OBJECTIVE To evaluate the influence of individual spatial units (ie, counties) on the epidemic spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus. SAMPLE POPULATION 163 counties in Uruguay where there was an outbreak of FMD between April 23 and July 11, 2001. PROCEDURE A geographically referenced database was created, and the distance between counties (13,203 county pairs), road density of counti...

INTRODUCTION We compared the risk of diabetes for residents of Appalachian counties to that of residents of non-Appalachian counties after controlling for selected risk factors in states containing at least 1 Appalachian county. METHODS We combined Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 2006 and 2007 and conducted a logistic regression analysis, with self-reported diabetes as th...

The present study intended to determine the priority areas for nature-based tourism in Isfahan province, Iran. Considering the components in question, this study was applied-developmental in nature and its methodology was descriptive-survey based on a systematic analysis of the potentials utilization, potential assessment and identification of priority areas and their combination. To carry out ...

OBJECTIVE To examine disparities in the receipt of preventive care recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties and within Appalachian counties. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 2008-2010 were used to identify individuals with diabetes and their preventive care usage. Each Appalac...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate interventions to improve routine vaccination coverage and caregiver knowledge in China's remote west, where routine immunisation is relatively weak. DESIGN Prospective pre-post (2006-2010) evaluation in project counties; retrospective comparison based on 2004 administrative data at baseline and surveyed post-intervention (2010) data in selected non-project counties. SE...

BACKGROUND The demographic and geographic characteristics of the HIV epidemic in the US has changed substantially since the disease emerged, with women in the South experiencing a particularly high HIV incidence. In this study, we identified and described counties in the US in which the prevalence of HIV is particularly high in women compared to men. METHODS Using data from AIDSVu, a public d...

OBJECTIVES To examine hospitalizations and length of stay (LOS) for infants aged <1 year in rural and urban counties, hypothesizing that infants living in rural counties experience significantly different hospital use compared with urban infants. METHODS Birth certificates for infants born in California hospitals between 1993 and 2005 and surviving to discharge were linked to hospital dischar...

Key Findings. (1) Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) operate in non-metropolitan counties in every U.S. Census Region. (2) 79 Medicare ACOs operate in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. (3) Medicare ACOs operate in 16.7% of non-metropolitan counties. (4) 9 ACOs operate exclusively in non-metropolitan counties, including at least 1 in every U.S. Census Region.

OBJECTIVE The region on the United States (US) side of the US-Mexico border consists of 44 counties in four states; populations on both sides of the border have similar health problems. Healthy Border 2010: An Agenda for Improving Health on the US-Mexico Border (HB 2010) is a binational agenda of health promotion and disease prevention for individuals in the region. This study reports on the he...