Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations.
How Rural Is All of Us? Comparing Characteristics of Rural Participants in the National Institute of Health's All of Us Research Program to Other National Data Sources
Compares the All of Us health research dataset that utilizes self-reported rurality to other nationally representative data sources that represent rurality. Discusses implications of using the All for Us dataset as a proxy measure of rurality in health research.
Author(s): Janessa M. Graves, Shawna R. Beese, Demetrius A. Abshire, Kevin J. Bennett
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 745-751
Date: 2024
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Compares the All of Us health research dataset that utilizes self-reported rurality to other nationally representative data sources that represent rurality. Discusses implications of using the All for Us dataset as a proxy measure of rurality in health research.
Author(s): Janessa M. Graves, Shawna R. Beese, Demetrius A. Abshire, Kevin J. Bennett
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 40(4), 745-751
Date: 2024
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Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Community Pharmacies: A Protocol for a Stepped Wedge Randomized Clinical Trial
Evaluates implementation strategies of rural-located pharmacies looking to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in their communities. Describes how the study will examine intervention fidelity, effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, adoption, reach, and cost.
Author(s): Geoffrey Curran, Cynthia Mosley, Abigail Gamble, et al.
Citation: Implementation Science, 18, 72
Date: 12/2023
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Evaluates implementation strategies of rural-located pharmacies looking to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in their communities. Describes how the study will examine intervention fidelity, effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, adoption, reach, and cost.
Author(s): Geoffrey Curran, Cynthia Mosley, Abigail Gamble, et al.
Citation: Implementation Science, 18, 72
Date: 12/2023
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Connecting Minority-Serving Institutions and Rural Research
Discusses minority serving institutions (MSI) and their role in rural research. Highlights rural-focused research systems, research of MSIs, and opportunities for integration of the two.
Author(s): Marjory Givens, Brian Dabson, Hilary Joyner, Olivia Little
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Discusses minority serving institutions (MSI) and their role in rural research. Highlights rural-focused research systems, research of MSIs, and opportunities for integration of the two.
Author(s): Marjory Givens, Brian Dabson, Hilary Joyner, Olivia Little
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute
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Development and Evaluation of the Delivery-Based HEALED Produce Rx Program for Uninsured Patients With Diabetes in Rural Eastern North Carolina
A program evaluation brief that provides an overview of the Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle to Enhance Diabetes management (HEALED) program that surveyed patients in 2019 and then delivered plant-based foods to 40 participants as a part of a produce prescription (PRx) program in 2021. Reports on how PRx programs and related resources such as cooking instructions can positively impact diabetes patients. Discusses the importance of performing a needs assessment, pilot programming, and a formative evaluation in rural and underserved programs to remove food access barriers such as lack of transportation and involve participants in their own wellness journeys.
Author(s): Lauren R. Sastre, Brandon Stroud, Elisa Smith, Khadijah Hendrix, Olivia McBride
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 06/2023
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A program evaluation brief that provides an overview of the Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle to Enhance Diabetes management (HEALED) program that surveyed patients in 2019 and then delivered plant-based foods to 40 participants as a part of a produce prescription (PRx) program in 2021. Reports on how PRx programs and related resources such as cooking instructions can positively impact diabetes patients. Discusses the importance of performing a needs assessment, pilot programming, and a formative evaluation in rural and underserved programs to remove food access barriers such as lack of transportation and involve participants in their own wellness journeys.
Author(s): Lauren R. Sastre, Brandon Stroud, Elisa Smith, Khadijah Hendrix, Olivia McBride
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 20
Date: 06/2023
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Building Trust and Visibility Through Community-Based Participatory Research At Rural Minority-Serving Institutions
Examines some of the driving forces and conditions ensuring a rural voice in design and action, the alignment of rural fields and actors, and an accurate rural narrative. Explores rural Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and approaches to community-based participatory research that can be used to better understand MSIs' nature and practices.
Author(s): Marybeth Gasman, Alice Ginsberg, Levon T. Esters
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
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Examines some of the driving forces and conditions ensuring a rural voice in design and action, the alignment of rural fields and actors, and an accurate rural narrative. Explores rural Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and approaches to community-based participatory research that can be used to better understand MSIs' nature and practices.
Author(s): Marybeth Gasman, Alice Ginsberg, Levon T. Esters
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
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Rural Healthy People 2030, featuring Timothy Callaghan and Morgan Kassabian
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast focused on the Rural Healthy People 2030 project, featuring Timothy Callaghan and Morgan Kassabian. Discusses the rural health priorities covered by this project and changes in rural health concerns over time. Also describes the methods used for collecting insights from rural stakeholders.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast focused on the Rural Healthy People 2030 project, featuring Timothy Callaghan and Morgan Kassabian. Discusses the rural health priorities covered by this project and changes in rural health concerns over time. Also describes the methods used for collecting insights from rural stakeholders.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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CARE Data Principles, Indigenous Data, Data Related to Indigenous Peoples and Interest
Offers principles for ethical use of Indigenous data with focus on collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and ethics (CARE). Discusses implementation of CARE principles, language, and resources for learning more.
Author(s): Sarah Barsness, Jewel Cummins, Maria Victoria Fernandez, et al
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Data Curation Network
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Offers principles for ethical use of Indigenous data with focus on collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and ethics (CARE). Discusses implementation of CARE principles, language, and resources for learning more.
Author(s): Sarah Barsness, Jewel Cummins, Maria Victoria Fernandez, et al
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Data Curation Network
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Navigating the Ethical and Methodological Dimensions of a Farm Safety Photovoice Project
Discusses the ethical considerations of the photovoice method of participatory research with a close look at vulnerable populations, privacy considerations, power dynamics in research, and agriculture-specific concerns. Describes an agricultural health and safety photovoice project and how researchers handled these ethical concerns as the project unfolded.
Author(s): Florence A. Becot, Shoshanah M. Inwood, Elizabeth A. Buchanan
Citation: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 20, 249-263
Date: 05/2023
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Discusses the ethical considerations of the photovoice method of participatory research with a close look at vulnerable populations, privacy considerations, power dynamics in research, and agriculture-specific concerns. Describes an agricultural health and safety photovoice project and how researchers handled these ethical concerns as the project unfolded.
Author(s): Florence A. Becot, Shoshanah M. Inwood, Elizabeth A. Buchanan
Citation: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 20, 249-263
Date: 05/2023
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Considerations for a National Drinking Water Quality Compliance Assessment
Outlines what an assessment of compliance related to safe drinking water in the United States would look like in 4 phases: quality compliance definition and identification, spatial location considerations, compliance solutions and their costs, and solution funding and gaps. Includes considerations for tribal and rural areas.
Author(s): Gregory Pierce, Laura Landes, Grace Harrison, Lena Schlichting, Lauren Dunlap
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Community Assistance Partnership, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
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Outlines what an assessment of compliance related to safe drinking water in the United States would look like in 4 phases: quality compliance definition and identification, spatial location considerations, compliance solutions and their costs, and solution funding and gaps. Includes considerations for tribal and rural areas.
Author(s): Gregory Pierce, Laura Landes, Grace Harrison, Lena Schlichting, Lauren Dunlap
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organizations: Rural Community Assistance Partnership, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
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Assessing the Accuracy of California County Level COVID-19 Hospitalization Forecasts to Inform Public Policy Decision Making
Evaluates model performance and accuracy regarding the forecasting of infectious diseases by retroactively examining COVID-19 forecasting in California counties. Utilizes archived forecasts from the California Department of Public Health's California COVID Assessment Tool to analyze the accuracy of forecasts referenced with actual COVID-19 hospitalization. Discusses issues related to model accuracy, such as local transmission trends, variant prevalence, and county population size, and how accurate forecasting is important for public health planning and policy.
Author(s): Lauren A. White, Ryan McCorvie, David Crow, Seema Jain, Tomás M. León
Citation: BMC Public Health 23, 782
Date: 04/2023
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Evaluates model performance and accuracy regarding the forecasting of infectious diseases by retroactively examining COVID-19 forecasting in California counties. Utilizes archived forecasts from the California Department of Public Health's California COVID Assessment Tool to analyze the accuracy of forecasts referenced with actual COVID-19 hospitalization. Discusses issues related to model accuracy, such as local transmission trends, variant prevalence, and county population size, and how accurate forecasting is important for public health planning and policy.
Author(s): Lauren A. White, Ryan McCorvie, David Crow, Seema Jain, Tomás M. León
Citation: BMC Public Health 23, 782
Date: 04/2023
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
- Evaluation methods and resources
- Needs assessment methods and resources
- Research methods and resources
Last Updated: 9/15/2025