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Rural Health Information Hub

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

Engaging With Communities - Lessons (Re)Learned From COVID-19
Discusses health status in the U.S. and offers recommendations for community engagement and partnerships in public health to achieve and maintain improved health outcomes. Offers examples of community, local health department, and other partner's efforts to respond to COVID-19, including activities implemented in tribal and rural settings.
Author(s): Lloyd Michener, Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Philip Alberti, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 07/2020
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Effectiveness of Interventions to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Among American Indians and Alaska Natives
Uses data on participants from 3 tribally operated healthcare clinics in rural areas to study whether direct mailing of fecal immunochemical test kits is effective in increasing colorectal cancer screening among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Author(s): Donald Haverkamp, Kevin English, Jasmine Jacobs-Wingo, Amanda Tjemsland, David Espey
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 07/2020
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Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― United States, April-May 2020
Provides data from 28 states on the number of meat and poultry processing facilities affected by COVID-19, characteristics of affected workers, and COVID-19–associated deaths among workers. Data on cases and deaths through May 31, 2020 were obtained from 239 affected facilities. Also describes interventions and prevention efforts at these facilities.
Author(s): Michelle A. Waltenburg, Tristan Victoroff, Charles E. Rose, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(27), 887-892
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress
Features Butler Memorial Hospital and how it adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights the switch to online delivery for a chronic disease project funded by a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant. Also describes initiatives to address healthcare workforce stress, help patients use tablets to visit with loved ones, and distribute healthy food to the community.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Supporting the Health and Wellbeing of Middle-Aged Adults Living Alone in Rural Counties
Results of a study exploring the characteristics of adults ages 35-64 who live alone, and the heightened health risks and challenges related to social isolation, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Uses data from a survey of 14 healthcare providers in rural counties with a high percentage of middle-aged adults living alone. Features a county-level map with breakdowns by percentage of people living alone in rural areas.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Mariana Tuttle, Ashley Hernandez, Jonathan Schroeder, Katy Kozhimannil
Date: 07/2020
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Community-based Program to Increase Use of Hearing Conservation Practices among Farm and Rural Youth: A Cluster Randomized Trial of Effectiveness
Examines the effectiveness of two interventions regarding knowledge and attitudes toward hearing conservation among farm and rural youth. Discusses the prevalence of hearing loss among farmworkers and the risks of exposure to farm noise from an early age.
Author(s): Marjorie C. McCullagh, James J. Yang, Michael A. Cohen
Citation: BMC Public Health, 20(1), 847
Date: 06/2020
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Drug Education and Cessation Programs Help Teens Avoid or Quit Vaping
Highlights vaping education programs reaching rural schools in California and Tennessee, as well as a multi-state program helping teens in 18 states quit vaping.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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CMS Roadmap: Strategy to Fight the Opioid Crisis
An overview of the efforts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is undertaking to address the opioid epidemic. Highlights a three-pronged approach focusing on prevention, treatment, and data utilization to target prevention and treatment activities.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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The Implementation of a Culturally Grounded, School-Based, Drug Prevention Curriculum in Rural Hawai'i
Details the development of a school-based drug prevention program for Hawaiian youth. Discusses the development and implementation of the Ho'ouna Pono program curriculum and evaluates the program based on student and teacher experiences, implementation structure and logistics, and standardized testing, among other measures.
Author(s): Scott K. Okamoto, Susana Helm, Steven Keone Chin, et al.
Citation: Journal of Community Psychology, 48(4), 1085-1099
Date: 05/2020
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Use of Small-Area Estimates to Describe County-Level Geographic Variation in Prevalence of Extreme Obesity among US Adults
Study examining the variability in prevalence of extreme obesity at the county level, using small-area estimation to pinpoint specific areas of high and low prevalence. Uses data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the U.S. Census Bureau to create county-level estimates for adults over 18 years of age. Discusses contrasting pictures of extreme obesity at a broad state level and at the county level, highlighting ranges of prevalence in select states and noting some areas of rural prevalence.
Author(s): Carrie W. Mills, Glen Johnson, Terry T. K. Huang, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(5), e204289
Date: 05/2020
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