New Research Brief: COVID-19 and disability in rural areas

August 7, 2020

To learn more about COVID-19 impacts on rural people with disabilities, RTC:Rural conducted a survey in late April/early May to explore rural and urban differences in COVID-19 health risks, adherence to public health recommendations, and trust in different information sources. We focused on people with disabilities because they often experience higher rates of secondary health conditions that place them at heightened risk of COVID-19 complications.

Summary findings: Rural respondents reported higher rates of COVID-19 health risk factors, but less adherence to public health recommendations. Overall, individuals with health risk factors reported adopting fewer public health recommendations than individuals without health risk factors. Service providers and Dr. Anthony Fauci were the most trusted sources of information about COVID-19 for both rural and urban respondents.

Link to blog post and research brief download:
http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/new-research-brief-covid-19-and-disability-in-rural-areas/