Rural Health Disparities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Disparities.
QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Stroke Among Adults Aged ≥ 65 Years, by Region and Metropolitan Status — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2020
Bar chart showing stroke death rates among adults 65 and older, overall and for metropolitan and nonmetro areas. Includes data for the U.S. as a whole as well as by region for the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(43), 1386
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Bar chart showing stroke death rates among adults 65 and older, overall and for metropolitan and nonmetro areas. Includes data for the U.S. as a whole as well as by region for the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(43), 1386
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Urban–Rural Disparities in Diabetes-Related Mortality in the USA 1999–2019
Examines 20-year trends in diabetes-related mortality in urban and rural areas in the United States. Analyzes 6,598,281 death certificates that name diabetes mellitus as an underlying or contributing cause of death between 1999 and 2019, utilizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) Multiple Cause of Death database. Includes demographic breakdowns of urban versus rural mortality data by sex, age, and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Ofer Kobo, Harriette G. C. Van Spall, Mamas A. Mamas
Citation: Diabetologia, 65, 2078-2083
Date: 09/2022
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Examines 20-year trends in diabetes-related mortality in urban and rural areas in the United States. Analyzes 6,598,281 death certificates that name diabetes mellitus as an underlying or contributing cause of death between 1999 and 2019, utilizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) Multiple Cause of Death database. Includes demographic breakdowns of urban versus rural mortality data by sex, age, and race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Ofer Kobo, Harriette G. C. Van Spall, Mamas A. Mamas
Citation: Diabetologia, 65, 2078-2083
Date: 09/2022
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Rural and Urban Women Have Differing Sexual and Reproductive Health Experiences
Explores the healthcare disparities women aged 15 to 49 experience related to sexual and reproductive health. Analyzes 2015-2019 data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to investigate contraceptive use in 1,128 rural residents and 6,007 urban residents. Includes rural versus urban demographic breakdowns according to race/ethnicity, nativity, income, education, LGB+ identity, and history of/plans for having children.
Author(s): Emma Pliskin, Kate Welti, Jennifer Manlove
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
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Explores the healthcare disparities women aged 15 to 49 experience related to sexual and reproductive health. Analyzes 2015-2019 data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to investigate contraceptive use in 1,128 rural residents and 6,007 urban residents. Includes rural versus urban demographic breakdowns according to race/ethnicity, nativity, income, education, LGB+ identity, and history of/plans for having children.
Author(s): Emma Pliskin, Kate Welti, Jennifer Manlove
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Child Trends
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Preserving Independence among Under-Resourced Older Adults in the Southeastern United States: Existing Barriers and Potential Strategies for Research
Literature review examining barriers to independent aging in the Southeast, including physical, mental, and social challenges related to chronic conditions, health disparities, and access to care. Includes a section on barriers for older adults in rural areas of the Southeast.
Author(s): Ene M. Enogela, Taylor Buchanan, Christy S. Carter, et al.
Citation: International Journal for Equity in Health, 21, 119
Date: 08/2022
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Literature review examining barriers to independent aging in the Southeast, including physical, mental, and social challenges related to chronic conditions, health disparities, and access to care. Includes a section on barriers for older adults in rural areas of the Southeast.
Author(s): Ene M. Enogela, Taylor Buchanan, Christy S. Carter, et al.
Citation: International Journal for Equity in Health, 21, 119
Date: 08/2022
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Rural-Urban Disparities in Place of Death in Hematologic Malignancies in the United States, 2003 to 2019
Examines place of death (POD) by home, hospice, or nursing/medical facility due to hematologic malignancy mortalities that occurred between 2013 and 2019. Analyzes 1,009,717 deaths recorded in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database and breaks down POD by large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and rural metropolitan. Discusses disparities in urban and rural community access to end-of-life resources.
Author(s): S. M. Qasim Hussaini, Amanda L. Blackford, Arjun Gupta, et al.
Citation: Blood Advances, 6(16), 4731-4734
Date: 08/2022
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Examines place of death (POD) by home, hospice, or nursing/medical facility due to hematologic malignancy mortalities that occurred between 2013 and 2019. Analyzes 1,009,717 deaths recorded in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database and breaks down POD by large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and rural metropolitan. Discusses disparities in urban and rural community access to end-of-life resources.
Author(s): S. M. Qasim Hussaini, Amanda L. Blackford, Arjun Gupta, et al.
Citation: Blood Advances, 6(16), 4731-4734
Date: 08/2022
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Inequities in Availability of Evidence-Based Birth Supports to Improve Perinatal Health for Socially Vulnerable Rural Residents
Examines the social risk factors rural residents face related to maternal and infant mortality. Utilizes data from 285 rural hospitals across the United States that have inpatient birthing centers to measure the availability of maternal and postpartum supports such as breastfeeding support groups, nurse home visiting, childbirth education classes, and more. Evaluates each hospital's social vulnerability index (SVI) on the county-level to determine the level of birth support inequities in rural areas and for residents who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
Author(s): Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Julia D. Interrante, Alyssa H. Fritz, Mariana S. Tuttle, Katy Backes Kozhimannil
Citation: Children, 9(7), 1077
Date: 07/2022
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Examines the social risk factors rural residents face related to maternal and infant mortality. Utilizes data from 285 rural hospitals across the United States that have inpatient birthing centers to measure the availability of maternal and postpartum supports such as breastfeeding support groups, nurse home visiting, childbirth education classes, and more. Evaluates each hospital's social vulnerability index (SVI) on the county-level to determine the level of birth support inequities in rural areas and for residents who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
Author(s): Bridget Basile Ibrahim, Julia D. Interrante, Alyssa H. Fritz, Mariana S. Tuttle, Katy Backes Kozhimannil
Citation: Children, 9(7), 1077
Date: 07/2022
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Wiping Away the Tears: Addressing Increasing Death in Rural America
Examines rural mortality trends and discusses the impact of the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rural maternal and infant mortality. Describes federally-funded efforts to address rural disparities.
Author(s): Whitney Zahnd
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Examines rural mortality trends and discusses the impact of the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rural maternal and infant mortality. Describes federally-funded efforts to address rural disparities.
Author(s): Whitney Zahnd
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Life Expectancy by County, Race, and Ethnicity in the USA, 2000–19: A Systematic Analysis of Health Disparities
Examines county-level racial health disparities over a 20-year period by isolating geography and race/ethnicity in mortality rates. Utilizes death registration data from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System as well as population data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Includes U.S. maps that show county-level life expectancy by race/ethnicity and figures tracking state-by-state changes in life expectancy by race from 2000 to 2019. Free to download with registration.
Author(s): Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Parkes Kendrick, Yekaterina O Kelly, et al.
Citation: The Lancet, 400(10345), 25-38
Date: 07/2022
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Examines county-level racial health disparities over a 20-year period by isolating geography and race/ethnicity in mortality rates. Utilizes death registration data from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System as well as population data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Includes U.S. maps that show county-level life expectancy by race/ethnicity and figures tracking state-by-state changes in life expectancy by race from 2000 to 2019. Free to download with registration.
Author(s): Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Parkes Kendrick, Yekaterina O Kelly, et al.
Citation: The Lancet, 400(10345), 25-38
Date: 07/2022
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Advancing Health Equity in Rural America
Report examining rural health equity, covering rural economic and demographic data, disparities by rurality, race/ethnicity, and class, and examples of initiatives that aim to increase health equity in rural communities. Offers recommendations for increasing health equity through economic and policy actions.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paula Braveman, Julia Acker, Elaine Arkin, Katrina Badger, Nicole Holm
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Report examining rural health equity, covering rural economic and demographic data, disparities by rurality, race/ethnicity, and class, and examples of initiatives that aim to increase health equity in rural communities. Offers recommendations for increasing health equity through economic and policy actions.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Paula Braveman, Julia Acker, Elaine Arkin, Katrina Badger, Nicole Holm
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Self-Rated Health Among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adults: Rural/Urban Differences
Policy brief examining differences in self-rated health by sexual orientation and rural or urban location. Includes statistics from the National Health Interview Survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Health Information National Trends Survey.
Author(s): Hannah MacDougall, Carrie Henning-Smith, Courtney Sarkin, Gilbert Gonzales
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Policy brief examining differences in self-rated health by sexual orientation and rural or urban location. Includes statistics from the National Health Interview Survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Health Information National Trends Survey.
Author(s): Hannah MacDougall, Carrie Henning-Smith, Courtney Sarkin, Gilbert Gonzales
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
- Appalachia
- Delta Region
- Health disparities
- Rural-urban differences
- The South
- U.S.-Mexico Border Region
Last Updated: 8/12/2025