Vance, Ronald A.Basta, Tania B.Bute, Jennifer J.Denham, Sharon A.2014-08-052014-08-052012Vance, R. A., Basta, T. B., Bute, J. J., & Denham, S. A. (2012). Identifying the health needs in rural Appalachian Ohio: outcomes of a rural community-academic partnership. American Journal of Health Sciences (AJHS), 3(2), 115-124.https://hdl.handle.net/1805/4855To identify health issues in two rural counties, a needs assessment was developed by health officials and researchers. Focus groups (n = 32) and interviews (n = 8) were conducted among community leaders and a modified BRFFS survey was completed by 399 community members. Results indicated the health of the participants was influenced by: 1) rural Appalachian culture, 2) geography and access to health care, and 3) lack of access/knowledge about preventive health behaviors. These issues likely contributed to 30% obesity prevalence among the sample, which was prioritized as the main health issue for both counties.en-UScommunity health needs assessmentrural healthcommunity-academic partnershipArticle