Because low-income residents in rural areas often face greater barriers to achieving healthy behaviors and reduced cancer risk, it is critical that we provide care tailored to their needs. Digital tools have the ability to support health care teams in delivering targeted behavior counseling and other necessary resources for sustaining good health.
Maura Kepper, PHD, MPH, primary Investigator
Promoting physical activity and healthy food intake in patient-centered ways is key to reducing cancer risk in rural areas. To help high risk, rural, low-income patients achieve a healthy lifestyle; health-care teams can connect patients with resources that address food insecurity and other social needs. This project adapts a new digital health tool called PREVENT to do this in rural communities in order to improve health care quality. PREVENT works by providing tailored physical activity and food intake goals and offering resources and the support of community health workers to help patients overcome barriers to healthy behaviors.