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ABSTRACT: Background
Examine the role of income, perceived healthy foods availability, and consumption as mediators of rural-urban health disparities.Method
Pre-registered simple mediation models with post hoc multi-mediator models were tested using national- and state-level survey data. Oregon data was collected in an online Qualtrics survey between October 8 and November 9, 2021 using CloudResearch; Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, a nationally representative dataset, was collected over 4 cycles from 2017 to 2020. Oregon residents (n = 771; rural = 313, urban = 458) self-reported online: income, perceived fruits and vegetable (FV) availability, FV consumption, and BMI measures (height, weight). HINTS respondents (rural n = 1235; urban n = 13,912) self-reported the same variables of interest without FV availability, and with an additional self-rated health variable detailed below. RESULTS: The effect of rurality on BMI (b = 0.012, SE = 0.005, p = 0.01) and self-rated health (b = 0.003, SE = 0.001, p = 0.008) when combining datasets was mediated by a series of income, perceived FV availability, and FV consumption.Conclusion
To address rural-urban health disparities, individual (cognition, behavior), social (household income), and community (healthy food availability) factors should be targeted together.
SUBMITTER: Smith BJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC12354331 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

International journal of behavioral medicine 20250428 6
<h4>Background</h4>Examine the role of income, perceived healthy foods availability, and consumption as mediators of rural-urban health disparities.<h4>Method</h4>Pre-registered simple mediation models with post hoc multi-mediator models were tested using national- and state-level survey data. Oregon data was collected in an online Qualtrics survey between October 8 and November 9, 2021 using CloudResearch; Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, a nationally representative dataset, ...[more]