Disparities in the Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth in Rural Areas of the United States
 

DataSpeak Web Conference Series

Disparities in the Health and Well-Being
of Children and Youth in Rural Areas
of the United States

Please join us on Tuesday, May 31, 2016
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET


The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is pleased to announce an upcoming DataSpeak program on the health status of children and youth in rural areas of the United States.

The health of children in rural areas is a topic of vital interest to MCHB and its partners. According to The Health and Well-Being of Children in Rural Areas: A Portrait of the Nation 2011-2012, published by MCHB in 2015, rural children are more likely to live in poverty than those in urban areas and suffer related health disparities, such as the increased likelihood of being overweight or obese and increased exposures to adverse childhood experiences, among others. A recent update of the rural-urban chartbook published by the Rural Health Research & Policy Centers and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy notes that both infant mortality and death rates for children and young adults are highest in the most rural counties. Rural residents are more likely to lack health insurance and less likely to have access to physicians, dentists, and other health care providers. In addition to these disparities, minority and socially disadvantaged populations in rural areas often experience additional disparities in health care access and utilization.

This DataSpeak will present recent data from national surveys and data sets on access, health status, and mortality patterns for children and youth in rural areas, along with resources and information on improving the health of these populations.

Presentations will be made by:

  • Steve Holve, MD, Chief Clinical Consultant in Pediatrics for the Indian Health Service, will present on the significant disparities faced by American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children compared to the general US population. He will review these disparities by examining the life trajectory of a typical AI/AN child from infancy through adolescence.

  • Alana Knudson, PhD, EdM, Principal Research Scientist and Co-Director of the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis for NORC at the University of Chicago, will present data on rural and urban mortality differences for children and youth. Her presentation will include a focus on the Appalachian and Delta regions, noting the striking disparities between rural and urban populations for various causes of death.

  • Janice Probst, PhD, Director of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, will present new data on key indicators of access to health and dental care for children in rural areas. This will include an emphasis on how social determinants of health such as poverty impact access to care and health outcomes for this population.

 

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