Southwest Rural Health Research Center

Research Products & Journal Articles

Browse the full list of research publications from this Rural Health Research Center.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

2025

Geographic and Demographic Differences in Studies of the Five Leading Causes of Death in the U.S.: Evidence from Peer-Reviewed Literature
Policy Brief
Date: 12/2025
This brief examined the association of rurality and race/ethnicity on the five leading causes of death in the United States based on a review of 260 studies since 1970.

2024

Public Attitudes, Inequities, and Polarization in the Launch of the 988 Lifeline
Journal Article
Date: 06/2024
Congress passed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act in 2020, establishing 988 as a three-digit mental health crisis line. A survey of 5,482 U.S. adults found low awareness (25%) but high support (75%) for the service. The study, however, identified disparities in the support for and use of the lifeline.

2023

Opportunities and Challenges of Using Carve-Outs to Fund Rural Public Health Initiatives: Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic
Journal Article
Date: 06/2023
This project explores the impact and lessons learned from the first large-scale rural carve out of a CDC funding initiative. Based on stakeholder interviews, our analysis found they supported this funding mechanism and that the funds were being used in interesting and creative ways.
Rural Healthy People 2030: New Decade, New Challenges
Journal Article
Date: 03/2023
This study reports the findings of Rural Healthy People 2030, a companion piece to the Healthy People 2030 initiative with a focus on health priorities of rural populations. Data was collected from a survey given to rural stakeholders. Mental health, substance use, health care access, and economic stability were among the most important priorities.

2022

Disparities in Prenatal Immunization Rates in Rural and Urban U.S. Areas by Indicators of Access to Care
Journal Article
Date: 02/2022
This study evaluates variations in immunization rates among pregnant women across the urban-rural continuum. Results indicate pregnant women in rural areas more commonly rely on Medicaid to fund prenatal care but are less likely to have full or expanded access to Medicaid. This finding may contribute to immunization uptake disparities.

2021

Community Health Worker Roles and Their Evolving Interprofessional Relationships in the United States
Journal Article
Date: 10/2021
This project analyzes the evolving integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into the United States healthcare system. CHWs can aid patients in navigating the complex nature of medical services. Through focus groups with CHWs, three stages in the interprofessional relationships between CHWs and other care providers were identified.
Community Health Worker Sustainability: Funding, Payment, and Reimbursement Laws in the United States
Journal Article
Date: 04/2021
Recent changes have been made to community health worker (CHW) funding at the federal level, but payment structures vary from state to state. This paper aims to identify funding mechanisms that would enable CHW programs to sustain a robust workforce.

2020

Long-Term Care Planning, Preparedness, and Response Among Rural Long-Term Care Providers
Journal Article
Date: 09/2020
This manuscript explores how rural long-term care providers plan, prepare, and respond to slowly or rapidly unfolding disasters (i.e., hurricanes, wildfires, and environmental spills) in three U.S. geographic areas. Data includes secondary sources and semi-constructed interviews with long-term care facilities and disaster management organizations.

2019

Congestive Heart Failure-Related Hospital Deaths Across the Urban-Rural Continuum in the United States
Journal Article
Date: 12/2019
This study examines congestive heart failure (CHF)-related, in-hospital mortality across six levels of rurality and four census regions. Results indicated CHF-related hospital admissions in small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas, compared to large central metropolitan areas, were more likely to result in death.
Healthy People 2020: Rural Areas Lag in Achieving Targets for Major Causes of Death
Journal Article
Date: 12/2019
For the period 2007-2017 rural death rates were higher than urban rates for the seven major causes of death analyzed, and disparities widened for five of the seven. In 2017 urban areas had met national targets for three of the seven causes, while rural areas had met none of the targets.
The Changing Landscape of Diabetes Mortality in the United States Across Region and Rurality, 1999-2016
Journal Article
Date: 02/2019
This brief report examines place-based differences in diabetes mortality to understand whether disparities in diabetes mortality have changed across U.S. Census regions and levels of rurality over time. Reductions in diabetes mortality are lagging in rural areas, and the rural South in particular, relative to other areas of the country.
Diabetes-Related Hospital Mortality in the U.S.: A Pooled Cross-Sectional Study of the National Inpatient Sample
Journal Article
Date: 02/2019
This study examined place-based and individual-level variations in diabetes-related hospital deaths using the 2009-2015 National Inpatient Sample. Results show that place-based disparities exist. Targeted focus should be placed on the control of diabetic complications in the South, West, and Midwest census regions and among rural residents.

2006

Differences Between Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents in Rural and Nonrural Areas in a National Sample
Journal Article
Date: 02/2006
This research investigates whether differences in acuity are a function of differences in resident payer status and occur for both individuals admitted for short stays, with Medicare as payer, and those needing chronic care.

2004

Rurality and Nursing Home Quality: Results From a National Sample of Nursing Home Admissions
Journal Article
Date: 10/2004
There are higher percentages of elderly population in and the utilization rates of nursing homes are higher in rural areas. Overall, problems in rural nursing homes are at a much higher risk for poor outcomes, but it is most apparent in extremely isolated rural areas.