Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Women

Patient, Facility, and Community Determinants of Timely Follow up after Abnormal Screening Mammograms in Appalachia: A Multilevel Analysis
Examines the impact of community, patient, and facility characteristics on mammogram screening access, mammogram recall, and biopsy rates in 5 Appalachian states. Utilizes 2016-2018 Medicare claims data from breast imaging organizations to analyze characteristics of mammogram care, providing sociodemographic breakdowns and metro versus rural comparisons.
Author(s): Roger T. Anderson, Marianne M. Hillemeier, Jennifer A. Harvey, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(1), e70104
Date: 01/2026
view details
Availability of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in the United States by County, 2010–2023: A State-by-State Report
Provides national, state, and county-specific information on changes in obstetric care access from 2010-2023. Displays county-level maps of changes in hospital-based services availability between 2010-2023, highlighting changes from 2022 to 2023. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban and rural counties.
Author(s): Julia D. Interrante, Kevan O'Hanlon, Katy B. Kozhimannil
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Health Concerns of Women in Agriculture in the Midwestern United States
Presents a study exploring the health and safety needs of women working as agricultural producers. Bases findings on a survey of 120 agricultural women in Nebraska. Explores concerns about zoonotic diseases, reproductive health concerns, musculoskeletal disorders, and mental health challenges, among other issues common to agricultural work.
Author(s): Cheryl L. Beseler, Megan Lutt, Alex Egbuchiem, Ellen G. Duysen
Citation: Journal of Agromedicine, 31, 11-19
Date: 01/2026
view details
Improving Maternal Mental Health in Women With Serious Mental Illness
Report highlights gaps in maternal mental healthcare access and highlights promising practices aimed at closing those gaps in several states. Discusses factors that affect maternal mental health access, such as screening, workforce, training, and peer support, among others.
Date: 2026
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
view details
Geospatial Analysis of Breast Cancer Incidence, Mortality, and Access to Screening in Rural and Appalachian Virginia
Assesses differences in breast cancer rates and mortality between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties, and rural and nonrural counties in Virginia. Also explores whether availability of mammography is associated with differences. Features county-level Virginia maps, and statistics with breakdowns by Virginia counties, rural counties, and nonrural counties.
Author(s): Jennifer Osher, Caleb Brown, Phillip Nichols, Tariq Ayubi, Jeremy Powers
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 7(4), 55-69
Date: 12/2025
view details
Maternal Syphilis in Mississippi, 2013 to 2023
Results of a study of maternal syphilis in Mississippi, using birth certificate data from 2013-2023. Features statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Manuela Staneva, Victoria Gholar, Thomas Dobbs
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(12), e2546787
Date: 12/2025
view details
Bone Density Scan (DEXA) Utilization Among Women Without Diagnosed Osteoporosis Aged 50 and Older in the United States, 2022
Statistical brief examining likelihood of having ever received low bone density screening (DEXA) among women aged 50 and older without a diagnosis of osteoporosis. See Figure 7 for a comparison between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
Author(s): Terceira A. Berdahl
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
A Scoping Review Comparing Individual and Multi-Level Physical Activity Interventions in Rural Women in the United States
Scoping review comparing the outcomes of 38 individual and multi-level physical activity interventions for rural women. Discusses aspects of physical activity intervention research including population groups studied, characteristics of effective programs, and priorities for continued physical activity intervention research.
Author(s): Katrina L. Wilhite, Alexis Thrower, Sarah Modlin, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 4211
Date: 12/2025
view details
Examining Rural Disparities in Cigarette Smoking among U.S. Women by Chronological Age: 2002–2022
Presents a study on rural disparities in rates of cigarette smoking among women from 2002 to 2022. Draws data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and examines correlative factors, such as age, educational attainment, and income, among others.
Author(s): Stephen T. Higgins, Tyler G. Erath, Fang Fang Chen, Michael J. DeSarno
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 201, 108359
Date: 12/2025
view details
Preliminary Birth Report Kansas, 2024
Provides 2024 county-level data on live births/maternal age in Kansas, with further breakdowns by frontier, rural, densely-settled rural, semi-urban, and urban location.
Date: 11/2025
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
view details