West Virginia Rural Health Research Center

Current Projects

Environmental Workforce Characteristics in the Rural Public Health Sector
Environmental risks to rural populations are understudied relative to urban areas despite increasing recognition that rural populations are potentially exposed to these risks from agricultural, mining, industrial or other sources. This project analyzes the environmental workforce characteristics of the rural public health sector to inform policy relative to coordination of rural environmental health services.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Public health

Multidisciplinary Environmental Health Provider Competencies Expected Completion
This study will develop, from existing single discipline standards, a competency guide that will address competencies that are essential for providing environmentally conscious care. The study will then systematically evaluate content validity, completeness and clarity of the competencies.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Public health

Rural Food Security, Food Availability, and Health Outcomes
This project will examine the characteristics of food security and food availability across the rural-urban continuum. The study will test the hypotheses that food insecurity will differ significantly between rural and urban counties in the US with rural areas experiencing more adverse conditions; and that there will be a significant relationship between food insecurity, food availability and selected adverse health outcomes in non-metropolitan counties in the US.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Obesity

Rural Socioeconomic Risk and Resiliency Inventory and Associated Health Outcomes
This study will create a national inventory of social and economic risks and resiliencies for every county in the nation, and relate those risks to health outcome data. The study will test whether rural areas with fewer risks and greater resiliencies are related to better health outcomes.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Poverty

Toxics Release Inventory Sites and Population Health across Rural and Urban Areas
Previous research has identified higher mortality rates in rural areas in association with exposure to pollution sources. This study conducts mortality outcome analyses specific to discharges from Toxics Release Inventory sites across the spectrum of rural to urban settings.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Public health