to closure. Identifies 453 rural facilities vulnerable to closure and the performance variables that have the greatest impact on a facility's likelihood of closure.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Can Age-Friendly Planning Promote Equity in Community Health Across the Rural-Urban Divide in the US?
Utilizes the AARP Livability Index to explore differences in physical and built environment and social environment when comparing rural/urban counties. AARP Livability Index includes data breakdowns such as neighborhood, housing, transportation, and engagement, among others. Discusses additional factors such as income and population that impact community health in rural areas. Explores age-related community planning and its relationship to health challenges and community livability.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner, Elaine Wethington
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1275
Date: 02/2020
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Urban–Rural Infant Mortality Disparities by Race and Ethnicity and Cause of Death
Analyzes data on infant mortality across county-classifications and broken down by race/ethnicity and large metro, medium/small metro, and nonmetropolitan areas. Notes differences regarding cause of death by race/ethnicity, including sudden unexpected infant death, congenital anomalies, and preterm-related.
Author(s): Lindsay S. Womack, Lauren R. Rossen, Ashley H. Hirai
Citation: American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 58(2), 254-260
Date: 02/2020
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Strengthening the System: Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan 2020-24
Details Alaska's mental health integration plan. Discusses 9 goals that cover different aspects of mental health coverage, such as suicide prevention, substance use disorder prevention, and early childhood mental health.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Department of Health, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
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Effect of Travel Distance and Rurality of Residence on Initial Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in VA Primary Care Patient with Cirrhosis
Highlights a study on the effect of travel distance on hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance for veterans with cirrhosis who are being treated by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Merges VHA and CMS data and breaks it down by demographics and travel distance to both VA and non-VA medical centers and the patients' primary care providers, among other measures.
Author(s): Yolanda Rodriguez Villalvazo, Jennifer S. McDanel, Lauren A. Beste, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 55(1), 103-112
Date: 02/2020
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Polysubstance Use in Rural West Virginia: Associations between Latent Classes of Drug Use, Overdose, and Take-Home Naloxone
Examines the relationship between overdose experiences and polysubstance use by rural people who inject drugs (PWID) based on surveys of 420 individuals in West Virginia. Classifies substance use involving stimulants and opioids and discusses implications for take-home naloxone interventions.
Author(s): Kristin E. Schneider, Allison O'Rourke, Rebecca Hamilton White, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Drug Policy, 76, 102642
Date: 02/2020
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Safety in Numbers: Hospital Performance on Leapfrog's Surgical Volume Standard Based on Results of the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey
Compares hospital and surgeon volume for 8 high-risk procedures to Leapfrog's minimum volume standards. Identifies the percent of rural hospitals that meet Leapfrog's volume standard for each procedure, as well as the percent of rural hospitals that do not electively perform these procedures.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: Leapfrog Group
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A Prospective Cohort Analysis of Gut Microbial Co-metabolism in Alaska Native and Rural African People at High and Low Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Presents a study examining the role of diet and gut microbiota in rates of colorectal cancer. Compares the diets of Alaska Natives, who have the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world, with the diets of rural Africans, who have some of the lowest.
Author(s): Soeren Ocvirk, Annette S Wilson, Joram M Posma, et al.
Citation: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 111(2), 406-419
Date: 02/2020
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North Dakota County Classification
Map of North Dakota displaying counties by rural, semi-rural, and urban classification.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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