Rural Health Research Products

The full list of freely-available research products from the Rural Health Research Centers, including policy briefs, reports, chartbooks, interactive data websites, and more.

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Five Most Recent Research Products

• Occupancy Rates in Rural and Urban Hospitals: Value and Limitations in Use as a Measure of Surge Capacity
  Policy Brief
  North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  The purpose of this brief is to provide healthcare leaders and policymakers with information about historic occupancy rates (the percent of available beds that are occupied) as an input for state and system-level planning to manage population health during a pandemic.
• Healthy People 2020 Progress for Leading Causes of Death in Rural and Urban America: A Chartbook
  Chartbook
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  The purpose of this project is to conduct a midterm examination of urban versus rural disparities in meeting Healthy People 2020 mortality objectives for the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.
• Variation in Use of Home Health Care Among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries by Rural-Urban Status and Geographic Region: Assessing the Potential for Unmet Need
  Policy Brief
  WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  This study describes use of home healthcare by rural-urban status and geographic region. Findings suggest geographic region drives variation more than rural-urban status. Unmet need may be highest in the most remote rural counties and rural counties within the West North Central, East North Central, Mountain, and Pacific Census Divisions.
• Are Rural Infants Benefiting from Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) Food Package Rule Changes? Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding Behaviors
  Policy Brief
  Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  This study compared breastfeeding initiation for rural and urban Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants before and after the changes in WIC Food Packages (WIC-FPs). In addition, changes in breastfeeding and infant feeding practices before and after changes in WIC program benefits were explored.
• Health Care Use and Access Among Rural and Urban Nonelderly Adult Medicare Beneficiaries
  Policy Brief
  Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Little is known about the characteristics and healthcare use of rural residents with disabilities. This study compares access to and use of health services among rural and urban nonelderly Medicare beneficiaries with a disability and the factors associated with rural access issues.