Michael Hendryx, PhD

Director, West Virginia Rural Health Research Center

Phone: 304.293.9206
Fax: 304.293.6685
E-mail: mhendryx@hsc.wvu.edu

Institute for Health Policy Research, Department of Community Medicine
West Virginia University
3110 MacCorkle Avenue, SE
Charleston, WV 25304-1299

Current Projects (3)

Agricultural Medicine Training for Rural America
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Environmental & agricultural health
The purpose of the research is to identify the availability and characteristics of agricultural medicine training opportunities for health care professionals. Agricultural workers and their families face numerous threats to health and safety, and yet there is limited information on health care expertise in place to recognize and prevent threats, and to diagnosis and treat agriculturally-related injury and illness.

Childhood Asthma and Air Quality in Rural-Urban Areas
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Children, Environmental & agricultural health
This study will examine the prevalence of childhood asthma across urban and rural settings. We will examine how asthma may be related to measures of ambient air quality, as well as how asthma may be related to agricultural activity of different types, to proximity to metropolitan areas, and to measures of demographics and health care insurance.

Promotion and Protection of Rural Miner Health: Are the Resources in Place?
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Health services, Public health
Miners are exposed to various potentially harmful agents and dangerous work conditions, and may have difficulty accessing care in some rural settings. The study aims to 1) Locate and map mining communities in the US and rural safety net providers (RHC’s, FQHC’s and Critical Access Hospitals) in those communities; and 2) Identify environmental health competencies (specifically related to miner health) in rural primary care providers practicing in identified mining communities.

Completed Projects (3)

Rural Environmental Hazards Inventory and Associated Health Outcomes, Lead researcher
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Health promotion and disease prevention, Public health
This study will create a national inventory of potential environmental hazards for rural populations. Population health outcomes such as CDC mortality statistics will be examined to determine if poor health outcomes are related to greater exposures to potential hazards.

Toxics Release Inventory Sites and Population Health across Rural and Urban Areas, Lead researcher
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
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.

Water Quality Issues in Rural-Urban Areas: The Good (Fluoridation), the Bad (Chemical Pollutants) and the Ugly (Health Consequences), Lead researcher
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
This study will investigate the availability of fluoridated water across urban-rural settings, and relate measures of fluoride availability to survey measures of dental health. The study will also investigate rural population exposure to chemical pollutants in surface water by measuring volumes and types of discharges from EPA-recognized water pollution sources, including sources located in rural areas and in upstream urban areas, and relating these measures to population health outcomes.

Publications (7)

A Rural Socioeconomic Risk and Resiliency Inventory and Associated Health Outcomes (Final Report)
Author(s): Joel A. Halverson, Michael Hendryx
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
Date: 03 / 2011
Rural areas, especially in the Southeast, Appalachia and parts of the West, have worse VRI (Vulnerability and Resiliency Index) scores which are a measure of six socioeconomic indicators across counties in the United States.
Pollution Sources and Mortality Rates across Rural-Urban Areas in the United States (Final Report)
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Joel Halverson
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
Report Number: Final Report #1
Date: 02 / 2010
Rural counties contain more than 65,000 EPA-recognized point pollution sources. A greater density of water and air pollution sources in rural counties is associated with higher cancer mortality rates adjusting for other risks. Rural areas also experience mortality risks in association with coal mining activity.
Pollution Sources and Mortality Rates across Rural-Urban Areas in the United States (Policy Brief)
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Joel Halverson
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
Report Number: Policy Brief #1
Date: 02 / 2010
Rural counties contain more than 65,000 EPA-recognized point pollution sources. A greater density of water and air pollution sources in rural counties is associated with higher cancer mortality rates adjusting for other risks. Rural areas also experience mortality risks in association with coal mining activity.
Rural Socioeconomic Vulnerability and Resiliency Index and Associated Health Outcomes (Policy Brief)
Author(s): Joel A. Halverson, Michael Hendryx
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
Date: 07 / 2011
Rural areas, especially in the Southeast, Appalachia and parts of the West, have worse VRI (Vulnerability and Resiliency Index) scores which are a measure of six socioeconomic indicators across counties in the United States. Better VRI scores were associated with better health outcomes (lower heart disease, cancer, and stroke death rates) across the rural-urban continuum. These analyses provide evidence to support the development of programs and policies that foster educational development, and economic diversity and vitality, as means of public health improvement, especially in rural areas in selected regions of the country.
Toxics Release Inventory Discharges and Population Health Outcomes in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States (Final Report)
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Juhua Luo
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
The current study examines whether chemical releases from facilities monitored through the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program were associated with population mortality rates and birth outcomes for both rural and urban populations. We also examined whether rural and urban areas characterized by poor socioeconomic status or higher percentages of racial minorities had greater TRI releases. Health outcomes included age-adjusted CDC mortality rates for cancer, respiratory, cardiovascular, and total causes, and NCHS birth outcomes including low birth weight, preterm births and birth defects. Rural counties are defined as non-metropolitan based on rural-urban continuum codes. The results show significantly higher adjusted total mortality rates associated with greater air and water releases in both rural and urban counties, after controlling for the effects of other risk variables. Effects were found in rural areas for total, cardiovascular, and (marginally) cancer mortality outcomes. We found that counties with higher percentages of African American populations had more non-zero releases, but did not find this for populations characterized by greater Native American populations, lower income levels or higher poverty. We did not find consistent evidence for higher TRI releases being related to poorer birth outcomes. Suggestions for reducing emissions, further research to understand human health impacts, and improving rural health care are presented.
Toxics Release Inventory Discharges and Population Health Outcomes in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States (Policy Brief)
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Juhua Luo
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
Examined whether chemical releases from facilities monitored through the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program were associated with population mortality rates for both rural and urban populations.
Water Fluoridation and Dental Health Indicators in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States
Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Constance Weiner, Matthew Gurka
Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Dental health, Environmental & agricultural health, Public health
Date: 11 / 2011
This study investigated the availability of fluoridated water across urban-rural settings, and relates measures of fluoride availability to national survey measures of dental health in adults and children.

Topics Centers Researchers Other Resources Search		Michael Hendryx, PhD Director, West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Phone: 304.293.9206 Fax: 304.293.6685 E-mail: mhendryx@hsc.wvu.edu Institute for Health Policy Research, Department of Community Medicine West Virginia University 3110 MacCorkle Avenue, SE Charleston, WV 25304-1299 Current Projects (3) Agricultural Medicine Training for Rural America Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topic: Environmental & agricultural health The purpose of the research is to identify the availability and characteristics of agricultural medicine training opportunities for health care professionals. Agricultural workers and their families face numerous threats to health and safety, and yet there is limited information on health care expertise in place to recognize and prevent threats, and to diagnosis and treat agriculturally-related injury and illness. Childhood Asthma and Air Quality in Rural-Urban Areas Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Children, Environmental & agricultural health This study will examine the prevalence of childhood asthma across urban and rural settings. We will examine how asthma may be related to measures of ambient air quality, as well as how asthma may be related to agricultural activity of different types, to proximity to metropolitan areas, and to measures of demographics and health care insurance. Promotion and Protection of Rural Miner Health: Are the Resources in Place? Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Health services, Public health Miners are exposed to various potentially harmful agents and dangerous work conditions, and may have difficulty accessing care in some rural settings. The study aims to 1) Locate and map mining communities in the US and rural safety net providers (RHC’s, FQHC’s and Critical Access Hospitals) in those communities; and 2) Identify environmental health competencies (specifically related to miner health) in rural primary care providers practicing in identified mining communities. Completed Projects (3) Rural Environmental Hazards Inventory and Associated Health Outcomes, Lead researcher Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Health promotion and disease prevention, Public health This study will create a national inventory of potential environmental hazards for rural populations. Population health outcomes such as CDC mortality statistics will be examined to determine if poor health outcomes are related to greater exposures to potential hazards. Toxics Release Inventory Sites and Population Health across Rural and Urban Areas, Lead researcher Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health 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. Water Quality Issues in Rural-Urban Areas: The Good (Fluoridation), the Bad (Chemical Pollutants) and the Ugly (Health Consequences), Lead researcher Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health This study will investigate the availability of fluoridated water across urban-rural settings, and relate measures of fluoride availability to survey measures of dental health. The study will also investigate rural population exposure to chemical pollutants in surface water by measuring volumes and types of discharges from EPA-recognized water pollution sources, including sources located in rural areas and in upstream urban areas, and relating these measures to population health outcomes. Publications (7) A Rural Socioeconomic Risk and Resiliency Inventory and Associated Health Outcomes (Final Report) Author(s): Joel A. Halverson, Michael Hendryx Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Environmental & agricultural health, Public health Date: 03 / 2011 Rural areas, especially in the Southeast, Appalachia and parts of the West, have worse VRI (Vulnerability and Resiliency Index) scores which are a measure of six socioeconomic indicators across counties in the United States. Pollution Sources and Mortality Rates across Rural-Urban Areas in the United States (Final Report) Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Joel Halverson Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health Report Number: Final Report #1 Date: 02 / 2010 Rural counties contain more than 65,000 EPA-recognized point pollution sources. A greater density of water and air pollution sources in rural counties is associated with higher cancer mortality rates adjusting for other risks. Rural areas also experience mortality risks in association with coal mining activity. Pollution Sources and Mortality Rates across Rural-Urban Areas in the United States (Policy Brief) Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Joel Halverson Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health Report Number: Policy Brief #1 Date: 02 / 2010 Rural counties contain more than 65,000 EPA-recognized point pollution sources. A greater density of water and air pollution sources in rural counties is associated with higher cancer mortality rates adjusting for other risks. Rural areas also experience mortality risks in association with coal mining activity. Rural Socioeconomic Vulnerability and Resiliency Index and Associated Health Outcomes (Policy Brief) Author(s): Joel A. Halverson, Michael Hendryx Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health Date: 07 / 2011 Rural areas, especially in the Southeast, Appalachia and parts of the West, have worse VRI (Vulnerability and Resiliency Index) scores which are a measure of six socioeconomic indicators across counties in the United States. Better VRI scores were associated with better health outcomes (lower heart disease, cancer, and stroke death rates) across the rural-urban continuum. These analyses provide evidence to support the development of programs and policies that foster educational development, and economic diversity and vitality, as means of public health improvement, especially in rural areas in selected regions of the country. Toxics Release Inventory Discharges and Population Health Outcomes in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States (Final Report) Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Juhua Luo Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health The current study examines whether chemical releases from facilities monitored through the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program were associated with population mortality rates and birth outcomes for both rural and urban populations. We also examined whether rural and urban areas characterized by poor socioeconomic status or higher percentages of racial minorities had greater TRI releases. Health outcomes included age-adjusted CDC mortality rates for cancer, respiratory, cardiovascular, and total causes, and NCHS birth outcomes including low birth weight, preterm births and birth defects. Rural counties are defined as non-metropolitan based on rural-urban continuum codes. The results show significantly higher adjusted total mortality rates associated with greater air and water releases in both rural and urban counties, after controlling for the effects of other risk variables. Effects were found in rural areas for total, cardiovascular, and (marginally) cancer mortality outcomes. We found that counties with higher percentages of African American populations had more non-zero releases, but did not find this for populations characterized by greater Native American populations, lower income levels or higher poverty. We did not find consistent evidence for higher TRI releases being related to poorer birth outcomes. Suggestions for reducing emissions, further research to understand human health impacts, and improving rural health care are presented. Toxics Release Inventory Discharges and Population Health Outcomes in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States (Policy Brief) Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Evan Fedorko, Juhua Luo Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Environmental & agricultural health, Public health Examined whether chemical releases from facilities monitored through the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program were associated with population mortality rates for both rural and urban populations. Water Fluoridation and Dental Health Indicators in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States Author(s): Michael Hendryx, Constance Weiner, Matthew Gurka Research center: West Virginia Rural Health Research Center Topics: Dental health, Environmental & agricultural health, Public health Date: 11 / 2011 This study investigated the availability of fluoridated water across urban-rural settings, and relates measures of fluoride availability to national survey measures of dental health in adults and children.