Social Determinants of Health for Rural People – Resources

Running Clear: Preventing Private Water Sources from Becoming a Health Hazard in Rural America
Provides an overview of the potential contaminants in well water and describes how the safety of private water sources is maintained. Features water experts and a public health professional explaining what can be done to keep well water clean, including water testing, education and training, funding, and technical assistance.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Families Headed by Single Adults Had Higher Poverty Rates Than Urban Counterparts in 2017
Bar chart comparing poverty rates for rural and urban families by family type, with data on all married-couple families, male-headed families with no spouse, female-headed families with no spouse, and all families.
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Opportunities to Advance Complex Care in Rural and Frontier Areas
Examines obstacles rural and frontier healthcare organizations face in providing complex care based on interviews with experts around the U.S. Focuses on rural social determinants of health, workforce shortages, and rural community relationships. Includes examples of models related to community collaboration, care coordination, social determinants of health, the health workforce, technology, and payment.
Author(s): Jim Lloyd
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Preventive Health Service Use among Rural Women
A study of national data to understand whether health status and sociodemographic characteristics explain the differences in use of preventive services among women in rural and urban areas from 2014-2016. Features statistics including receipt of various services, health status indicators, sociodemographic characteristics, and predictions of women's health service receipt, with breakdowns by rural or urban residence.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Jennifer Lenardson, Nathan Paluso, Jaclyn Janis
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Poverty Rates in Rural and Urban Areas Vary Across U.S. Regions
Bar chart showing rural and urban poverty rates by region for the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West, based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Student Homelessness Growing Fastest in Rural America
Examines trends in homelessness among rural students, which may contribute to disparities in health and academic outcomes. Explores challenges in identifying and supporting homeless families, funding in rural schools, and obstacles facing homeless rural students. Features statistics including percent change in number of homeless students from school years 2013-2014 to 2016-2017 in select states, with breakdowns by rural or nonrural locations.
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness
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Practicing Medicine in Rural America: Listening to Primary Care Physicians
Reports on focus group research and interviews with primary care physicians regarding the challenges of serving rural, low-income patients. Highlights issues related to poverty, healthy food access, mental health, substance abuse, specialty care access, and transportation. Third post in the series "Listening to Primary Care Physicians for Low-Income Patients."
Author(s): Shanoor Seervai
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Shaping Summertime Experiences: Opportunities to Promote Healthy Development and Well-Being for Children and Youth
Examines the impact of summertime experiences on school-age children and youth related to academic learning, social and emotional development, physical and mental health, and health-promoting and safety behaviors. Includes discussion of rural residence and its impact on children's access to supportive services, including food programs, during the summer.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on Summertime Experiences and Child and Adolescent Education, Health, and Safety
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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The Social Determinants of Health and the Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy: Implications for Appalachia
Study explores life expectancy in the U.S. and compares these trends to those in Appalachia. Looks at social determinants of health such as substance use, injuries, and suicide, among others, as possible contributing factors.
Author(s): Steven H. Woolf, Heidi Schoomaker, Latoya Hill, Christine M. Orndahl
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 1(1), 6-14
Date: 2019
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The Poverty-Reducing Effect of Five Key Government Programs in Rural and Urban America
Examines rural and urban residents' income from five social programs: Social Security, disability benefits, federal and state cash assistance, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Looks at the role of these programs in reducing poverty and reports how much poverty would increase in rural and urban areas without each program.
Author(s): Jessica Carson Marybeth Mattingly
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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