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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Changes in Substance Use Diagnoses in the Great Plains During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Analyzed 109,671 patient visits for alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, or stimulant use disorder in 7 Great Plains states between March 2019 and March 2021 to report on demographic and geographic pattern disruptions in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes discussion of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan residency on data and policy implications regarding access to care.
Author(s): Ahmed Nahian, Lisa M. McFadden
Citation: Healthcare, 12(16)
Date: 08/2024
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Examining U.S. Disparities in Smoking among Rural Versus Urban Women of Reproductive Age: 2002–2019
Examines rural and urban trends in cigarette smoking prevalence and first-time quit ratios among adult women aged 18-44, utilizing 2002-2019 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data. Includes data on pregnant and non-pregnant women. Discusses the significance of smoking behaviors and access to cessation support for multigenerational rural health disparities.
Author(s): Stephen T. Higgins, Tyler Erath, Fang-Fang Chen
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 108115
Date: 08/2024
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Strategies Used to Reduce Harms Associated with Fentanyl Exposure among Rural People Who Use Drugs: Multi-Site Qualitative Findings from the Rural Opioid Initiative
Explores strategies utilized by rural people who use drugs to reduce fentanyl-related harm. Analyzes interviews with 349 people who recently used opioids or injection drugs in 10 states. Discusses awareness of fentanyl contamination, highlights perspectives on common harm reduction strategies, and describes public health applications. Includes state-by-state comparisons of participant demographic data.
Author(s): Suzan M. Walters, Robin Baker, David Frank, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 21, 154
Date: 08/2024
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Hawaiʻi Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success: Community Health Improvement Plan
Presents a plan to improve substance use prevention in Hawaiʻi, outlining goals and guiding decision-making and project administration. Includes discussion of rural and Native Hawaiian populations affected by substance use and treatment disparities.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD)
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Hawai'i Strategic Framework Partnerships for Success: Community Health Assessment
Examines substance use in Hawai'i, including discussion of trends, risks, and protective factors. Utilizes 2021 Hawai'i State Epidemiologic Report and County Profiles data. Identifies use and treatment disparities experienced by Native Hawaiians, rural populations, and other underserved groups.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD)
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Alcohol Use among American Indian Youth in New Mexico: 2021 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey
Fact sheet on alcohol use and related behaviors among American Indian high school and middle school students in New Mexico in 2021, utilizing New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey data. Compares alcohol consumption among American Indian students who attend schools located on tribal lands versus those who do not.
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center
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Differences in Lifestyle Behaviors, Quality of Life, and Access to Healthcare among Rural and Urban Cancer Survivors
Examines lifestyle behaviors, healthcare access, quality of life, and psychological distress among 188 rural and 242 urban cancer survivors. Discusses rural-urban differences in obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, factors influencing access to care, and more.
Author(s): Tiffany D. Ho, Bonny Morris, Kristina L. Tatum, et al.
Citation: Preventive Oncology & Epidemiology, 2(1), 2374967
Date: 07/2024
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Countermeasures that Work: An Introductory Resource for Rural Communities
Provides safety countermeasures related to speed, alcohol-impaired driving, and seat belts/child restraints in rural communities. Includes effectiveness ratings of countermeasures as well as program examples.
Author(s): Holly Kostrzewski, Lori Haskett
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Pain in the Nation 2024: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths
Report focuses on alcohol, drug, and mortality statistics and trends, with a special feature on polysubstance use and drug overdose issues. Includes data on substance use and mortality, with U.S. maps showing overdose and suicide rates, breakdowns according to metro versus nonmetro location, and state-by-state statistical trends. Provides policy recommendations to address substance use and offers examples from rural areas.
Author(s): Molly Warren, Brandon Reavis
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Community-Level Factors and their Associations with Changing Opioid Overdose Fatality Rates in Kentucky, 2019–2021
Identifies associations between community-level factors and opioid overdose fatality rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky counties, and examines how these associations have changed from 2019 to 2021. Discusses societal changes that occurred due to COVID-19, including social isolation, and which may be linked to an increase in overdose deaths. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, adjacent-to-metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Shawn R. Nigam, Philip M. Westgate, Svetla Slavova, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Katherine L. Thompson
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 6(1), 90-115
Date: 07/2024
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