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Rural Health Information Hub

Social Determinants of Health for Rural People – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Social Determinants of Health for Rural People.

Exploring the Rural Context for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Discusses adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how they may impact rural health. Provides policy recommendations focused on the rural dimensions of ACEs. Addresses categories of ACEs, prevalence in rural areas and for Native populations, federal efforts to address ACEs, and the opioid epidemic. Covers the role of school-based healthcare programs to increase access to pediatric specialty services or linking children to needed non-medical services. Profiles a committee site visit focused on a model ACEs program in New York in Appendix A.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Social Determinants of Health: Transforming the Buzz Phrase to a Rural Action Item
Discusses how rural healthcare organizations can use social risk assessments as a tool to improve population health. Highlights the work of two rural organizations, CommWell Health in North Carolina and Tift Regional Health System in Georgia, to assess social risks and address patients' social determinants of health (SDOH).
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Child Poverty Was Most Concentrated in the Mississippi Delta
Map showing average child poverty rates for rural counties, based on 2012-2016 American Community Survey data. Discusses the counties with the highest child poverty, including counties in the Mississippi Delta region.
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Countering the Production of Health Inequities: Ensuring the Opportunity for Health for All
Examines determinants of health, such as environment, housing, public safety, education, employment, income, and access to healthcare, and the ways they affect groups including rural residents. Features policy recommendations, community examples, and possible solutions to health inequities.
Date: 04/2018
Sponsoring organization: Prevention Institute
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Current State of Child Health in Rural America: How Context Shapes Children's Health
Describes the health status of children in rural America. Highlights the components of the rural environment that may affect children's health and health outcomes, including economic characteristics, healthcare provider availability, behavior health risks, and usage of health services.
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Judith C. Barker, Alexandra Enders, Paula Gardiner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(Suppl 1), s3–s12
Date: 02/2018
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Rural Child Welfare Practice
Issue brief discussing the needs and concerns of rural children and families, including healthcare and social services. Examines factors linked to child maltreatment, such as poverty, violence, and substance use, and features descriptions of successful programs designed to promote child welfare in rural areas of Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado, as well as Appalachian Ohio and Kentucky.
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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The Share of Households With Wired Broadband Remains Below 60 Percent in Nearly 800 Rural Counties, Mostly in Poor and Remote Regions
Map identifying rural counties where 60% or more households had wired broadband in 2010 and 2016.
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Deep Poverty Rates by Metro/Nonmetro Residence, 1989-2016
Line chart comparing metropolitan and nonmetro deep poverty rates, based on 1990-2013 Current Population Survey data combined with 2007-2016 American Community Survey data.
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Social Determinants of Health
Policy brief informed by a September 2016 National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services meeting held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with site visits to update the committee about factors that affect health outcomes. Identifies emerging payment models and financing strategies, and provides policy recommendations for addressing the social determinants of health in rural communities.
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Housing Needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives in Tribal Areas: A Report From the Assessment of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing Needs
Provides an overview of housing conditions and needs among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) households in tribal areas. Includes AI/AN demographic, social, and economic characteristics. Also discusses housing produced by tribes using HUD housing funds available through the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) of 1996.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Nancy Pindus, G. Thomas Kingsley, Jennifer Biess, et al.
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Last Updated: 11/25/2025