Rural Health Research Recaps

The Rural Health Research Centers are committed to providing timely, quality national research on the most pressing rural health issues, often exploring the same topics from various perspectives. Gateway has developed Rural Health Research Recaps to identify the key findings from all of the research centers on specific rural health topics.

2020
  • Rural Ethnic/Racial Disparities: Adverse Health Outcomes
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 11/2020
    Rural minority group populations often experience dual disparities in health. This recap summarizes adverse health outcomes across these populations including premature death, age-adjusted mortality, disability status, and obesity rates.
  • Rural Ethnic/Racial Disparities: Social and Systemic Inequities
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 11/2020
    This resource examines social and systemic inequities that influence disparities in health among minority group populations. Rural non-white populations experience both residence-based and racial/ethnicity-based health disparities.
2019
  • Healthcare Access and Status Among Rural Children
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 08/2019
    More than half (56.6%) of all rural counties in the U.S. do not have a pediatrician, which can have a negative effect on the health status of rural children. This Recap provides a summary of the research on pediatric health status, health outcomes, and access to care in rural areas.
  • Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage Among Rural Children
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 08/2019
    This resource examines pediatric insurance coverage, poverty rates, and Medicaid enrollment by race/ethnicity in rural and urban communities. The Recap also presents a summary of the research on the impact of coverage on rural access to care.
  • Rural Obstetric Services: Access, Workforce, and Impact
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 04/2019
    This resource presents current hospital-based obstetric closure rates and characteristics of rural communities without and losing obstetric services, as well as the impact of limited access on maternal and child health.
  • State of Rural Women's Healthcare Utilization and Health Indicators
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 04/2019
    Rural women face barriers to accessing preventive health screenings, mental health services, and maternal healthcare. This Recap provides a summary of the research on rural women's utilization of healthcare services, maternal substance use, and other health indicators.
  • Quality of Care in Rural Hospitals
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 01/2019
    This Rural Health Research Recap looks at hospital quality-of-care measures and the difficulties of developing quality measures, especially for rural hospitals with low patient volumes.
2018
  • Rural Communities: Age, Income, and Health Status
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 11/2018
    While studies discuss the implications of income or age on health-seeking behavior, health status, access, or utilization of care, it is imperative to recognize what this means for older and lower-income rural communities. This Recap identifies rural disparities in age, health status, and income.
  • Opioid Use and Treatment Availability
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 01/2018
    This resource examines opioid use in rural communities, as well as the perceived need for and utilization of treatment for opioid use disorder, based on a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research.
2017
  • Effects of Rural Hospital Closures
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 12/2017
    From January 2005 through early November 2017, 124 rural hospitals closed in the U.S. This Recap, two of two, provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on the effects of these closures.
  • Rural Hospital Closures
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 12/2017
    From January 2005 through early November 2017, 124 rural hospitals closed in the U.S. This Recap, one of two, provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on hospital closures.
  • Rural Behavioral Health
    Rural Health Research Gateway
    Date: 11/2017
    Rural behavioral health issues are compounded by a lack of access to care, workforce shortages, reimbursement issues, and high rates of uninsured or under-insurance. This resource provides a summary of the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent research on behavioral health.