Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Geographical Location And Stage Of Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Faustine Williams, Aimee S. James, Stephen Jeanetta

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: To examine systematically the literature on the effect of geographical location variation on breast cancer stage at diagnosis, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Methods. Eight electronic databases were searched using combination of key words. Of the 312 articles retrieved from the search, 36 studies from 12 countries were considered eligible for inclusion.

Results. This review identified 17 (47%) of 36 studies in which breast cancer patients residing in geographically remote/rural areas had more late-stage diagnosis than urban women. Ten (28%) studies reported higher proportions of women diagnosed with breast cancer resided in urban than rural counties. Nine …

The Double Disparity Facing Rural Local Health Departments, Jenine K. Harris, Kate E. Beatty, J. P. Leider, Alana Knudson, Britta L. Anderson, Michael Meit

ETSU Faculty Works

Residents of rural jurisdictions face significant health challenges, including some of the highest rates of risky health behaviors and worst health outcomes of any group in the country. Rural communities are served by smaller local health departments (LHDs) that are more understaffed and underfunded than their suburban and urban peers. As a result of history and current need, rural LHDs are more likely than their urban peers to be providers of direct health services, leading to relatively lower levels of population-focused activities. This review examines the double disparity faced by rural LHDs and their constituents: pervasively poorer health behaviors and …

Clinical Service Delivery Along The Urban/Rural Continuum, Kate E. Beatty, Nathan Hale, Michael Meit, Paula Masters, Amal Khoury

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: Engagement in the core public health functions and ten essential services remains the standard for measuring local health department (LHD) performance; their role as providers of clinical services remains uncertain, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Purpose: To examine the role of LHDs as clinical service providers and how this role varies among rural and nonrural communities.

Methods: The 2013 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profile was used to examine the geographic distribution of clinical service provision among LHDs. LHDs were coded as urban, large rural, or small rural based on Rural/Urban Commuting …