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Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors among Rural Populations

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 3300

Special Issue Editors

Health & Nutritional Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Interests: public health; nutrition; eidemiology; rural populations
Health & Nutritional Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA‎
Interests: exercise physiology; physical activity; rural populations; public health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A disparity in obesity prevalence exists between rural and urban populations in the United States. Examining the diet and physical activity behaviors of rural populations, along with how the rural environment contributes to those behaviors, will help in providing context for rural-focused health promotion and disease prevention efforts. This Special Issue will highlight studies that focus on the unique issues surrounding diet and physical activity behaviors among rural populations.

In particular, we are interested in research conducted across the spectrum of what is defined as rural, both geographically and population-wise. We are also especially interested in work that compares rural and urban populations and contains high-quality diet and physical activity data. The rural environment is broadly defined and may include settings such as the home, school, community, or broader region. We will consider a variety of research papers, including reviews, observational studies, and intervention or implementation trials.

We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Lacey McCormack
Dr. Jessica Meendering
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diet
  • nutrition
  • physical activity
  • exercise
  • behavior
  • rural
  • obesity
  • environment
  • children
  • adults

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
Quantifying the Food and Physical Activity Environments in Rural, High Obesity Communities
by Lacey A. McCormack, Jessica R. Meendering, Linda Burdette, Nikki Prosch, Lindsay Moore and Suzanne Stluka
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13344; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182413344 - 18 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2807
Abstract
The built environment contributes to an individual’s health, and rural geographies face unique challenges for healthy eating and active living. The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess the nutrition and physical activity environments in rural communities with high obesity prevalence. One [...] Read more.
The built environment contributes to an individual’s health, and rural geographies face unique challenges for healthy eating and active living. The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess the nutrition and physical activity environments in rural communities with high obesity prevalence. One community within each of six high obesity prevalence counties in a rural Midwest state completed the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Stores (NEMS-S) and the Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA). Data were collected by trained community members and study staff. All communities had at least one grocery store and five had at least one convenience store. Grocery stores had higher mean total NEMS-S scores than convenience stores (26.6 vs. 6.0, p < 0.001), and higher scores for availability (18.7 vs. 5.3, p < 0.001) and quality (5.4 vs. 0, p < 0.001) of healthful foods (higher scores are preferable). The mean RALA town-wide assessment score across communities was 56.5 + 15.6 out of a possible 100 points. The mean RALA program and policy assessment score was 40.8 + 20.4 out of a possible 100 points. While grocery stores and schools are important for enhancing food and physical environments in rural areas, many opportunities exist for improvements to impact behaviors and address obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors among Rural Populations)
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