Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

What Sets Physically Active Rural Communities Apart From Less Active Ones? A Comparative Case Study Of Three Us Counties, Christiaan G. Abildso, Cynthia K. Perry, Lauren Jacobs, M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Megan Mcclendon, Michael B. Edwards, James N. Roemmich, Zachary Ramsey, Margaret Stout

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Rural US communities experience health disparities, including a lower prevalence of physical activity (PA). However, “Positive Deviants”—rural communities with greater PA than their peers—exist. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that help create physically active rural US communities. Methods: Stakeholder interviews, on-site intercept interviews, and in-person observations were used to form a comparative case study of two rural counties with high PA prevalence (HPAs) and one with low PA prevalence (LPA) from a southern US state, selected based on rurality and adult PA prevalence. Interview transcripts were inductively coded by three readers, resulting in a …