Rural Schools and Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Schools and Health.
School-Based Health Centers and School Attendance in Rural Areas
Examines the relationship between the availability of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) and student absenteeism in rural areas. Analyzes 66,303 students from kindergarten to 12th grade for absenteeism in districts with a SBHC and those without a SBHC.
Author(s): Chris Kjolhede, Wendy M. Brunner, John W. Sipple
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e2510083
Date: 05/2025
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Examines the relationship between the availability of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) and student absenteeism in rural areas. Analyzes 66,303 students from kindergarten to 12th grade for absenteeism in districts with a SBHC and those without a SBHC.
Author(s): Chris Kjolhede, Wendy M. Brunner, John W. Sipple
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e2510083
Date: 05/2025
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School-Based Enhanced Hearing Screening and Specialty Telehealth Follow-Up for Hearing Loss among Children in Rural Alaska: Study Protocol for a Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Stepped Wedge, Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (North STAR Trial)
Describes a study protocol that examines the impact of providing specialty hearing care for students in rural Alaska following standard school hearing screenings. Focuses on trial objectives, design, setting, participants, recruitment, data collection, and planned statistical analyses.
Author(s): Samantha Kleindienst Robler, Janet Prvu Bettger, Elizabeth Turner, et al.
Citation: Trials, 26, 175
Date: 05/2025
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Describes a study protocol that examines the impact of providing specialty hearing care for students in rural Alaska following standard school hearing screenings. Focuses on trial objectives, design, setting, participants, recruitment, data collection, and planned statistical analyses.
Author(s): Samantha Kleindienst Robler, Janet Prvu Bettger, Elizabeth Turner, et al.
Citation: Trials, 26, 175
Date: 05/2025
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Serving Beyond Summer School: Reaching More Kids with Rural Summer Meals
A recorded webinar that provides 3 program examples of non-congregate summer meal service in rural areas. Discusses program details such as operations, distribution, scheduling, menu, marketing, and overcoming challenges. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Lucretia Hertzock, Heidi Ottaway, Megan Adams
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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A recorded webinar that provides 3 program examples of non-congregate summer meal service in rural areas. Discusses program details such as operations, distribution, scheduling, menu, marketing, and overcoming challenges. Transcript available below description.
Additional links: Slide Deck
Author(s): Lucretia Hertzock, Heidi Ottaway, Megan Adams
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Spotlighting Programs: A Panel Discussion on Exceptional Nutrition Service Delivery
A recorded webinar that focuses on successful nutrition service delivery in Head Start programs across the United States. Highlights actionable strategies from the various food delivery services, including programming specific to rural, remote, and geographically dispersed areas.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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A recorded webinar that focuses on successful nutrition service delivery in Head Start programs across the United States. Highlights actionable strategies from the various food delivery services, including programming specific to rural, remote, and geographically dispersed areas.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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O the Places Rural Children Will Go…to Get Physical Activity: A Cross Sectional Analysis
Examines locations in which children engage in either moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) or sedentary time in the rural Midwest. Utilizes data from 44 participants who wore an activity tracker over a 7-day period and discusses activity in locations labeled as home, home neighborhood, school, school neighborhood, or 'other'. Discusses health issues and access barriers for rural children related to overweight/obesity.
Author(s): Bethany Forseth, Jordan A. Carlson, Adrian Ortega, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 1188
Date: 03/2025
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Examines locations in which children engage in either moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) or sedentary time in the rural Midwest. Utilizes data from 44 participants who wore an activity tracker over a 7-day period and discusses activity in locations labeled as home, home neighborhood, school, school neighborhood, or 'other'. Discusses health issues and access barriers for rural children related to overweight/obesity.
Author(s): Bethany Forseth, Jordan A. Carlson, Adrian Ortega, et al.
Citation: BMC Public Health, 25, 1188
Date: 03/2025
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Impact of Rural School-Based Health Centers on Asthma Management
Examines preventive asthma care for rural students who have access to school-based health centers (SBHCs). Analyzes SBHCs in upstate New York and healthcare encounters related to asthma. Discusses disparities in asthma care for rural students who have access to an SBHC versus those who do not.
Author(s): Wendy M. Brunner, Zhuang Han, Sharon Tennyson, et al.
Citation: The Journal of Pediatrics, 277, 114385
Date: 02/2025
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Examines preventive asthma care for rural students who have access to school-based health centers (SBHCs). Analyzes SBHCs in upstate New York and healthcare encounters related to asthma. Discusses disparities in asthma care for rural students who have access to an SBHC versus those who do not.
Author(s): Wendy M. Brunner, Zhuang Han, Sharon Tennyson, et al.
Citation: The Journal of Pediatrics, 277, 114385
Date: 02/2025
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Why Rural Matters 2025: People, Place, and Possibility
Describes educational, social, and health outcomes associated with rural schools. Includes state-level data, rankings, and comparisons to the U.S. as a whole.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Maps, State-by-State Results
Author(s): Daniel Showalter, Sara L. Hartman, Karen Eppley, Jerry Johnson, Bob Klein
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Education Association
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Describes educational, social, and health outcomes associated with rural schools. Includes state-level data, rankings, and comparisons to the U.S. as a whole.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Maps, State-by-State Results
Author(s): Daniel Showalter, Sara L. Hartman, Karen Eppley, Jerry Johnson, Bob Klein
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Education Association
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Rural Louisiana Programs Create Healthier Schools
Features two Delta States Rural Development Network grantees working to improve children's health in rural Louisiana schools. A high school program focuses on preventing diabetes and an elementary school program offers nutrition and physical activity opportunities to students.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Features two Delta States Rural Development Network grantees working to improve children's health in rural Louisiana schools. A high school program focuses on preventing diabetes and an elementary school program offers nutrition and physical activity opportunities to students.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2024
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2023
Presents information on issues such as crime, safety, use of illegal substances, and bullying in schools utilizing multiple national datasets. Includes statistics on school shootings, non-fatal violent crime, school reports on crime and discipline problems, and more. Provides statistics on percentage of schools offering mental health services as well as prevalence of bullying broken down by city, suburban, town, and rural.
Author(s): Véronique Irwin, Ke Wang, Jiashan Cui, Alexandra Thompson
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education Statistics
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Presents information on issues such as crime, safety, use of illegal substances, and bullying in schools utilizing multiple national datasets. Includes statistics on school shootings, non-fatal violent crime, school reports on crime and discipline problems, and more. Provides statistics on percentage of schools offering mental health services as well as prevalence of bullying broken down by city, suburban, town, and rural.
Author(s): Véronique Irwin, Ke Wang, Jiashan Cui, Alexandra Thompson
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education Statistics
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Prevalence of Mental Health Services Provided by Public Schools and Limitations in Schools' Efforts to Provide Mental Health Services
Presents information on the availability of mental health assessments, treatment, and funding in U.S. elementary, middle, and secondary schools, based on data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). Includes percentage of schools with mental health resources by student demographic information as well as rural, town, suburban, or city locale.
Additional links: Fast Facts
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics
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Presents information on the availability of mental health assessments, treatment, and funding in U.S. elementary, middle, and secondary schools, based on data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). Includes percentage of schools with mental health resources by student demographic information as well as rural, town, suburban, or city locale.
Additional links: Fast Facts
Date: 07/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics
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