This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an intensive lifestyle modification program tailored to rural Chinese women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus compared with usual care. In a cluster randomized controlled trial, 16 towns (clusters) in two distinct rural areas in China were randomly selected (8 towns per district); and 320 women…

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of a PRECEDE model-based educational program in enhancing awareness, attitudes and preventive behaviors against diabetes complications among rural patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design/methodology/approach: This quasi-experimental study included 160 T2DM patients from rural health centers in…

Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHKA) required schools to make changes to meals provided to children. Rural school districts have limited resources, with increased obesity rates and local food insecurity. In this study we sought to understand the perceptions of rural food service directors and the barriers to implementing…

Despite the known dangers of pregnancy smoking, rates remain high, especially in the rural, Southern United States. Interventions are effective, but few have been developed and tested in regions with high rates of pregnancy smoking, a culture that normalizes smoking, and a hard-to-reach prenatal population. The goals were to describe a smoking…

Young adolescents, age 10-15 years, have increasing psychosocial and biomedical health care needs, yet are some of the lowest users of conventional health services. In eastern North Carolina, school-based health centers (SBHCs) provide primary health care to thousands of school-age children in the most rural, medically underserved areas. SBHCs…

Obesity among children and adults has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. This condition has proven difficult to treat effectively, especially in terms of sustainable weight loss. The project described in this report embarked on multidimensional, community-based efforts to prompt a national discussion of the obesity issue and the…

Geographical, economic, social and cultural barriers to accessing services in rural areas are widely reported. Less widely discussed are dilemmas posed by individual and community reluctance to address sensitive health issues. This article, focusing on the highly sensitive area of mental health, and employing a participatory action approach,…

Evidence-based substance use prevention programs have proliferated in schools and are being adopted by districts in rural settings and internationally. Little attention, however, has been paid to the adaptation process that occurs when these programs are moved to different contexts. In this commentary, the authors draw upon their experience with…

Context: Obesity is a chronic disease of epidemic proportions in the United States. Primary care providers are critical to timely diagnosis and treatment of obesity, and need better tools to deliver effective obesity care. Purpose: To conduct a pilot randomized trial of a chronic care model (CCM) program for obesity care in rural Kansas primary…

Context: Multiple national agencies and organizations recommend that women age 40 years and older have an annual screening mammogram. Women who are poor, less educated, lack a usual source of care, and reside in rural Appalachia are less likely to have had a recent mammogram. Purpose: To increase use of mammography among a rural Appalachian…

Objective: To test the feasibility and effectiveness of social marketing on the improvement of women's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding iron-fortified soy sauce (FeSS). Design: A community-based intervention was conducted among 4 groups, experimental rural (E[subscript R]), control rural (C[subscript R]), experimental urban…

Health education programs for older adults can be an efficient and cost-effective way to meet the challenge of a healthy old age. This directory describes 36 health education programs for the rural elderly in the areas of comprehensive programs, mental health, nutrition, physical health (including exercise), medication, safety, and health…

Describes programs of Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Development Services, a private nonprofit agency that provides preventive health care services to families in Chemung County, New York. The Infant Registry program registers, tracks, and screens the health and development of children from birth until the child starts school. (LP)

Examines the networking strategy that was utilized to develop a rural health promotion cooperative in southwestern Ohio, with special emphasis on the success of this strategy as a technique for introducing change and reducing resistance to prevention programs. Also discusses the obstacles to, and the benefits of, such programs. (MDM)

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) at Mississippi State University aims to stimulate the creation of new partnerships to enhance rural communities' capacity to address key health issues. In 1997, SRDC hosted a conference to develop the following: partnerships among land-grant universities, the health sector, and local citizens and…