This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

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

Oral Health in Alabama: Unveiling the Burden and Pathways to Improvement
Reports on oral health in Alabama, highlighting issues across the lifespan, the relationship between oral health and other health conditions, protective factors, workforce, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and more. Discusses oral health disparities for particular groups including rural residents. Includes county-level data.
Author(s): Zachary W. Schulz
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organizations: Alabama Department of Public Health, Oral Health Office
view details
Remote Evidence-Based Programs for Health Promotion to Support Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Mixed Methods Outcome Evaluation
Evaluated the effectiveness of 5 evidence-based programs (EBP) for older adult health promotion that moved from in-person to remote delivery due to COVID-19. Analyzes both EBP participants and service providers on various participant health and wellness measures. Includes a breakdown of participant and service provider data by rurality.
Author(s): Lesley Steinman, Kelly Chadwick, Erica Chavez Santos, et al.
Citation: JMIR Aging, 7(2024), e52069
Date: 2024
view details
Tobacco Use Among MSAW: Environmental Scan Findings Report
Reports on tobacco use among migratory and seasonal agricultural workers (MSAWs) using surveys of MSAW-serving organizations and focus groups with MSAWs. Includes discussion of tobacco use, beliefs about health effects, tobacco use in the workplace, cultural differences, cessation programs, and more. Offers recommendations for healthcare providers and MSAW-serving organizations addressing tobacco use.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Farmworker Health
view details
Growing Resilience in Tough Times (GRITT): Development and Randomized Trial of a Farmer Mental Health Literacy Intervention
Evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a text message based mental health literacy program tested in 134 farmers. Discusses barriers to offering face-to-face mental health programming for farmers and other recruitment challenges related to COVID-19.
Author(s): Amanda J. Holmstrom, Gwyn Shelle
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine 29(3), 392-403
Date: 2024
view details
National Farm Medicine Center: 2023 Year in Review
Provides an overview of the 2023 activities of the National Farm Medicine Center and related partners, with a focus on research, policy, outreach and education, projects, and more. Discusses population health, well-being, and agricultural safety.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Farm Medicine Center
view details
Defining and Evaluating In-Home Drug Disposal Systems for Opioid Analgesics: Proceedings of a Workshop
Offers summary of a June 2023 workshop to analyze in-home drug disposal systems with focus on unused opioid analgesics. Discusses the life cycle of prescribed opioids, characteristics of in-home disposal systems, implementation and equity concerns, legal concerns, environmental impacts, and real-world settings. Includes discussions of tribal and rural-specific challenges and benefits.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Sciences Policy
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
Rural-Urban Differences in Social and Emotional Protective Factors and Their Association with Child Health and Flourishing
Examines differences in childhood protective factors in rural and urban communities that correlate with childhood health and wellness. Utilizes 2018-2021 data from the National Survey of Children's Health to analyze protective factors such as caregiver emotional and social support, caregiver mental and physical health, family resilience and connectedness, neighborhood and school safety, and more. Includes rural versus urban comparisons with data further broken down by race/ethnicity, sex, age, health status, and marriage status of caregiver.
Author(s): Rose Y. Hardy, Samantha J. Boch, Mattina A. Davenport, Laura J. Chavez, Kelly J. Kelleher
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(2), 314-325
Date: 2024
view details
Arizona Health Improvement Plan Summary Document 2024-2025 Update
Describes state efforts to address health priorities in Arizona, including social determinants of health, mental well-being, and rural health. Highlights strategies to improve public health in each identified area.
Additional links: Rural & Urban Underserved Health 2024-2025 Update
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Department of Health Services
view details
Final Frontier: IPC Challenges in Rural Health Care
Podcast interview with Dr. Michael Stevens, West Virginia University Health System's Healthcare Epidemiologist. Addresses difficulty in accessing mentoring in infection prevention and control (IPC) in rural facilities, and disconnects between local needs and upper-level mandates. Includes transcript.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organizations: American Medical Association, CDC's Project Firstline
view details
Effectiveness of Syringe Services Programs
Presents a literature review of the studies evaluating SSP interventions across the country. Report aims to evaluate the overall efficacy of SSPs at reducing the transmission of HIV/HCV. Four of the 100 studies were conducted in completely rural settings, and 5 were conducted in both rural and urban settings. Makes recommendations for VA policy makers.
Additional links: Appendices, Executive Summary
Author(s): Katherine M. Mackey, Erin H. Beech, Beth E. Williams, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Systems Research, Office of Research & Development
view details