Rural Health Disparities – Resources

Implementation of a Maternal Child Knowledgebase
Describes the development and implementation of the Maternal-Child Knowledgebase (MCK), an Obstetrics and Gynecology-focused enterprise data warehouse that integrates pregnancy and care data for patients of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to facilitate maternal and women's health surveillance and research. Offers an overview of the MCK architecture, interface, security, and data governance, and notes the need for maternal and child health data to address rural disparities.
Author(s): Donna A. Santillan, Mark K. Santillan, Heather A. Davis, et al.
Citation: AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings Archive, 2022, 432-438
Date: 05/2022
view details

Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, 2017–2019
Examines the prevalence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy among delivery hospitalizations. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural (nonmetro/nonmicro) counties on prevalence of any hypertension, chronic hypertension, pregnancy-related hypertension, and unspecified maternal hypertension.
Author(s): Nicole D. Ford, Shanna Cox, Jean Y. Ko, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(17), 585–591
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details

2022 County Health Rankings National Findings Report
Analyzes county-level health disparities by examining health factors and outcomes throughout the U.S. Covers living wages, the pay gap between men and women, childcare costs, school funding, and more. Discusses impacts of COVID-19, key findings, and calls to action to improve community health outcomes.
Date: 04/2022
Sponsoring organization: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
view details

Individual and Neighborhood Influences on the Relationship Between Waist Circumference and Coronary Heart Disease in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study
Explores a study correlating the waist circumference with incidence of coronary heart disease and discusses the influence of geography and socioeconomic factors, such as race, poverty, and rurality, among others. Breaks down data by individual and ecological characteristics.
Author(s): Anne H. Gaglioti, Desiree Rivers, Joanna Bryan Ringel, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 19
Date: 04/2022
view details

Rural Children's Health and Health Care
Examines differences in child health conditions by rural and urban residency. Explores differences in use of preventative dental and medical services by poverty rate, adverse childhood experiences, overweight and obesity, food insecurity, and physical activity.
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
view details

Structural Factors That Impact Rural Life Expectancy
Policy position paper focused on challenges to improving life expectancy in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to address health outcomes in rural populations.
Author(s): Bryan Price, Elizabeth Ruen, Wade Swenson
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details

Quantifying Rural Disparity in Healthcare Utilization in the United States: Analysis of a Large Midwestern Healthcare System
Analyzes patient utilization of rural versus urban outpatient clinics. Explores electronic health record data from 474,674 adult patients from June 2018 to March 2019 across variables such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, smoking status, and health status. Includes statistics and discussion of clinic utilization in relation to rural healthcare disparities.
Author(s): Akua Nuako, Jingxia Liu, Giang Pham, et al.
Citation: PLoS ONE, 17(2)
Date: 02/2022
view details

The Problem Of The Color Line: Spatial Access To Hospital Services For Minoritized Racial And Ethnic Groups
Study examining healthcare access by race and geography, covering distances to hospital services for minoritized ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZTCAs). Discusses factors that lead to disparities in access for rural minority communities, including policy, rural hospital closures, and safety-net program issues.
Additional links: Story Map: The Problem Of The Color Line
Author(s): Jan M. Eberth, Peiyin Hung, Gabriel A. Benavidez, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 41(2), 237-246
Date: 02/2022
view details

Self-Rated Physical Health Among Working-Aged Adults Along the Rural-Urban Continuum — United States, 2021
Reports on differences in self-rated physical health among adults aged 18-64 in large urban, medium/small urban, metro-adjacent rural, and remote rural counties.
Author(s): Danielle C. Rhubart, Shannon M. Monnat
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(5), 161-166
Date: 02/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details

Does Primary Care Availability Mediate the Relationship Between Rurality and Lower Life Expectancy in the United States?
Analyzes if the availability of primary care providers (PCPs) is a factor in life expectancy outcomes in rural areas. Utilizes county-level statistics for the years 2010, 2015, and 2017 to see if rural counties with higher PCP density trended toward higher life expectancy. Includes descriptive statistics that show rural versus urban comparisons for life expectancy, race/ethnicity, education level, income, insurance and employment status, rate of elderly residents, and access to/cost of medical care.
Author(s): Arjun Sharma, Sanjay Basu
Citation: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 13
Date: 2022
view details