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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention

Variations in Obesity Rates between US Counties: Impacts of Activity Access, Food Environments, and Settlement Patterns
Describes differences in obesity rates among U.S. counties based on rurality, region, poverty level, and ethnicity. Analyzes access to physical activity facilities, food environments, and settlement patterns, defined as residential density and car dependence, to determine potential explanations for geographic variations.
Author(s): Peter Congdon
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(9), 1023
Date: 09/2017
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Health Service Accessibility and Risk in Cervical Cancer Prevention: Comparing Rural Versus Nonrural Residence in New Mexico
Details a study on how geographic accessibility affects rural women's cervical cancer screening rates. Compares rural and urban areas in New Mexico. Breaks down data by travel distance, year, and services provided.
Author(s): Yolanda J. McDonald, Daniel W. Goldberg, Isabel C. Scarinci, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 33(4), 382-392
Date: 09/2017
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Feasibility of a Low-Cost Hearing Screening in Rural Indiana
Examines the feasibility of a low-cost telephone administered hearing test in rural Indiana and identifies challenges, barriers, and implementation strategies associated with the telephone hearing test. Determines if a focus group can change the hearing health attitudes of rural residents.
Author(s): Khalid M. Khan, Sylvanna L. Bielko, Priscilla A. Barnes, Sydney S. Evans, Anna L. K. Main
Citation: BMC Public Health, 17, 715
Date: 09/2017
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Culture and Self-Determination Provide Strength to Heal
Describes how the Seneca Nation of Indians has incorporated its culture into programs and community initiatives. Examples include school and adult Seneca language immersion programs, restoring indigenous plants, cultivating native animals, and the Seneca Strong program to address substance abuse by incorporating prevention and sobriety programming into traditional rites of passage, outdoor skills camps, and powwows. The Seneca Nation of Indians (New York) received the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Live Healthy, Live Well, 'Live Algoma'
An overview of a rural community (Algoma, Wisconsin) coming together to set goals and work on projects focused on health and wellness. Projects included modifying an old bank to develop an alternative school called Pathfinder, building the Algoma Community Wellness Center, and collaborating with local industries and schools to create new learning opportunities for students. Algoma is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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A Community Holding Hands to Bridge its Divide
Describes the actions taken and programs developed by the residents of Garrett County, Maryland, in response to the economic, cultural, and health challenges they face. Working together, the Garrett County residents have been able to provide scholarships to every high school graduate to attend community college for free, develop 700 affordable, low-income, mixed-income, and workforce housing units, and more. Garrett County is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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A 'Scrappy' Push for Health: 'Our Best Asset Is Our People'
Provides an overview of health challenges in Allen County, Kansas, and actions that communities in the area have taken to address them, including fundraising for a local hospital, building bike and walking trails, establishing job training programs, advocating for improved access to healthy food, and more. Allen County is a recipient of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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A Toolkit for Legislative Reform: Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Mental Illness in Rural States
Toolkit details methods to improve access to mental health treatment in rural communities through the criminal justice system. Presents options for state policy reform, using South Dakota's mental illness intervention law as a case study.
Author(s): Barbara A. Pierce
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Crime and Justice Institute
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Promoting a Nutritious Diet Inside and Outside the Hospital
Highlights a rural Vermont hospital's efforts to promote healthier eating habits both inside and outside the hospital by locally sourcing food, encouraging participation in their "Ton of Tomatoes" project, and processing produce to help food-insecure community members. Discusses efforts of other hospitals promoting healthy diets, including removing unhealthy cafeteria meal options and promoting community gardens.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Longitudinal Analysis of Nut-Inclusive Diets and Body Mass Index Among Overweight and Obese African American Women Living in Rural Alabama and Mississippi, 2011-2013
Results of a weight loss intervention among 383 overweight women in 8 rural Alabama and Mississippi counties, evaluating the association between intake of nuts and other select food groups with participants' body mass index (BMI) over a 24-month period. Features data on participants' income, education, rates of consumption of various foods, and more.
Author(s): Samara R. Sterling, Brenda Bertrand, Suzanne Judd, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 14, 160595
Date: 09/2017
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