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Rural Health Information Hub

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

Enhancing Access and Impact of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Using Telehealth: A Narrative Review
Evaluates the viability of telehealth delivery of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) via a literature review of telehealth-based disease prevention program research. Discusses clinical effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability, and policies affecting MDPP implementation. Highlights rural-relevant research findings and discusses access benefits of remote delivery.
Author(s): Natalie D. Ritchie, Melanie T. Turk
Citation: mHealth, 10, 10
Date: 12/2023
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Pediatric Vaccination Rates in Rural America
Policy position paper regarding declining vaccination rates of children in rural communities. Compares rural and urban childhood vaccination rates and the potential for increasing health disparities. Describes a "5As of vaccine access" policy framework to evaluate current and future immunization policies and proposals. Offers recommended actions for federal, state, and local governments and organizations to improve rural vaccine uptake.
Author(s): Cynthia Calixte, Nitika Moibi, Andrea Stephenson Royster
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Health Equity: A Native American Perspective
Discusses health equity from a Native American perspective. Highlights a model of equity that goes beyond overcoming barriers around access and incorporates cultural knowledge, spiritual well-being, and community involvement, among other factors.
Author(s): John Lowe
Citation: Milbank Quarterly
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity among Mostly Older, Overweight Black Women Living in the Rural Alabama Black Belt
Examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity in 4 rural, predominantly Black Alabama communities from March 2020 to Aug 2021. Study participants were predominantly Black, overweight, older women with low levels of physical activity. Provides data on changes in physical activity levels during the pandemic, concerns influencing physical activity, leisure time physical activity habits, and demographic characteristics.
Author(s): Whitney N. Neal, Erica A. Schleicher, Kerri Baron, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(24), 7180
Date: 12/2023
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Assessing Social Needs and Engaging Community Health Workers in Underserved Kansas Counties: Insights From Primary Care Providers and Clinic Managers
Details a study exploring how rural and urban communities in Kansas are screening for social determinants of health and using community health workers to address challenges. Bases findings on surveys of providers and clinic managers.
Author(s): Kristina M. Bridges, Joseph W. LeMaster, Daniel J. Parente, et al
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 14
Date: 12/2023
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Use of Primary Care and Emergency Departments for Substance Use Treatment: The Rural and Urban Divide
Explores the use of primary care and emergency departments for substance use treatment in rural and urban areas. Draws from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2015-2019 and breaks down data by age and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Nathaniel Albright, Christina Dyar, Ethan Morgan
Citation: Substance Use & Misuse, 59(2), 300-305
Date: 12/2023
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Impacts of Transit on Health in Rural and Small Urban Areas
Overview of how public transportation affects health in rural and small urban areas. Summarizes findings from a literature review that looked at public transportation as it relates to the social determinants of health, healthcare access, physical activity, social isolation, and mental health. Also reports results from a survey of rural older adults supplemented by data analysis looking at travel for healthcare, challenges related to public transportation, and the impacts of missed or delayed healthcare trips.
Author(s): Jeremy Mattson, Bright Quayson
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
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Urban and Rural Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on HPV Vaccination in Minnesota
Reports findings from a set of 20 qualitative interviews with urban and rural adolescent healthcare providers and clinic staff in Minnesota. Examines provider strategies used when discussing HPV, COVID-19, and other adolescent vaccines, as well as perceptions of parental opinions on adolescent vaccination. Discusses rural cultural values that impact rural provider strategies for promoting vaccination.
Author(s): Elizabeth J. Polter, Ben Christianson, Anne Steinberg, et al.
Citation: Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 19(3), 2291859
Date: 12/2023
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High-Risk Individuals and Naloxone Use: Implications for THN Programs in Rural Appalachian Communities
Presents thematic analysis of factors influencing opioid overdose and naloxone use from interviews with 16 people who use opioid drugs in 4 rural, Appalachian Pennsylvania counties. Identifies opioid overdose risk factors, including substance use habits, as well as factors facilitating or preventing effective naloxone interventions. Covers naloxone access and knowledge, experiences, attitudes toward first responders, and disconnects between naloxone intervention and opioid dependence treatment.
Author(s): Victor Garcia, Lisa McCann, Erick Lauber, et al.
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 5(3), 9-21
Date: 12/2023
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The MN RIDE Pilot: Feasibility of a Synchronous, Remotely Delivered, Aerobic Exercise Training Program for Rural-Dwelling Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline
Evaluates the feasibility of implementing an aerobic exercise (AEx) telerehabilitation program in rural Minnesota for middle-aged and older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Assesses participant attendance, intensity adherence, adverse events, and satisfaction with the program. Discusses the potential of utilizing telerehabilitation programs for rural patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).
Author(s): Dereck L Salisbury, Wayne Warry, Joshua Fergen, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(4), 8351
Date: 12/2023
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