Rural statistics and demographics

Current Projects

• "Older, Sicker, Poorer": A Scoping Review of the Literature That Contributes to This Narrative on Rural Americans
  The investigators will conduct a scoping review of peer-reviewed literature to explore the contributive evidence that rural Americans are older, sicker, and poorer. The project will provide historical and context-setting perspectives on the factors that have led to this description and the extent to which it still holds true. The project will also identify literature gaps to inform future research.
  Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Aging, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Comparing Across Health Indices: Differences by Rurality, Missingness, and Associations With Health Outcomes
  The purpose of this study is to describe and compare existing area-level indices of vulnerability by rurality and to examine associations between indices and health outcomes of interest by area-level measures of rurality.
  Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Geographic and Socio-Demographic Correlates of Medical Debt Among Rural Residents
  Medical debt is widespread and impacts financial well-being and access to care. While research suggests that medical debt is higher among rural residents compared to urban residents, more work is needed to conclusively demonstrate rural/urban differences in medical debt and within-rural risk factors for greater medical debt by geography and socio-demographic characteristics.
  Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Poverty, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Housing as a Social Determinant of Rural Health
  The purpose of this project is to identify rural/urban and within-rural differences in housing quality and its relationship to health and disability status, especially for individuals living in poverty. We will also identify rural-specific housing issues and innovative policy solutions to address housing challenges in order to improve rural health.
  Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Disabilities, Environmental and agricultural health, Health disparities and health equity, Poverty, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Identifying High-Need Counties for Resource Planning
  The primary aim of this project is to use data examining health care infrastructure, chronic disease prevalence, and the socioeconomic environment to create a metric for classifying rural counties based on needs and resources.
  Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Diabetes, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Maternal health, Obesity, Oral health, Physicians, Poverty, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured, Workforce
  
• Impact of High Deductible Health Plans on Rural Populations
  Using data from Merative MarketScan insurance claims, this study will investigate utilization, spending, and care patterns of rural members enrolled in high deductible health plans (HDHP) compared to traditional plans. Trends in health outcomes before and after HDHP growth will be assessed to inform policy design tailored to rural residents.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Private health insurance, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Rural Poverty and Health: A Chartbook
  This chartbook will use nationally representative surveys and county-level data to provide a comprehensive overview of the health and wellbeing of rural Americans living in poverty.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Health services, Healthcare access, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Socioeconomic Profiles and Market Characteristics Associated with Ambulance Deserts
  We will address the extent to which vulnerable, aging populations live in ambulance deserts and identify ambulance desert populations facing additional barriers to healthcare access. We will also assess the impact of hospital closures on travel distances to the nearest health care facilities.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma, Healthcare access, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Transportation
  
• Suicide Mortality: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Rates
  Suicide contributes to significant mortality in the United States. This project will examine the variation in suicide rates by geography and explore its driving factors among urban and rural areas in the United States from 2018 to 2021. The research design of this study will adopt a cross-sectional, retrospective approach, using secondary data.
  Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Understanding Rural Health Data Challenges through Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publication Limitations
  This project will quantify and characterize health data-related limitations commonly identified in published studies on rural health and ways in which researchers overcome these challenges. Findings will provide a rigorous description of rural health data challenges, which may be used by researchers, policymakers, and rural health data collectors to improve rural data and research using rural data.
  Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
  Topic: Rural statistics and demographics