Introduction
Rural women's health is an infinitely broad topic. Women's health
in rural areas affects everything in their environment from their
families to their economies and vice versa. This information guide includes an overview of
the major issues and links to resources on women's
health.
There are nearly 50 million Americans living in non-metropolitan areas (ERS, 2008). A variety of factors, including an older population,
a limited supply of health care providers, and further distances
from health care resources may contribute to special health concerns
for people in non-metropolitan areas. Access to health care and
social services are critical issues for rural women.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
CDC - Women's Health
Web site
Features sections for easy access to the latest information and data from around CDC on women's health.
FDA Publications for Women and Their Families
Web site
Provides fact sheets on health topics of interest to women and families. Includes information on medicines, cosmetics, medical conditions and medical procedures.
FDA Women's Health Topics
Web site
Information on women's health topics from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Topics include birth control, breast implants, cosmetics, drugs, diseases, and more.
Girlshealth.gov
Web site
Provides girls between the ages of 10 and 16 reliable, useful information on the health issues they will face as they become young women, and tips on handling relationships with family and friends, at school and at home.
Knowledge Paths Index
Web site
Resources and tools of new developments and research on maternal and child health-related topics. Includes links to Web sites, electronic publications, databases, and discussion groups, and citations for journal articles and other print resources.
Medicine Charts from the Office of Women's Health
Web site
A series of drug charts that provide reliable, easy-to-read information about Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medicines for specific health problems.
MedlinePlus: Women's Health Topics
Web site
Health information on a variety of women's health topics.
National Women's Health Information Center
Web site
Provides free health information for women via web site and toll-free call center: 1-800-994-9662.
National Women's Health Resource Center
Web site
The Healthy Women web site includes information on women's health topics and news on women's health issues.
Physical Activity and Healthy Eating for Rural Young and Adult Women
Web site
Resources to encourage women living in rural areas to increase current levels of physical activity, healthy eating, and communication with their health care providers to set goals for behavioral changes.
Quick Health Data Online
Database
Women's health statistics, covering topics like demographics, health care access, maternal health, mental health, and more. Includes national, regional, state and county-level data.
Rural Cancer Health Disparities Interview
Other
Offers a two-part video of an interview with Dr Eugene Lengerich, who discusses his research on rural cancer health disparities and utilizing community outreach to recruit rural women for mammography screenings.
Rural Health Research: Maternal and child health
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of maternal and child health, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Rural Health Research: Women
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of women, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Rural Women's Health Project
Web site
Develops community-based educational materials focused on the health issues of rural women and their families, with a special emphasis on the challenges faced by Spanish-speaking farmworking families.
Women's Health Care Disparities: State Fact Sheets
Web site
Presents selected data and findings from the report Putting Women’s Health Care Disparities on the Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic disparities at the State Level.
Women’s Health USA 2009
Web site
A collection of current and historical data on the health challenges facing women, their families, and their communities.
Funding
2009 Mary Kay Ash Shelter Grant Program
Grants to women's shelters for victims of domestic violence.
2009 Supporting the Safety Net
Funding to support programs that improve access to quality breast diagnostics and access to breast health care for the medically underserved.
Amy’s Courage Fund
Provides emergency financial assistance to victims of domestic violence and their children to meet their immediate needs after escaping an abusive home.
Best Practices in Women's Health
Funding to identify best practices in women's health in community settings and to use collaborative improvement processes to test ways to improve delivery of care in key community settings.
Best Practices in Women’s Health: A Model for Care and Wellness
Funding to identify best practices in women's health.
CIGNA Foundation Grants
Targeted grants in five areas: Health of Women, Children & Families, Obesity Awareness & Prevention, Patient/Doctor Communications & Health Literacy, Disparities in Health Care, and Connection Between a Healthy Mind & Body.
Count Me In Loans
Provides business loans to women.
Family Planning Services Grants
Grants to provide family planning services.
Komen Foundation Patient Services Grants
Funds to assist not-for-profit institutions and providers of breast cancer care to maintain the continuum of services to breast cancer patients and breast cancer survivors impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita.
OVW FY 2010 Education, Training and Enhanced Services to End Violence Against and Abuse of Women with Disabilities
Grants to create sustainable, systemic change that will result in effective services for individuals with disabilities who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and hold perpetrators of such crimes accountable.
OVW FY 2010 Grants to Enhance Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Program
Funding to community based organizations to addresses language and communication barriers to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking victims.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Action Steps for Improving Women's Mental Health
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Brings together the research, resources, products, and tools on mental health issues in women and explores the role gender plays in diagnosing, treating, and coping with mental illness.
Date: 05 / 2009
Cesarean Section Rates in Rural Hospitals
Author(s): Sandra Greene, George Holmes, Rebecca Slifkin, Victoria Freeman, Hilda Ann Howard
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center (Cecil G. Sheps Center)
Examines delivery patterns in rural hospitals and compares the C-section
rate in rural hospitals to that in urban hospitals using the Nationwide Inpatient
Sample (NIS).
Date: 03 / 2005
Ethics Conflicts in Rural Communities: Reproductive Health Care
Author(s): Barbara Elliott, Ruth Westra
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College
This thirteenth chapter of "Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics", addresses ethics concerns regarding sexually transmitted diseases, pregancy, and maintaining patient privacy.
Date: 2009
Health Status: Special Populations
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Provides health-related statistics in text and graph form of the U.S. immigrant population. Results compare male to female, rural to urban, and native to non-native born.
Date: 2003
My Bright Future: Physical Activity and Healthy Eating for Rural Adult Women
Sponsoring organization: HRSA Office of Women's Health
Covers wellness topics to help women achieve better physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health by encouraging healthy practices.
Date: 09 / 2008
My Bright Future: Physical Activity and Healthy Eating for Rural Young Women
Sponsoring organization: HRSA Office of Women's Health
Encourages young women on wellness activities such as physical activity, exercise, and nutrition.
Date: 09 / 2008
Older Women and Poverty in Rural America
Author(s): Carolyn Rogers
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Overview of poverty levels and related issues for older rural women.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 09 / 2005
Putting Women's Health Care Disparities On The Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the State Level
Author(s): Cara James, Alina Salganicoff, Megan Thomas, Marsha Lillie-Blanton, Roberta Wyn
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Documents the persistence of disparities between white women and women of color across the United States.
Date: 06 / 2009
Rural Low Income Women's Struggles and Strength: A Call to Change
Author(s): Juliana Plumb, Bonnie Braun
Identifies ways in which rural women's roles as partner, mother, and female citizen impact their lives. The most significant factors emerging from the analysis included: employment, child support, childcare, food security, and emotional well-being.
Journal citation: Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences Volume 6
Date: 2007
Rural Women with Disabilities and Depression, Part One: Characteristics and Treatment Patterns
Author(s): Rosemary Hughes
Sponsoring organization: Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities
An analysis of a study testing the effectiveness of a peer-led depression self-management intervention for rural women with physical disabilities.
Date: 07 / 2007
Rural/Frontier Women's Access to Health Services
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Policy brief addressing women's access to health services in rural areas. Topics covered include access to maternal and child health, family planning, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, aging, and mental health services.
Date: 11 / 2005
State Medicaid Coverage of Perinatal Services: Summary of State Survey Findings
Author(s): Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff, Alexandra M. Stewart, Marisa Cox, Lauren Doamekpor
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Highlights selected findings from the 2007/2008 Kaiser Family Foundation/George Washington University State Survey of Reproductive Health Services Under Medicaid, and examines coverage of perinatal services in states across the nation.
Date: 11 / 2009
State of the World's Mothers 2006: Saving the Lives of Mothers and Newborns
Sponsoring organization: Save the Children
Discusses the cycle of poverty. States that education, including improving a child's ability to read, is the single most important way to help children gain the skills and confidence they need to break the cycle of poverty and make a better life for themselves. Rural America mentioned on page 38 (40 of 58).
Date: 05 / 2006
Trends in Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening Practices Among Women in Rural and Urban Areas of the United States (Final Report)
Author(s): Mark P. Doescher, J. Elizabeth Jackson
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Reports on trends in breast cancer screening practices. Participation in mammography improved nationally, but women living in rural locations remained less likely to receive this test than those living in urban settings.
Date: 08 / 2008
Women's Health Insurance Coverage
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
Provides statistics on health coverage and describes the major sources of health insurance for non-elderly adult women ages 18–64, including employer-sponsored coverage, Medicaid, individually purchased insurance, and Medicare.
Date: 10 / 2009
Women's Health USA 2008
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Provides information on health challenges facing women, their families, and their communities. Includes information on occupational injury, maternal mortality, digestive disorders, oral health, eye health, and urologic disorders.
Date: 2008
Women’s Mental Health: What It Means to You
Addresses the stigma associated with mental health, with information on the signs and symptoms of mental illness, suggestions for support, and solutions for preventing and coping with mental illness.
Date: 05 / 2009
Journals
MCH Alert
Provides timely reference to research, findings, policy developments, recently released publications, new programs, and initiatives affecting the maternal and child health (MCH) community. This is a free, weekly electronic newsletter.
Organizations
American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)
National organization
Promotes the health and well-being of women and infants within their families and communities.
FDA Office of Women's Health
Federal government
Serves as a champion for women's health both within and outside the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
HRSA Office of Women's Health
Federal government
Coordinates women's activities across more than 80 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs.
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
Federal government
Works to assure the health of American mothers and children. Part of the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
National Community Centers of Excellence in Women's Health (CCOE)
National organization
Designed to integrate, coordinate, and strengthen linkages between programs and activities that are already underway in the community to enhance services available to women and to reduce fragmentation in women's health services.
National Rural/Frontier Women's Health Coordinating Centers (RFCC)
Federal government
Identifies and coordinates a network of existing resources to provide a full range of appropriate health services to women and their families in rural and frontier communities.
Office on Women's Health (OWH)
Federal government
Coordinates women's health efforts in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to eliminate disparities in health status. Supports educational programs that encourage women to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellness.
Society for Women's Health Research
Academic/Research
Works to improve the health of women through research.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Federal government
Protects the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age five by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care.
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