Research Publications

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

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.

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Five Most Recent Publications

• "They're not leaving their home; this is where they were born, this is where they will die.": Key Informant Perspectives From the U.S. Counties With the Greatest Concentration of the Oldest Old
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 07/2021
  Researchers share interview results with key informants from 50 rural U.S. counties with the highest percentage of the residents ages 85 and older or the "oldest old." Respondents shared unique challenges to serving this population, as well as positive attributes of rural communities that make them attractive places for growing older.
• Identification of Rural Communities with Limited Access to Safety Net Healthcare Providers
  Fact Sheet
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 07/2021
  This fact sheet identifies rural U.S. counties with suboptimal access to safety net healthcare providers.
• Rural-Urban Variations in Travel Burdens for Care: Findings from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 07/2021
  This project focuses on geographic access to medical and dental care, knowing that travel distances can keep people from getting necessary care. The study examines how rural residents' travel behaviors vary by socio-demographic and geographic characteristics and evaluates factors associated with a higher travel burden for medical and dental care.
• How Many Hospitals Might Convert to a Rural Emergency Hospital?
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Date: 07/2021
  In this study, three measures were used to predict the number of rural hospitals with 50 beds or less that are likely to consider conversion to a Rural Emergency Hospital: 1) three years negative total margin; 2) average daily census (acute + swing) less than three; and 3) net patient revenue less than $20 million.
• Estimates of Childhood Overweight and Obesity at the Region, State, and County Levels: A Multilevel Small Area Estimation Approach
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2021
  The goal of this study is to create a map of county-level obesity rates at the regional, county, and state levels.