Appalachian Health: Culture, Challenges, and Capacity (Understanding and Improving Health for Minority and Disadvantaged Populations)

Although health outcomes and other measures of well-being in the United States have vastly improved over recent decades, gains in Appalachia have been more modest than in other parts of the country. The common refrain is that this "lagging behind" is a result of Appalachia's persistent poverty and bleak labor-market outlook; yet economic explanations reveal an incomplete picture. Appalachian Health explores major challenges and opportunities for promoting the health and well-being of the people of Appalachia, a historically underserved population. It considers the intersections of health and social, political and economic factors to shed light on the trends affecting mortality and morbidity among the region's residents. This edited volume brings together high-profile authors from across academia, public health and government to offer perspectives on a wide range of topics including health behaviors, environmental justice, and pandemic preparedness. This volume also provides updated data on issues such as opioid abuse, "deaths of despair," and the social determinants of health. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Appalachian Health offers a timely and much-needed optimistic account of health status in Appalachia. By more closely studying Appalachia -- which is, in many ways, emblematic of rural regions across the United States -- this volume both better illuminates the complex determinants of health and offers a more systematic way to evaluate processes affecting well-being in rural places. Introduction / F. Douglas Scutchfield and Randy Wykoff -- Appalachia : An Introduction to the Region / Ron R. Roach -- Appalachian Health : An Overview of Mortality and Morbidity / Julie Marshall and Logan Thomas -- The Social Determinants of Health / Kate Beatty and Melissa White -- Health Behaviors in Appalachia / Robin C. Vanderpool, Angela L. Carman, Lindsay R. Stradtman, and Kelly D. Blake -- The Availability of Health Care in Appalachia / Richard C. Ingram, Rachel Hogg-Graham, Timothy Williams, and Katherine Youngen -- The Appalachian Environment / Alan Ducatman and Rachel E. Dixon -- Deaths of Despair in Appalachia / Michael Meit, Megan Heffernan, and Erin Tanenbaum -- The Opioid Crisis in Appalachia / Angela Hagaman, Bill Brooks, Stephanie M. Mathis, Kelly Moore, and Robert Pack -- Public Health Preparedness in Appalachia / Margaret A. Riggs and James Alan Riley -- Conclusion / Randy Wykoff, F. Douglas Scutchfield, Ron R. Roach, and Ron Eller "Appalachian Health explores major challenges and opportunities for promoting the health and well-being of the people of Appalachia, a historically underserved population. It considers health's intersection with social, political, and economic factors to shed light on the trends affecting mortality and morbidity among the region's residents. Editors F. Douglas Scutchfield and Randy Wykoff have assembled high-profile experts working in academia, public health, and government to offer perspectives on a wide range of topics including health behaviors, environmental justice, and pandemic preparedness. This volume also provides updated data on issues such as opioid abuse, "deaths of despair," and the social determinants of health. Together, the contributors illuminate the complex health status of the region and offer evidenced-based programs for addressing the health problems that have been identified"-- Provided by publisher Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Contents Map Foreword Abbreviations 1 Introduction 2 Appalachia An Introduction to the Region 3 Appalachian Health An Overview of Mortality and Morbidity 4 The Social Determinants of Health 5 Health Behaviors in Appalachia 6 The Availability of Health Carein Appalachia 7 The Appalachian Environment 8 Deaths of Despair in Appalachia 9 The Opioid Crisis in Appalachia 10 Public Health Preparedness in Appalachia 11 Conclusion Acknowledgments Contributors Index