Mobilizing Rural Communities To Improve Quality Of Life And Promote Opioid Prevention Among Low-Resource Veterans

SummaryWho· Veteran participants were primarily married White males over the age of 65 who had at least a high school diploma or GED.What· Participants were primarily Army veterans, with Navy and then Air Force being the next most highly represented branches.Where· These data were collected from patrons of community food pantries in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Data collection was led by a research team affiliated with a university in the Midwest.Why· One in four veterans live in rural areas (Holder, 2017; Office of Rural Health, 2020). Additionally, veterans are more likely to experience mental health concerns and have substance use disorders problems (Capra, 2014; National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, 2020). They report higher rates of food and financial insecurity than general civilian populations (Vespa, 2020, Widome et al., 2015).How· Data was collected at food pantries where the Reaching Rural Veterans events took place. Veterans were asked to take a survey and were reimbursed for participating. 3 months from baseline, veterans were contacted and asked to take a follow-up.