Rural Health Commons^™

Rural/Urban Disparities In Utilization Of Diabetes Self-Management Training (Dsmt) To The Fee-For-Service Medicare Population, 2017–2024, Wanying Zhu, Aleksandr Taraskin, Jeffrerey Talbert

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Key Report Highlights

• A significant rural DSMT access gap exists. Rural beneficiaries accounted for 20.1% of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes but only 7.8% of DSMT participants.

• Geographic availability remains limited. Only 16.8% of counties with DSMT utilization were rural.

• Access, not demand, appears to be the primary challenge. Rural counties offering DSMT achieved utilization rates more than twice those observed in urban counties (6.0% vs. 2.5%).

• Expanding rural DSMT capacity may represent a high-impact opportunity to improve diabetes self-management support among underserved Medicare beneficiaries.

Non-Metropolitan Vs. Metropolitan Variations In Alcohol, Illicit Drug, And Prescription Therapeutic Drug Misuse, Tyrone F. Borders

Rural & Underserved Health Research Center Publications

Key Findings

Alcohol Use. The prevalence of past year and past 30-day drinking was lower among non-metropolitan (non-metro) than metropolitan (metro) residents. However, non-metro drinkers engaged in more frequent binge drinking than metro drinkers. Drinking 3-5, 6-19, and 20-30 days over the past 30 days were higher among non-metro than metro residents.

Illicit Drug Use. Hallucinogens were the mostly commonly used illicit drugs among non-metro as well as metro residents. Methamphetamine use was significantly higher among non-metro than metro residents.

Prescription Pain Reliever Use. The misuse of prescription pain killers, primarily prescription opioids, was higher among non-metro than …