field with horses

The PRC-RH works to incorporate the complexity and strength of rural areas in all of our work.

Team members:

  • UIowa: PRC-RH Center and Core Project faculty and staff, Rima Afifi, Edith Parker, Heidi Haines
  • Partners:
    • Publication: CDC PRC (Brigette Ulin) and Rural Health (Diane Hall) Programs and West Virginia PRC PI (Geri Dino)
    • Podcast: Midwestern Public Health Training Center, UI Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, Heartland Center for Occupational Health & Safety, Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, Rural Policy Research Institute

Project dates: 2021-current

Funding sources: UI PRC-RH

Project tags: Rural, Social determinants of health, Health equity

Details

 

Description

 

Addressing health disparities in rural areas requires a shift in focus from the deficit narrative of rural places to a focus on the complexity and strength of rural places. We work to incorporate and develop this perspective in work across the PRC-RH. For example, we worked with other researchers and community partners to create a podcast that highlights rural life. We also published a paper that explains this paradigm shift and how to conduct participatory community research to promote partnerships and health equity in rural communities.

 

Resources, Media, & Publications 

Resources:

Rural Health Podcast In this podcast, hear from people in various communities about their experiences and perspectives on rural life, employment, and health. 

Publications:

  • Afifi RA, Parker EA, Dino G, Hall DM, Ulin B. Reimagining Rural: Shifting Paradigms about Health and Well-Being in Rural USA. Annu Rev Public Health. 2021 Dec 15. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-123413. Epub ahead of print. PMID 34910581.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34910581/

This publication is also featured on The Rural Health Information "What is Rural Health? Guide"

  • Novak NL, Baquero B, Askelson N, Diers, L, Dunn B, Haines H, Afifi R, Parker EA. (2020). Health equity in midsize rural communities: challenges and opportunities in a changing rural America. Editorial. American Journal of Public Health; 110(9):1342-1343. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305824.
  • Gilbert PA, Laroche HH, Wallace RB, Parker EA, Curry SJ. Extending Work on Rural Health Disparities: A Commentary on Matthews and Colleagues' Report. J Rural Health. 2018 Mar;34(2):119-121. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12241. Epub 2017 Apr 11. PMID: 28397970.

Presentations: