Healthcare Access and Status Among Rural Children

Link	View Research Recap
Date	08/2019
Description	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.
Topics	Children and adolescents, Healthcare access, Medicaid and CHIP, Obesity, Oral health

Rural Health Research Products Included in this Recap

• Chartbook: Trends in Rural Children's Oral Health and Access to Care
  Chartbook
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2017
  Assessing progress at improving children's oral health requires examining trends to see whether rural disparities, if present, are being reduced. Our report uses data from the National Survey of Children's Health (2003, 2007, and 2011- 2012) to assess progress in access to oral health care, and perceived status of teeth among rural children.
• Current State of Child Health in Rural America: How Context Shapes Children's Health
  Journal Article
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2016
  Provides an essay on the status of children in rural America that focuses on the rural environment that may affect health.
• Implications of Rural Residence and Single Mother Status for Maternal Smoking Behaviors
  Policy Brief
  Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2015
  This study finds rural mothers are more likely than urban mothers to smoke. The authors suggest policymakers consider extending insurance for smoking cessation programs through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Programs at the local, state, and national levels also could help reduce disparities in smoking-related morbidity and mortality.
• The Intersection of Residence and Area Deprivation: The Case of Hospitalizations From Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Among Children
  Policy Brief
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 08/2015
  This brief is the second in a series providing information on the role of residence and community deprivation on potentially avoidable hospitalizations among children. This brief describes the findings from a nine-state sample of children's hospitalizations and discusses the potential implications for rural health research and policy.
• Practical Implications: Opioid-Affected Births to Rural Residents
  Policy Brief
  University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2018
  This publication provides two physicians' reactions to research findings on rates of diagnosis of maternal opioid use disorder and infant neonatal abstinence syndrome at the time of childbirth for rural residents based on the type of hospital where the birth occurred.
• The Role of Public Versus Private Health Insurance in Ensuring Health Care Access & Affordability for Low-Income Rural Children
  Policy Brief
  Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 01/2017
  Medicaid and CHIP have played a critical role in ensuring access to health coverage among children –particularly rural children. This study examines rural-urban differences in children's access to care, and their families' perceived affordability of that care among those enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, and those with private insurance plans.
• Rural Area Deprivation and Hospitalizations Among Children for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
  Journal Article
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 10/2015
  Evaluates inpatient hospitalizations among children in nine states to determine the effect of rurality and social/economic advantage on health outcomes and health disparities.