Topic Pages: Health promotion and disease prevention

On this page:

• Tools
• Success Stories
• Funding
• Publications
• Journals
• Organizations

Tools

• Health Information Resources Information Guide
  Resources and frequently asked questions for finding information on specific health conditions.
  Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
• Obesity and Weight Control Information Guide
  Information, resources and frequently asked questions related to the issue of obesity in rural communities.
  Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
• FASTATS: Overweight
  Basic statistics on the rates of overweight and obesity, with links to more detailed data.
  Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
• Knowledge Path: Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
  Provides a selection of current, high-quality resources about the identification, prevention, management, and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.
  Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health
• Diabetes in Children and Adolescents Knowledge Path
  Offers a selection of recent, high-quality resources about preventing and controlling diabetes in children and adolescents and lowering the risk of complications. The path also identifies tools for staying abreast of new developments in diabetes care and conducting further research.
  Sponsoring organization: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health
• We Can!
  Provides resources for parents and caregivers aimed at helping children maintain a healthy weight.
  Sponsoring organization: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Social Climate of Tobacco Control
  Monitors changes in social norms and practices related to tobacco control in Mississippi.
  Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center
• Healthy Kids Challenge
  Information for parents, teachers, and schools on improving the fitness and nutrition of children.
• Foundation Funding Guide: HIV/AIDS
  Lists state and national foundations with an interest in HIV/AIDS.
  Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
• MedlinePlus: Obesity
  News, publications and resources addressing the topic of obesity.
  Sponsoring organization: National Library of Medicine
• Success Stories Database
  Provides a variety of rural health success stories.
  Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
• Healthy People 2010: PubMed Searches
  Links to searches of the biomedical literature on topics related to the Healthy People 2010 focus areas.

Success Stories

• Chronic Care Education Outreach Program
  The consortium for the Chronic Care Education Outreach Program will expand an existing chronic illness self-management education program to focus on the elderly in Woodruff and Prairie counties in the Arkansas Delta region.
• Healthy Communities of Louisiana-The Obesity Project
  Healthy Communities of Louisiana-The Obesity Project is a health education and screening project targeting obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke in at-risk African American adolescents and adults in the parishes of Bienville, Lincoln and Jackson.

Funding

• AmeriCorps State and National Grants
  Funding is available to support multi-state programs addressing critical community needs through service of professionals, paraprofessionals, and pre-professionals in communities with shortages of these professionals.
      Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
      Application Deadline: Jan 26, 2010
      Sponsor: Corporation for National and Community Service: For Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations
• Charles A. Frueauff Foundation Grants
  Awards grants in the areas of higher education, social services, health and hospitals.
      Geographic Coverage: The Foundation awards grants in 26-29 states.
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
      Sponsor: Charles A. Frueauff Foundation
• 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.
      Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
      Sponsor: CIGNA Foundation
• Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi
  Provides funding to improve the health status of North Mississippians.
      Geographic Coverage: Northern Mississippi only
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
  
• Healthcare X Prize
  The Grand Challenge for this Healthcare X PRIZE will be to create an optimal health paradigm that empowers and engages individuals and communities in a way that dramatically improves health value.
      Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
      Sponsor: X PRIZE Foundation
• Regional Community Health Grants Program
  This program provides funding focused on reducing disparities in health care among racial and ethnic populations in eligible geographic areas.
      Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
      Sponsor: Aetna Foundation
• The Rapides Foundation Healthy People Grants
  Provides grants to parishes in Central Louisiana for a variety of healthcare issues.
      Geographic Coverage: Eligible Louisiana parishes in the Delta region: Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, and Winn
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
  
• William Randolph Hearst Foundations Health Grants
  Provides funding to improve access to quality health care for underserved populations in rural and urban areas.
      Geographic Coverage: Nationwide
      Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
  

Publications

• The 2005 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues
  Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Includes chapters focused on collaborations in rural communities, rural access to obstetrical services, obesity in rural communities, and rural welfare reform. Includes recommendations to address these issues.
  Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
  Date: 04 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Action Plan for Halting the Alarming Trend of Childhood Obesity
  Overview of the growing problem of childhood obesity. Discusses the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's work to address this issue.
  Author(s): Flora Davis
  Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  Journal citation: Advances Issue: 2 Date: 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• BMI - Body Mass Index: BMI for Children and Teens
  Information on how body mass index (BMI) is used in children and teenagers. Includes an example of a BMI-for-age calculation for a child.
  Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Format: HTML
  
• Childhood Obesity - Advancing Effective Prevention and Treatment: An Overview for Health Professionals
  Presents an overview of pediatric overweight and discusses this condition along with possible solutions.
  Date: 04 / 2003
  Format: PDF
  
• Childhood Overweight: What the Research Tells Us
  Facts and statistics on childhood obesity. Includes information on physical activity in school, nutrition in school, and the health consequences of obesity.
  Sponsoring organization: Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
  Date: 03 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Diabetes in America
  An assessment of epidemiologic, public health, and clinical data on diabetes and its complications in the United States.
  Sponsoring organization: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  Date: 1995
  Format: PDF
  
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
  Updated every five years, this document contains new guidelines regarding good dietary habits, promoting health, and reducing risk for major chronic diseases.
  Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Date: 01 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence
  Discusses the role of the built environment, including buildings, roads, parks, and other structures that physically define a community, in physical activity.
  Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
  Date: 01 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Expected Health and Economic Impacts of a One Dollar Increase in the Mississippi Cigarette Tax
  Fact sheet detailing expected health and economic outcomes of an increase in the cigarette tax in Mississippi.
  Author(s): R. McMillen
  Sponsoring organization: Mississippi Health Policy Research Center
  Date: 01 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Healthy Community Design: Success Stories from State and Local Leaders
  Discusses the role community leaders can play in supporting active living. Includes profiles of successful community, state and regional efforts that encourage exercise.
  Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  Date: 12 / 2004
  Format: PDF
  
• HIV/AIDS Among African Americans
  Contains a variety of facts and information on HIV/AIDS and African Americans.
  Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of Minority Health
  Date: 01 / 2006
  Format: PDF
  
• HIV/AIDS Among Women
  Provides data about the impact of HIV and AIDS among women, including young women and minority women.
  Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Date: 11 / 2004
  Format: PDF
  
• HIV/AIDS Among Youth
  Provides data on the impact of HIV and AIDS among young people.
  Date: 05 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report
  Contains information about U.S. AIDS and HIV case reports, including data by state, metropolitan statistical area, mode of exposure to HIV, sex, race/ethnicity, age group, vital status, and case definition category.
  Date: 2004
  Format: PDF
  
• Key Facts: Latinos and HIV/AIDS
  Comprehensive data on the impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic on Latinos in the United States. Includes an overview and epidemic profile, as well as data on major trends, access to and use of health services, and perceptions of HIV/AIDS.
  Author(s): Sonia Ruiz, Jennifer Kates, Claire Oseran Pontius
  Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation
  Date: 07 / 2003
  Format: PDF
  
• A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States
  This statistical sourcebook provides key facts about obesity, showing how prevalent obesity has become and examining the factors that contribute to the patterns of unhealthy eating and insufficient physical activity that are at the heart of this epidemic.
  Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  Date: 05 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Obesity in Rural Communities
  Chapter from the 2005 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues. Discusses the impact of the obesity epidemic on rural communities. Includes a brief overview of food insecurity in rural areas.
  Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
  Date: 04 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Obesity Policy and the Law of Unintended Consequences
  Discusses some economic policies that have been considered to address the growing obesity problem and the limitations of addressing this complex problem with policies that focus on the food market.
  Author(s): Fred Kuchler, Elise Golan, Jayachandran N. Variyam, Stephen R. Crutchfield
  Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
  Journal citation: Amber Waves Date: 06 / 2005
  Format: HTML
  
• Obesity: Combating a Rural Epidemic
  Describes how rural Americans are eating more and getting bigger. Mentions several research articles as well as statistics stating that rural populations are getting more and more obese and facing the health care challenges that come along with obesity and overweight.
  Author(s): Thomas D. Rowley
  Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
  Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Date: 04 / 2004
  Format: HTML
  
• Preventing Childhood Obesity
  Details the factors influencing childhood obesity and provides policy recommendations for addressing obesity in children.
  Author(s): E. Serrano, R. Cox
  Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Center
  Date: 04 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Promoting Healthy Weight Families: An Employer Analysis of the Causes of Overweight Among Youth and Promising Solutions to the Problem
  Discusses ways employers can help families achieve healthy weight goals and be a part of the solution to the growing epidemic of child and adolescent obesity.
  Sponsoring organization: National Business Group on Health
  Date: 08 / 2004
  Format: PDF
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Educational and Community Based Programs in Rural Areas
  Addresses rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on education and community based programs.
  Author(s): Larry Gamm, Graciela Castillo, Lisa Williams
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 01 / 2005
  Format: HTML
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Educational and Community Based Programs in Rural Areas: A Literature Review
  Detailed literature review of rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on educational and community-based programs.
  Author(s): Larry Gamm, Graciela Castillo, Lisa Williams
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 01 / 2005
  Format: HTML
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010. Volume 1
  Brief overviews of the top rural health concerns and objectives associated with Healthy People 2010 focus areas, references to key literature about these concerns, and descriptions of models for practice that rural communities can draw upon to achieve key Healthy People 2010 objectives.
  Author(s): Larry D. Gamm, Linnae L. Hutchison, Betty J. Dabney, Alicia M. Dorsey, eds.
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: PDF
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010. Volume 2
  Detailed literature reviews and associated references for the top rural health concerns addressed in Vol. 1 of Rural Healthy People 2010.
  Author(s): Larry D. Gamm, Linnae L. Hutchison, Betty J. Dabney, Alicia M. Dorsey, eds.
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: PDF
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010. Volume 3
  Addresses several rural health concerns and objectives not covered in Volumes 1 and 2 of Rural Healthy People 2010. Includes overviews, literature reviews, and accompanying models for practice for four rural health topics.
  Author(s): Larry D. Gamm, Linnae L. Hutchison, eds.
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 02 / 2005
  Format: PDF
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Diabetes in Rural America
  Addresses rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on diabetes.
  Author(s): Betty Dabney, Annie Gosschalk
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: HTML
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Nutrition and Overweight Concerns in Rural Areas
  Addresses rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on nutrition and overweight.
  Author(s): Tom Tai-Seale, Coleman Chandler
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: HTML
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Nutrition and Overweight Concerns in Rural Areas: A Literature Review
  Detailed literature review of rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on nutrition and overweight.
  Author(s): Tom Tai-Seale, Coleman Chandler
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: HTML
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Tobacco Use in Rural Areas
  Addresses rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on tobacco use.
  Author(s): Stacey Stevens, Brian Colwell, Linnae Hutchison
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: HTML
  
• Rural Healthy People 2010: Tobacco Use in Rural Areas: A Literature Review
  Detailed literature review of rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on tobacco use.
  Author(s): Stacey Stevens, Brian Colwell, Linnae Hutchison
  Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 2003
  Format: HTML
  
• Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity
  Identifies obesity and overweight as a national public health issue and discusses strategies to address this problem.
  Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Date: 2001
  Format: HTML
  

Journals

• Journal of Rural Health
  Offers research of projects to improve rural health, statistics, and mathematical models. Provides summaries of recently published rural health research. Provides links to author, subject and abstract indexes.
  Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
• Rural Monitor
  Newsletter containing information regarding a variety of successful programs throughout rural America including news, research, and funding.
  Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
• Rural Roads
  NRHA magazine focusing on human-interest stories and successful rural programs.
  Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association

Organizations

• Action for Healthy Kids
  Nationwide initiative dedicated to improving the health and educational performance of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools. Provides tools and resources to support healthy schools.
• Alabama Rural Health Association
  Strives to preserve and enhance the health of the rural citizens of Alabama.
• Alabama Department of Public Health
  Works closely with the community to preserve and protect the public's health, to provide caring, quality services and serve the people of Alabama by assuring conditions in which they can be healthy.
• American Heart Association
  Works to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Information available in Spanish.
• American Legacy Foundation
  The American Legacy Foundation is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that was established in March 1999 as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between a coalition of attorneys general in 46 states and five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry, and is funded primarily by payments designated by the settlement.
• American Lung Association
  Fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health.
• Arkansas Office of Rural Health & Primary Care
  Promotes the development of community-based health care services and systems throughout Arkansas to ensure that well managed, quality health services are available to all citizens. This is a component of the Arkansas Department of Health (William Rodgers) and Human Services, Division of Health.
• Bright Futures
  National health promotion initiative dedicated to the principle that every child deserves to be healthy and that optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, the child, the family, and the community as partners in health practice.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people at home and abroad. Work includes disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
• General Mills Foundation
  Charitable foundation of the General Mills corporation that awards grants to improve youth fitness and nutrition among other things.
• Healthy Vision 2010
  Represents the vision objectives in Healthy People 2010, the nation's public health agenda.
• Illinois Rural Health Association
  The IRHA is a membership organization that works to improve access to health care for rural Illinois residents through education programs, legislative advocacy, public awareness and networking.
• Institute of Medicine
  Works to advance and disseminate scientific knowledge to improve human health. Part of the National Academy of Sciences.
• Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative
  The mission of the Lower Mississippi Delta NIRI is to improve the nutrition and health of families of the Lower Mississippi River Delta region.
• Medtronic Foundation
  Foundation to improve the health of people and communities.
• Mississippi Health Policy Research Center
  Conducts research on the most critical health policy issues confronting the state of Mississippi.
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
  Provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. Part of the National Institutes of Health.
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  Conducts and supports research on diabetes, endocrine disorders, digestive diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, hematology, and other diseases.
• National Rural Health Association
  Promotes leadership, ideas, information, communication, education, research, advocacy, and methods to improve rural health. Composed of individual and organizational members who share a common interest in rural health.
• Obesity Society
  Promotes research, education and advocacy to better understand, prevent, and treat obesity and improve the lives of those affected.
• Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention
  The major focus of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention (RCAP) is the promotion of HIV/STD prevention in rural America, with the goal of reducing HIV/STD incidence.
• Trust for America's Health
  Works to protect the health of every community and to make disease prevention a national priority.