Rural Health Disparities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Disparities.
Key Facts About Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Areas
Presents information and data about rural Medicare beneficiaries, including demographic and health characteristics, access to healthcare, and satisfaction with care. Compares data on beneficiaries living in urban areas, rural areas adjacent to an urban area, and rural areas not adjacent to an urban area.
Author(s): Nancy Ochieng, Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Presents information and data about rural Medicare beneficiaries, including demographic and health characteristics, access to healthcare, and satisfaction with care. Compares data on beneficiaries living in urban areas, rural areas adjacent to an urban area, and rural areas not adjacent to an urban area.
Author(s): Nancy Ochieng, Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Evolution of the US Nonmetropolitan Mortality Disadvantage by Sex, State, and Year, 1999–2019
Highlights rural and urban disparities in mortality by sex and state from 1999 to 2019. Breaks down data by year, sex, and Census division, among other measures.
Author(s): Eugenio Paglino, Irma T. Elo, Samuel H. Preston, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2), e70040
Date: 06/2025
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Highlights rural and urban disparities in mortality by sex and state from 1999 to 2019. Breaks down data by year, sex, and Census division, among other measures.
Author(s): Eugenio Paglino, Irma T. Elo, Samuel H. Preston, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2), e70040
Date: 06/2025
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Traffic Safety Facts, 2023 Data: Rural/Urban Traffic Fatalities
Reports 2023 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data describing fatal motor vehicle crashes. Provides rural versus urban statistics for fatal motor vehicle crashes by light condition, roadway departure and intersection, age group, speeding, alcohol use, seat belt use, and rollover crashes. Includes statistics on ratio of rural to urban fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, by state, as of 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Reports 2023 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data describing fatal motor vehicle crashes. Provides rural versus urban statistics for fatal motor vehicle crashes by light condition, roadway departure and intersection, age group, speeding, alcohol use, seat belt use, and rollover crashes. Includes statistics on ratio of rural to urban fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, by state, as of 2023.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Rural Health Disparities: Contemporary Solutions for Persistent Rural Public Health Challenges
Special issue of Preventing Chronic Disease featuring articles that examine rural health disparities and discuss rural public health strategies to address cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, and to promote physical activity.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease
Date: 06/2025
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Special issue of Preventing Chronic Disease featuring articles that examine rural health disparities and discuss rural public health strategies to address cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, and to promote physical activity.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease
Date: 06/2025
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Risks of Adverse Health Outcomes among Older Rural Prostate Cancer Survivors in the SEER-Medicare Data
Analyzes health outcomes and disparities in prostate cancer survivors living in rural areas. Compares 37,126 rural and 109,176 urban prostate cancer survivors over the age of 66 to provide data breakdowns according to sociodemographics, health status and behaviors, cancer characteristics, type of treatment, adverse health outcomes, and risk of death.
Author(s): Chun-Pin Chang (Esther), Daren Huang, Shane Lloyd, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 05/2025
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Analyzes health outcomes and disparities in prostate cancer survivors living in rural areas. Compares 37,126 rural and 109,176 urban prostate cancer survivors over the age of 66 to provide data breakdowns according to sociodemographics, health status and behaviors, cancer characteristics, type of treatment, adverse health outcomes, and risk of death.
Author(s): Chun-Pin Chang (Esther), Daren Huang, Shane Lloyd, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(2)
Date: 05/2025
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Assessing Neighborhood Deprivation Reveals Rural-Urban Disparities in CGM Access Among Children With Type 1 Diabetes
Examines disparities in access to continuous glucose monitor (CGM) technology in rural versus urban and high deprivation versus low deprivation areas, utilizing 2016-2023 pediatric endocrine patient encounter data for a region including parts of Missouri and Kansas. Highlights interactions between rurality, deprivation, access, and neighborhood demographics.
Author(s): Daniel R. Tilden, Christie A. Befort, Brent Lockee, et al.
Citation: Diabetes Care, dc250077
Date: 05/2025
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Examines disparities in access to continuous glucose monitor (CGM) technology in rural versus urban and high deprivation versus low deprivation areas, utilizing 2016-2023 pediatric endocrine patient encounter data for a region including parts of Missouri and Kansas. Highlights interactions between rurality, deprivation, access, and neighborhood demographics.
Author(s): Daniel R. Tilden, Christie A. Befort, Brent Lockee, et al.
Citation: Diabetes Care, dc250077
Date: 05/2025
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Current Approaches to Rural Health Workforce Challenges Need Improvement
Describes rural health disparities using data from New York's provider recruitment efforts. Features statistics on the percentage of New York-trained physicians in the states with the highest rural populations, and workforce recruitment program outcomes with breakdowns by medical specialty and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Gaetano Forte
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Describes rural health disparities using data from New York's provider recruitment efforts. Features statistics on the percentage of New York-trained physicians in the states with the highest rural populations, and workforce recruitment program outcomes with breakdowns by medical specialty and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Gaetano Forte
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Access to CCTA at Safety-Net Hospitals Across the United States
Examines the availability of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) at safety-net hospitals to evaluate patients with chest pain. Analyzes 391 safety-net hospitals according to bed size, state, academic status, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Jonah Delshad, Trevor Weis, Caleb Bayona, et al.
Citation: Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 19(3), 340-343
Date: 05/2025
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Examines the availability of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) at safety-net hospitals to evaluate patients with chest pain. Analyzes 391 safety-net hospitals according to bed size, state, academic status, and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Jonah Delshad, Trevor Weis, Caleb Bayona, et al.
Citation: Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, 19(3), 340-343
Date: 05/2025
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Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories in 2024
Presents projections of traffic fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2024. Includes data for rural versus urban roads, among other measures. Compares 2023 fatality data to 2024 rates by month for a number of indicators, including rural areas.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Presents projections of traffic fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2024. Includes data for rural versus urban roads, among other measures. Compares 2023 fatality data to 2024 rates by month for a number of indicators, including rural areas.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Rural and Urban Differences in Suicide in the United States, 2018-2021
Highlights the rates of suicide across the U.S. from 2018-2021 in rural and urban areas. Discusses some of the geographic and demographic characteristics that correlate with higher rates of suicide. Breaks down data by year, demographics, Census and HHS regions, and rural versus urban location. Makes policy recommendations based on the report's findings.
Author(s): Qian Huang, Nicole Galler, Michael Meit, Amy Wahlquist
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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Highlights the rates of suicide across the U.S. from 2018-2021 in rural and urban areas. Discusses some of the geographic and demographic characteristics that correlate with higher rates of suicide. Breaks down data by year, demographics, Census and HHS regions, and rural versus urban location. Makes policy recommendations based on the report's findings.
Author(s): Qian Huang, Nicole Galler, Michael Meit, Amy Wahlquist
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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