Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural America.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Mueller JT
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7817144 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:In recent decades, a culture of hopelessness has emerged among rural Americans, visible in epidemic levels of suicide, overdose, and other addiction-related illnesses. While the arrival of a novel coronavirus aggravated existing strains in rural economies, it also enabled positive transformations in some rural cities and towns. This research explores how businesses in rural America experienced and adapted to economic shocks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and, in the process, changed the economic and social landscape. Applying a qualitative research methodology, the present research offers Pennsylvania's Central Susquehanna Valley as a case study, using data from 60 semi-structured interviews. The analyses demonstrate rural businesses' resiliency and adaptive responses, bolstered by embedded rural capitals and the unique characteristics of rural businesses themselves. Furthermore, the pandemic forced drastic changes for businesses in the rural landscape. On the one hand, Covid-19's losses and miseries take much material, human, and social resources from the rural community. On the other hand, changing relationships between businessowners and workers, and among partners in the supply chain could be long-lasting, creating extra rural capitals and better working relationships at the factory and beyond. Finally, adoption of new technologies and automation; new business directions, such as e-commerce and higher value-added production; and increases in mergers and acquisitions across industries were prevalent during 2020-2021. In many ways, the Covid-19 impacts could make rural America more dynamic and competitive. This research offers conceptual and empirical pathways to supporting economic and social development in rural America.
| S-EPMC9613805 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Can "urban-centric" local television news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic affect the behavior of rural residents with lived experiences so different from their "local" news coverage? Leveraging quasi-random geographic variation in media markets for 771 matched rural counties, we show that rural residents are more likely to practice social distancing if they live in a media market that is more impacted by COVID-19. Individual-level survey responses from residents of these counties confirm county-level behavioral differences and help attribute the differences we identify to differences in local television news coverage-self-reported differences only exist among respondents who prefer watching local news, and there are no differences in media usage or consumption across media markets. Although important for showing the ability of local television news to affect behavior despite urban-rural differences, the media-related effects we identify are at most half the size of the differences related to partisan differences.
| S-EPMC7486744 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Since 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis has caused a great deal of social and economic damages to micro and small-scale enterprises (MSEs). This research examined the most common damages of this crisis in active and inactive rural MSEs and also assessed different kind of responses the managers and owners of theses MSEs have received dealing with these damages. The sample population of this study consisted of all managers of 72 active and 38 closed rural MSEs in the Dastjerd village, Hamedan, Iran. These MSEs were mainly garment small factories. This research utilized a mixed approach (quantitative-qualitative) to study the research objectives in depth. First, in qualitative part, semi-constructed interviews and field visits were done. Then, using quantitative, results of the qualitative section, previous studies and the existing literature, a researcher-made questionnaire was created. Based on qualitative part information through interviews, damages of rural MSEs during COVID-19 pandemic were categorized into three classes, including damages related to production, and financial and marketing issues. Also, two categories of managers' responses that could be labeled as passive and adaptive behavior were identified. Findings showed that active rural MSEs have taken more adaptive measures and tried to find appropriate ways to reduce or overcome damages. Active MSEs were mainly owned and managed collaboratively by more literate and experienced managers. Also results revealed that rural MSEs' managers reacted to different kinds of damages based on their ability, knowledge, and experience. Based on research results, managers' knowledge and skills can help them find more adaptive solutions to keep the firms stable and overcome damages. It can be concluded that COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact on rural MSEs and they need more financial support and managerial advice to overcome this kind of crisis situation.
| S-EPMC9204275 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-BSST1055 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 has been causing mental health problems around the world, with rural and indigenous peoples likely to be the most affected. This systematic review synthesizes and critically analyzes the existing literature on mental disorders in the rural Andean population in Latin America.MethodsA systematic review with narrative synthesis was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. We searched nine databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scielo, LILACS, and Latindex), five public prepublication servers (SocArXiv, medRxiv, bioRxiv, SportRXiv, and Preprints), ALICIA, and Google Scholar for articles that included the analysis of mental health problems using data collected from the rural Andean population in Latin America. These were eligible for inclusion. Articles that included Non-Latin American populations (including European or African migrants) and studies conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (since the declaration of national lockdown) were excluded.ResultsA total of 23,761 articles were retrieved, 14 of which met the inclusion requirements. Most were cross-sectional (n = 12) and related to anxiety (n = 9), depression (n = 8), and stress (n = 5). The mental health analysis of 5,976 rural dwellers from four countries in Latin America also included gray literature studies (n = 7) that allowed the quantification of mental health problems in adults (n = 7) and adolescents/children (n = 4). Only one study was multinational, and the quality of publications varied. Despite the high frequency of anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms among rural Latin American populations during COVID-19, published research is very limited. This review found preliminary evidence that the frequency of anxiety (45%), depression (27.6%), and stress (33.1%) in the rural population was associated with pandemic restrictions across countries. Measures of other psychiatric problems, such as distress or suicidal ideation, cannot be estimated.ConclusionRegional-wide studies investigating changes in the frequency of symptoms of mental health problems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic are warranted to inform culturally adapted prevention strategies. This study is limited to a narrative synthesis and may be subject to publication bias.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=320489.
| S-EPMC10470633 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has led to environmental recovery in some ecosystems from a global "anthropause," yet such evidence for natural resources with extraction or production value (e.g., fisheries) is limited. This brief report provides a data-driven global snapshot of expert-perceived impacts of COVID-19 on inland fisheries. We distributed an online survey assessing perceptions of inland fishery pressures in June and July 2020 to basin-level inland fishery experts (i.e., identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations across the global North and South); 437 respondents from 79 countries addressed 93 unique hydrological basins, accounting for 82.1% of global inland fish catch. Based on the responses analyzed against extrinsic fish catch and human development index data, pandemic impacts on inland fisheries 1) add gradation to the largely positive environmental narrative of the global pandemic and 2) identify that basins of higher provisioning value are perceived to experience greater fishery pressures but may have limited compensatory capacity to mitigate COVID-19 impacts along with negative pressures already present.
| S-EPMC7703588 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We conducted 131 semi-structured phone interviews with householders in rural Odisha, India to explore participants' COVID-19 related knowledge, perceptions, and preventative actions, as well as how the pandemic affected their daily life, economic and food security, and the village-level response. Interviews were conducted with 73 heads of household, 37 primary caregivers, and 21 members of village water and sanitation committees from 43 rural villages in Ganjam and Gajapati districts in Odisha state. The study took place between May-July 2020 throughout various lockdown restrictions and at a time when many migrant workers were returning to their villages and cases were rising. Most respondents could name at least one correct symptom of COVID-19 (75%), but there was lower knowledge about causes of the disease and high-risk groups, and overall COVID-19 knowledge was lowest among caregivers. Respondents reported high compliance with important preventative measures, including staying home as much as possible (94%), social distancing (91%), washing hands frequently (96%), and wearing a facial mask (95%). Additionally, many respondents reported job loss (31%), financial challenges (93%), challenges related to staying home whether as a preventative measure or due to lockdowns (57%), changes in types and/or amount of food consumed (61%), and adverse emotional effects as a result of the pandemic and lockdown. We also provide detailed summaries of qualitative responses to allow for deeper insights into the lived experience of villagers during this pandemic. Although the research revealed high compliance with preventative measures, the pandemic and associated lockdowns also led to many challenges and hardships faced in daily life particularly around job loss, economic security, food security, and emotional wellbeing. The results underscore the vulnerability of marginalized populations to the pandemic and the need for measures that increase resilience to large-scale shocks.
| S-EPMC7998707 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To understand and analyse the global impact of COVID-19 on outpatient services, inpatient care, elective surgery, and perioperative colorectal cancer care, a DElayed COloRectal cancer surgery (DECOR-19) survey was conducted in collaboration with numerous international colorectal societies with the objective of obtaining several learning points from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our colorectal cancer patients which will assist us in the ongoing management of our colorectal cancer patients and to provide us safe oncological pathways for future outbreaks.
| 2346925 | ecrin-mdr-crc
Project description:BackgroundMeasures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic have led to impacts on healthcare systems and providers worldwide. Outpatient healthcare professionals (HCPs) provide the majority of patient care. Insight into their experiences during a pandemic is rare. Therefore, we explored how primary and secondary care HCPs in a rural area in Germany experienced their work during the pandemic and what health-related outcomes they perceived in their patients. In this context, we also examined the impact on access to and utilization of healthcare and working conditions.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative interview study with outpatient HCPs. We recruited by e-mail, telephone, professional networks and personal contacts. Data were collected between August 2020 and January 2021. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsOur sample consisted of 28 HCPs (15 family physicians, 7 cardiologists, and 6 non-physician assistants, 12 female) from Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. HCPs experienced fewer consultations as well as cancellations by hospitals and secondary care physicians, especially at the beginning of the Covid-19-pandemic, while they continued throughout to provide outpatient care. They quickly adopted changes in practice organisation and healthcare provision. There was a shift towards telephone consultations, home visits as well as unconventional consultations e.g. through the practice window. Family physicians used personal relationships to support utilization of healthcare and to avoid health-related effects. Social tension and burden seemed to interact with a perceived lack of preparedness, the pandemic-related changes in their working condition as well as access to and utilization of healthcare. Chronic disease monitoring was postponed, which could have consequences in the course of disease of patients. HCPs experienced effects on patients' psychological well-being.ConclusionOur study demonstrates the impacts of Covid-19-pandemic on outpatient care in rural areas and emphasizes its importance. HCPs experienced impacts on access to and utilization of healthcare, working conditions and health-related outcomes. Health policy should create a framework for healthcare to support outpatient care in rural areas with a looming undersupply of primary and secondary care in order to maintain healthcare and reduce pandemic impacts.
| S-EPMC8638652 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeTracking changes in care utilization of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services before, during, and after COVID-19-associated changes in policy and service delivery in a mixed rural and micropolitan setting.MethodsUsing a retrospective, open-cohort design, we examined visit data of MOUD patients at a family medicine clinic across three identified periods: pre-COVID, COVID transition, and COVID. Outcome measures include the number and type of visits (in-person or telehealth), the number of new patients entering treatment, and the number of urine drug screens performed. Distance from patient residence to clinic was calculated to assess access to care in rural areas. Goodness-of-Fit Chi-Square tests and ANOVAs were used to identify differences between time periods.FindingsTotal MOUD visits increased during COVID (436 pre vs. 581 post, p < 0.001), while overall new patient visits remained constant (33 pre vs. 29 post, p = 0.755). The clinic's overall catchment area increased in size, with new patients coming primarily from rural areas. Length of time between urine drug screens increased (21.1 days pre vs. 43.5 days post, p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe patterns of MOUD care utilization during this period demonstrate the effectiveness of telehealth in this area. Policy changes allowing for MOUD to be delivered via telehealth, waiving the need for in-person initiation of MOUD, and increased Medicaid compensation for MOUD may play a valuable role in improving access to MOUD during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
| S-EPMC8250742 | biostudies-literature