The southern rural health and mortality penalty: A review of regional health inequities in the United States

What is the availability, affordability, and quality of foods and beverages aligned with dietary guidance in Louisiana Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) authorized stores?

“…However, low NEMS-S scores in general were found among retail sites in two other southeastern states in close proximity to Louisiana ( Thomson et al, 2020 , Shikany et al, 2018 ). Results of this study provide additional evidence that poor food environments are likely one factor driving health disparities among southern regions in the United States, given this region continues to demonstrate some of the worst health outcomes in the nation ( Miller and Vasan, 2020 ). Together results indicate prioritizing healthy food retail strategies in SNAP-authorized stores among both urban and rural Louisiana communities with lower income are warranted.…”

“…Cooperative Extension Services-delivered healthy food retail strategies should be a statewide priority, especially in partnership with independent SNAP-authorized retailers and smaller formats that are important pillars in local communities. While working with community organizations like Cooperative Extension Services is a favorable local solution, city/town, state, and national policy solutions are needed to support improved food access to influence consistently poor health outcomes observed in Louisiana and southeastern United States regions ( University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2020 , Miller and Vasan, 2020 ). Until these food environments improve, we can continue to expect health disparities among those who rely on SNAP-authorized stores for access.…”

Putting the “Love of Humanity” Back in Corporate Philanthropy: The Case of Health Grants by Corporate Foundations

“…We find evidence that two factors are associated with the severity of health problems. First, corporate giving is generally focused on the local community, which for corporate foundations tends to be large metropolitan areas, and which has the consequence of reinforcing the “rural–urban health divide” (Miller & Vasan, 2021 ). Our finding that the odds of receiving a health grant goes up by more than 9 times when a county houses a HQ of at least one company that has a grant-making foundation suggests that proximity matters.…”

“…Our findings shed light on the mixed results of prior research, which have not used a rigorous approach to compare the awarding of grants to urban versus rural counties (Ashley, 2014 ). Health researchers have found that rural Americans face persistent health disparities compared to people living in urban areas (Miller & Vasan, 2021 ) because rural Americans tend to have less access to health-care and experience high rates of disease and death (Cosby et al, 2018 ). Our findings that corporate health-giving targets urban counties suggest that corporate giving may exacerbate such disparities.…”

The Effects Of The Affordable Care Act On The Rates Of Insurance And Adverse Outcomes Among Women Hospitalized For Delivery

“…In contrast, over the same time period, the MMR in the Northeast census region dropped by 2.69% (Snyder, 2020). Overall, the South experiences that highest rates of poverty and lowest rates of health insurance (Miller, 2021 andConway, 2019). Geographically, women at the highest risk of maternal mortality live in the rural South.…”