Rural Health Disparities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Disparities.
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
Type: Document
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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
Type: Document
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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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
Type: Document
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis
Provides an overview of the maternal health crisis, including maternal mortality and morbidity disparities, and outlines investments and initiatives to address these issues. Presents goals and actions related to access to maternal and behavioral health services, improving data collection and policy, expanding and diversifying the maternal health workforce, and strengthening economic and social supports.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Provides an overview of the maternal health crisis, including maternal mortality and morbidity disparities, and outlines investments and initiatives to address these issues. Presents goals and actions related to access to maternal and behavioral health services, improving data collection and policy, expanding and diversifying the maternal health workforce, and strengthening economic and social supports.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Prevalence of Chronic Conditions by Sexual Orientation and Rural-Urban Location
Presents a study on the correlation between chronic health issues by sexual orientation and rurality. Breaks down rates of chronic diseases such as arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes, and others by sexual orientation and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Gilbert Gonzales, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Presents a study on the correlation between chronic health issues by sexual orientation and rurality. Breaks down rates of chronic diseases such as arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes, and others by sexual orientation and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Gilbert Gonzales, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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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
Type: Document
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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
Type: Document
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Rural-Urban Differences in Maternal Mortality Trends in the US, 1999–2017: Accounting for the Impact of the Pregnancy Status Checkbox
Examines maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) from 1999 to 2017 by maternal residence of large urban area, medium/small urban area, or rural area. Discusses the impact on recorded MMRs of including a pregnancy status checkbox on death certificates. Includes data breakdowns by maternal residence, race/ethnicity, and age.
Author(s): Lauren M. Rossen, Katherine A. Ahrens, Lindsay S. Womack, Sayeedha F.G. Uddin, Amy M. Branum
Citation: American Journal of Epidemiology, 191(6), 1030-1039
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Examines maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) from 1999 to 2017 by maternal residence of large urban area, medium/small urban area, or rural area. Discusses the impact on recorded MMRs of including a pregnancy status checkbox on death certificates. Includes data breakdowns by maternal residence, race/ethnicity, and age.
Author(s): Lauren M. Rossen, Katherine A. Ahrens, Lindsay S. Womack, Sayeedha F.G. Uddin, Amy M. Branum
Citation: American Journal of Epidemiology, 191(6), 1030-1039
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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Evaluation of the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program: 2019 Cohort - Second Annual Report
Reports on the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program 2019 cohort's first implementation year, 2020-2021. Describes the program, the need for increased access to maternal and obstetric care in rural areas, and the program's strategic goals. Provides an overview of the 3 RMOMS awardees in Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas, including network characteristics, model and goals, health equity efforts, sustainability, and maternal health outcomes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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Reports on the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program 2019 cohort's first implementation year, 2020-2021. Describes the program, the need for increased access to maternal and obstetric care in rural areas, and the program's strategic goals. Provides an overview of the 3 RMOMS awardees in Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas, including network characteristics, model and goals, health equity efforts, sustainability, and maternal health outcomes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
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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: 10/24/2023