https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/rural-health-research-assessment-evaluation Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations resources related to rural health, with information provided by the Rural Health Information Hub en Copyright 2026 Rural Health Information Hub https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/funding/6491 A 12-month interdisciplinary fellowship designed to generate original research that may lead to improved economic opportunity and quality of life in rural America. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/funding/6491 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:55:58 -0600 https://uofuhealth.utah.edu/newsroom/news/2026/02/bridging-gap-how-university-of-utahs-strokenet-delivering-breakthroughs Highlights the Utah Stroke Trials Network, a National Institutes of Health research network increasing access to stroke treatment research trials for rural and frontier communities in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and Washington. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/news/38304 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:13:18 -0600 https://www.cdc.gov/rural-health/php/science-tips/analyzing-demographics-rural-populations.html A tip sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussing best practices for using demographic data in rural public health research. Discusses when to disaggregate data, common demographic variables for discovering meaningful variation, practical considerations, and limitations. -- CDC Office of Rural Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27464 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:49:25 -0600 https://www.cdc.gov/rural-health/php/science-tips/using-rural-urban-variables.html A tip sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussing best practices for using rural and urban variables in public health studies. Discusses rural definitions, differences in rural communities, including rural communities in interpretation, and more. -- CDC Office of Rural Health https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/27463 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:43:04 -0600 https://www.census.gov/data/academy/webinars/2026/using-acs-full-picture-community.html -- U.S. Census Bureau https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/events/24995 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:23:50 -0600 https://www.va.gov/asheville-health-care/stories/serving-rural-veterans-through-research/ Highlights the work of the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System in including rural veterans in research studies and developing new treatments. Describes the benefits of research inclusion for both the participating veterans and research generally. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/news/38290 Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:45:53 -0600 https://www.uvm.edu/larnermed/nerhrc One of the Rural Health Research Centers currently funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Focuses on healthcare access, emergency medical services, rural healthcare providers, Medicaid/Medicare and uninsurance, chronic disease, behavioral health, and rural aging. A partnership between the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine and the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/organizations/4465 Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:04:11 -0600 https://itcaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Tribal-Community-Health-Improvement-Plan-CHIP-Toolkit.pdf Toolkit providing guidance on creating Tribal community health improvement plans (CHIPs) by identifying health priorities and planning and implementing effective and culturally relevant solutions. Provides tools, templates, and other resources for each step of the CHIP process. Includes a case study focused on COVID-19 vaccine uptake. -- Tribal Epidemiology Centers https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26870 Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:33:24 -0600 https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/CCI-25-00122 Details an open-access Rural-Urban Community Area (RUCA) tool to standardize patients' geographic coding in cancer disparities research by integrating RUCA codes with census tract and electronic health record system data. Provides data on the tool's application, utilizing 2023 cancer registry data provided by Wake Forest Cancer Center in North Carolina. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26745 Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:59:47 -0600 https://www.etsu.edu/cph/rhrc/documents/rhrc_091025.pdf Examines rural-focused research studies and their data limitations, such as quality of data, generalizability, numerous rural definitions, outdated data, and more. Reviews 259 research studies published between 2019-2022 in prominent peer-reviewed journals to analyze study characteristics and author-reported limitations. -- ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26322 Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:22:21 -0500 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1617776/full Examines the Precision Public Health Alliance (PPHA) approach of utilizing analytics to map social, demographic, and clinical comorbidity variables onto colorectal cancer (CRC) screening data in rural northeastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio. Provides data on the relationship among sociodemographic information, clinical outcomes, and CRC screening to assess community needs. Discusses the importance of understanding social determinants of health (SDOH) and community collaboration when addressing population health. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26295 Tue, 09 Sep 2025 09:15:55 -0500 https://www.jabfm.org/content/early/2025/08/22/jabfm.2024.240358R1 Commentary describing activities designed to improve rural clinical and community engagement in research led by the Oregon Rural Practice Research Network and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region Practice and Research Network. Features example solutions for meaningful engagement. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26275 Fri, 05 Sep 2025 09:59:33 -0500 https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.70036 Details a plan for sampling and recruitment procedures of the dementia workforce, focusing on previously unsampled populations working in assisted living communities or home health agencies. Discusses sampling and recruitment strategies with considerations for Census region and rural areas. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/26273 Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:50:51 -0500 https://www.ruralhealthresearch.org/centers/rmhd Supports rural maternal health networks through technical assistance and data support, a data repository, and data analyses on broad trends in maternal healthcare. A partnership between the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and Mission Analytics Group, Inc., funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/organizations/4458 Mon, 21 Jul 2025 11:06:11 -0500 https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/25_0216.htm Discusses the impact of the Strong Heart Study (SHS) and Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS) to provide population health and cardiovascular health outcomes information on rural tribal communities. Focuses on the importance of longitudinal studies, rigorous data collection, knowledge sharing, and partnerships. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25901 Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:13:19 -0500 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/wireless202506.pdf Provides data on households that rely on wireless telephones rather than landlines. Includes data on the percent of adults who live in wireless-only households and have their own wireless telephone, as well as data on phoneless adults. Provides data for nonmetropolitan compared to metropolitan areas. Discusses the need for surveys to include adequate representation of wireless-only households and households with landlines. -- National Center for Health Statistics https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25801 Tue, 24 Jun 2025 10:37:02 -0500 https://ktdrr.org/training/webcasts/webcast89/index.html A recorded webcast that discusses strategies to ensure aging and disability research reaches hard-to-reach and rural areas. Provides examples of rural research, dissemination methods, and collaborative efforts. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25744 Tue, 17 Jun 2025 09:24:42 -0500 https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0505.htm Discusses the process of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) initiating studies to examine cardiovascular disease in rural and remote areas, isolated populations, and sovereign nations. Discusses the steps in conducting research with a focus on building trust, transparent implementation, and mutual feedback and results sharing. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25430 Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:05:50 -0500 https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/opre-braiding-research-approaches-dec24-correctedcitation.pdf Provides a scoping review, research questions, and feedback from practitioners regarding Indigenous home visiting programs and Indigenous methodologies in home visiting research. Includes suggestions for research methodologies that incorporate cultural awareness and relationships in Indigenous communities. -- Administration for Children and Families https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/25032 Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:58:15 -0600 https://www.sph.umn.edu/research/projects/inrpha/ A collaborative of researchers facilitating research on health and aging trends for rural populations. Offers funding and data resources to support research on public health challenges for rural older adults. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/organizations/4455 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 09:11:49 -0600 https://tribalepicenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/TEC-PHR-BP-Digital-Edition-11-2024-compressed.pdf Provides an overview of tribal epidemiology centers (TECs), focusing on their impact on the availability and quality of public health surveillance data for American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Discusses challenges with collecting data for this population and strategies TECs are using to address these issues. Offers examples of public health best practices from TECs related to cancer, behavioral health, substance use, infectious diseases, and more. -- Tribal Epidemiology Centers https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24904 Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:04:45 -0600 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jrh.12898 Examines the reliability of the the Agricultural Producer Barriers to Care Scale (APBCS) as an instrument that tests for healthcare access barriers in rural U.S. farmers. Analyzes online survey data from 1,045 respondents across APBCS factors such as formal healthcare challenges, cultural barriers to seeking help, issues with stigma, and evidence of resilience. Discusses potential improvements to the APBCS tool. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24749 Thu, 12 Dec 2024 09:16:22 -0600 https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/7/6/93 Examines processes to identify fraudulent attempts to enroll in rural health improvement trials and provides recommendations for minimizing fraudulent attempts in online recruitment techniques. Analyzes 19,665 attempts to enroll in the Change Club (CC) study and presents data on identifiable fraud. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24626 Fri, 22 Nov 2024 15:17:02 -0600 https://rprn.org/ A multi-state research group investigating rural demographic trends and their implications on policy related to economic well-being, population health, health disparities, and more. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/organizations/4451 Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:43:58 -0600 https://assets.ncoa.org/ffacfe7d-10b6-0083-2632-604077fd4eca/1ecc4ea2-78a4-4bc3-bfaf-e4b6cda7ef1c/Engaging_Rural_Communities_CDSME_Toolkit.pdf Toolkit identifying strategies to plan, implement, and sustain evidence-based health promotion programs in rural areas with a focus on the needs of older adults. Highlights partnerships, transportation, technology, and marketing and outreach for their ability to successfully impact health promotion programs. -- National Council on Aging https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24561 Fri, 15 Nov 2024 12:44:50 -0600 https://rprn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RPRN-Report-2024_3_Final.pdf Summarizes 5 listening sessions with rural development practitioners aiming to identify areas of research need by rural population researchers. Discusses trends in agriculture and food systems, community and economic development, the environment and natural resources, and health, healthcare, and disability services. Offers recommendations related to information sharing, community involvement in research, data gathering, and best practices and evaluation. -- Rural Population Research Network https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24543 Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:02:50 -0600 https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/opre-culturally-responsive-engagement-brief-sep-2024.pdf Analyzes evaluation methods used to track Native or Indigenous Tribal human trafficking programs during their formation, implementation, and maturation phases. Examines how Native or Indigenous Tribal governments and organizations use culturally informed practices to address human trafficking. -- Administration for Children and Families https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24442 Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:03:31 -0600 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424001133 Evaluates the effectiveness of virtual randomized clinical trials for research involving rural family caregivers. Analyzes notes across 1,003 visits with research participants in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin to identify internet reliability issues and impact on the research. Discusses internet access a social determinant of health. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24246 Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:53:30 -0500 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jrh.12882 Discusses a potential model to predict financial distress in rural hospitals, including negative cash flow margin, negative equity, or closure of facility. Tests 2,311 rural hospitals from 2013 to 2019 with the model and discusses its potential to predict financial distress and create accurate assessments. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/24235 Fri, 04 Oct 2024 09:37:10 -0500 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6773.14377 Examines implementation strategies of rural health innovations utilizing the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Utilizes 2020-2022 annual reports from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health (ORH) to analyze 875 implementation strategies. Provides descriptive statistics on strategies utilized, including those focused on rurality benchmarks, and discusses utility of using annual reports to evaluate success of rural health innovations. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/resources/23993 Wed, 04 Sep 2024 08:46:48 -0500