New! SCRHRC Releases Racial and Rural Differences in Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Practices Report

We examined differences in receipt of cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination associated with residence and race/ethnicity. Data for the study were drawn from two nationally representative samples of medical practices, the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS).

Key Findings:
Patient Receipt of Cervical Cancer Screening or Vaccination Services

• No significant differences were observed for type of cervical cancer screening modality (conventional, liquid or unspecified) by patient residence (urban versus rural) or by race/ethnicity (white versus African American women).
• A significantly higher proportion of women living in rural counties (69.6%) received liquid based Pap testing in hospital outpatient settings than women in urban counties (39%).
• A significantly higher proportion of women residing in urban counties received HPV DNA testing versus women residing in rural counties (10% versus 3.3%, respectively).
• No significant differences were observed in the receipt of HPV vaccination by patient residence.

Physician Providers for Women Receiving Pap or Other Cervical Screening Services

• Most patients receiving cervical screening, regardless of residence, were seen by urban physicians (92.4%).
• A significantly higher proportion of patients in rural practices were publicly insured than patients in urban practices (36.7% versus 23.0%, respectively).

Questions should be directed to Dr. Jessica D. Bellinger, PhD at bellingj@mailbox.sc.edu.

Click here to download the Report Summary, or here to download the full report.

SCRHRC Releases Dental Sealant Utilization Among Rural and Urban Children Report

We examined the proportion of rural children who have received dental sealants, thin plastic materials applied to the surface of the teeth to prevent or delay the development of dental decay. Our principal source of information was the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) of the Census Bureau (2001-2004 panel, the most recent SIPP version available when the project was initiated), which asked parents about children'™s teeth. To confirm findings based on parental report, we also examined dental results from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which are based on professional examination of children's teeth.

Key findings:

• Similar proportions of rural (43.7%) and urban (43.0%) children had sealants.
• Within racial/ethnic groups, rural white children were significantly less likely to have parentally reported sealants than were urban white children; there were no significant differences based on residence for black or Hispanic children.
• Across racial/ethnic groups, white children (47.9%) were significantly more likely to have sealants than Hispanic children (35.3%) while black children were the least likely of all three racial/ethnic groups to report having sealants. Within rural children, 45.2% of white children, 35.6% of black children, and 39.3% of Hispanic children were reported to have sealants (not significantly different).

Children at greatest risk of subsequent decay because they lack dental sealants include minority children, children receiving public insurance or without insurance, and those from low-income and low-education households.

Questions should be directed to Dr. Amy Martin at brocka@mailbox.sc.edu.

Click here to download the Report Summary, or here to download the full report.

Dr. Jan Probst Served As The Keynote Speaker At The Ninth Annual Jean Mills Health Symposium, March 1, 2013

Dr. Jan Probst, Director of the SC Rural Health Research Center, served as the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Jean Mills Health Symposium on March 1, 2013. The event, held at the East Carolina Heart Institute at ECU, was presented by the College of Allied Health Sciences in collaboration with the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation and the ECU Office of Continuing Studies.

You can click here to watch the video broadcast event at ECU.