Informed policy begins with epidemiology. Without a clear picture of the rural minority population, policy will be based on extrapolation from limited area studies, from urban populations, and from rural white populations. Few studies attempt to characterize the rural minority population and even fewer do so on a national basis. To remedy this gap, this project will conduct original analyses on eight available national data sets pertaining to population demographics, health status and health care utilization. These include USA Counties (a Census compilation), the National Health Interview Survey, the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the National Ambulatory Care Medical Care Survey, the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Medical Care Survey, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Area Resource File. At the completion of the project, the Office of Rural Health Policy will have an accessible, easily distributed baseline document outlining health status, health behaviors, and access to care among rural minorities that can be used for policy planning and analysis.

Publications

• Access to Care Among Rural Minorities: Children
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2002
  This report profiles the characteristics of non-metro children, their health insurance coverage, and their healthcare visits.
• Access to Care Among Rural Minorities: Children (Appendix - Methods, Data Sources, and Detailed Tables)
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 11/2002
  This is the appendix of a report on rural minority children and the factors affecting their health insurance coverage and health services use.
• Access to Care Among Rural Minorities: Older Adults
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 10/2002
  This report profiles the health status of, and use of physicians by, non-metro older adults.
• Access to Care Among Rural Minorities: Older Adults (Appendix - Methods, Data, and Detailed Tables)
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 10/2002
  This is the appendix of a report on health status and health services use among poor and minority older adults in non-metro areas.
• Access to Care Among Rural Minorities: Working Age Adults
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 01/2003
  This report examines the prevalence of health insurance and the use of physician services in rural areas.
• Access to Care Among Rural Minorities: Working Age Adults (Appendix - Methods, Data, and Detailed Tables)
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 01/2003
  This is an appendix of a report on health status and health services use among poor and minority working-age adults in non-metro areas.