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Rural Active Living: A Call to Action 2.0, 10-Year Review and Recommendations to Advance the Field
M Renée Umstattd Meyer1, Marilyn E Wende, Jessica Stroope
1Author Affiliations: Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Department of Public Health, Baylor University, Waco, Texas (Dr Umstattd Meyer and Ms Needham-Arnold); Department of Health Education and Behavior, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Dr Wende); School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana / Louisiana State University AgCenter, Southeast Region, Hammond, Louisiana (Dr Stroope); Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Family & Community Health Unit, College Station, Texas (Dr Kellstedt); School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, California (Dr Johnson); Department of Preventive Medicine, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi (Dr Gamble); Department of Park, Recreation, and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (Dr. Edwards); School of Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri (Dr Beck); Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Implementation Science, Department of Epidemiology & Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Dr Moore); Department of Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science, University of South Carolina College of Nursing, Columbia, South Carolina (Dr Abshire); Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Mr Anderson III); Department of Health Management and Policy, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire (Dr Aytur); Center for Nutrition & Health Impact, Omaha, Nebraska (Dr Balis); Department of Human Performance and Health, College of Education, Human Performance, and Health, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina (Dr Davis); West Virginia University Extension, Morgantown, West Virginia (Ms Gabbert, Dr Abildso); Department of Epidemiology, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana (Dr Gustat); School of Exercise, Sport, & Health Sciences, College of Health, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon (Dr John); Department of Orthopaedics and Division of Physical Therapy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia (Dr Maruca); Parks, Recreation, Tourism Management Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (Ms King); Department of Public Health, Baylor University, Waco, Texas (Ms Needham-Arnold); Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (Dr Orzech); Department of Health & Wellness Design, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana (Dr Pickett); Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Dr Rhoades); Safe Routes Partnership, Fairfax, Virginia (Dr Riveron); Bachelor of Science in Public Health Program, School of Pharmacy, Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin (Dr Slater); Department of Leadership, Management, and Human Capital, School of Business and Economics, National University, San Diego, California (Dr Smock); Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana (Dr Villwock-Witte); University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (Dr Wilson); Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia (Dr Baskin); and School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon (Dr Perry).
Context Objective:
Written a decade ago, the 2015 Rural Active Living: A Call to Action (published in 2016) described rural-specific efforts in the fields of active living and physical activity (PA) and identified 8 recommendations to guide rural active living research and practice. Given that rural populations continue to experience a higher burden of PA-related chronic health conditions, the objective of this review was to revisit the 8 Rural Active Living Calls to Action, reassess the evidence base, summarize advances in each area, and identify emerging areas that warrant examination or further study.
Methods:
We leveraged expertise from researchers and practitioners within the CDC-funded Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network Rural Active Living Workgroup and reviewed literature published since the original call to action. Teams were formed for each of the original 8 calls to action. Each team reviewed the literature, synthesized findings, and developed recommendations for future research.
Results:
Academic and practice-based progress was evident across multiple of the original calls to action. Despite these findings, the need persists for rural-specific national surveillance data scaled to small geographies (census tract and block group) that accounts for differences within and across rural communities, various forms of rural governance, and how these factors interplay with active living opportunities. Six emerging areas of research (best practices, social issues, COVID-19 effects, collaboration, implementation science, and implications of rural health-related funding changes) are discussed and warrant further study.
Conclusions:
In summarizing progress since the original Call to Action, we recommend strategies to continue advancing rural active living and identify emerging focus areas.
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