Rachel Gillespie
Biographic Data
| ID | 3891485 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachel Gillespie |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachel |
| FAMILY NAME | Gillespie |
| SIGNATURE | GILLESPIE R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Kentucky |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7453-6092 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 11 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Barriers and facilitating factors for Covid-19 vaccination in rural appalachia
The challenges to and opportunities for improving COVID-19 vaccination uptake identified here can inform vaccination education, distribution, and policy efforts in both Appalachian Kentucky and other communities with similar characteristics
Enduring Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Access, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Rural Appalachia
The COVID-19 pandemic produced acute effects on health inequities, yet more enduring impacts in vulnerable populations in rural Appalachia are understudied. This qualitative study included three focus groups with thirty-nine adults (74% female, mean age 52.7 years) to obtain perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being in Martin County, Kentucky, in fall 2022. Grounded Theory was employed using an iterative inductive-deductiv…
Barriers and Facilitators to Online Grocery Shopping Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants
This mixed methods study explored online grocery shopping perceptions by surveying individuals who do and do not receive SNAP benefits ( n = 129) and by conducting interviews with SNAP recipients ( n = 26) who have grocery shopped online. T-tests assessed survey findings, codebook thematic analysis was used to identify qualitative themes, and results were interpreted collectively. Survey results found no differences in perceptions of online groce…
Impact of community-driven interventions on dietary and physical activity outcomes among a cohort of adults in a rural Appalachian county in Eastern Kentucky, 2019–2022
Several environmental level factors exacerbate poor health outcomes in rural populations in the United States, such as lack of access to healthy food and locations to be physically active, which support healthy choices at the individual level. Thus, utilizing innovative place-based approaches in rural locations is essential to improve health outcomes. Leveraging community assets, like Cooperative Extension, is a novel strategy for implementing co…
Online Pilot Grocery Intervention among Rural and Urban Residents Aimed to Improve Purchasing Habits
Online grocery shopping has the potential to improve access to food, particularly among low-income households located in urban food deserts and rural communities. The primary aim of this pilot intervention was to test whether a three-armed online grocery trial improved fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchases. Rural and urban adults across seven counties in Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina were recruited to participate in an 8-week intervention …
The Impact of a Grocery Store Closure in One Rural Highly Obese Appalachian Community on Shopping Behavior and Dietary Intake
Research has examined how the entry of grocery stores into neighborhoods influences dietary outcomes, yet limited evidence suggests a direct correlation between opening a store and changes in dietary intake. A factor that might influence individuals' behavior more directly is the closing of a grocery store where residents shop. This study aims to examine how a grocery closure in a rural Appalachian high poverty county is associated with dietary i…
Policy Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Insecurity in Rural America
Rural communities are disproportionally affected by food insecurity, making them vulnerable to the consequences of supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While access to food was initially diminished due to food supply disruptions, little is known about the mechanisms through which federal emergency assistance programs impacted food access in rural populations. Through a series of five focus groups in spring 2021, we examined the imp…
Physical Activity Barriers and Assets in Rural Appalachian Kentucky
Obesity is an increasing public health concern in the U.S. and a contributor to chronic illness, with trends revealing a rise in adult obesity and chronic disease rates among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, including those in rural communities. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine perspectives on perceived physical activity barriers, resources, and level of community support. Researchers utilized the socioecological mod…
Rural SNAP Participants and Food Insecurity
The burden of obesity disproportionately influences poor health outcomes in rural communities in the United States. Various social and environmental factors contribute to inadequate food access and availability in rural areas, influencing dietary intakes and food insecurity rates. This study aims to identify patterns related to food insecurity and fruit and vegetable consumption within a SNAP-eligible and low-income, highly obese rural Appalachia…
The Bridging Activity of Multiracial Congregations
The growing diversity of U.S. communities has led scholars to explore how racial/ethnic diversity effects social capital, civic engagement, and social trust. Less is known about the relationship between diversity and the work of community-based organizations (CBOs). In this study, we examine how the racial/ethnic composition of one ubiquitous type of CBO, religious congregations, is related to measures of organizational bridging social capital. A…
Direct Effects of the Home, School, and Consumer Food Environments on the Association between Food Purchasing Patterns and Dietary Intake among Rural Adolescents in Kentucky and North Carolina, 2017
Background : Obesity rates are higher among rural versus urban adolescents. To examine possible mechanisms for the rural-urban adolescent obesity disparity, we examined the direct and indirect effects of food purchasing patterns, and the home, school, and consumer food environments on dietary intake among rural adolescents. Methods : A baseline survey was conducted among adolescents in eight rural high schools (four in Eastern Kentucky, and four …
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Direct Effects of the Home, School, and Consumer Food Environments on the Association between Food Purchasing Patterns and Dietary Intake among Rural Adolescents in Kentucky and North Carolina, 2017
Background : Obesity rates are higher among rural versus urban adolescents. To examine possible mechanisms for the rural-urban adolescent obesity disparity, we examined the direct and indirect effects of food purchasing patterns, and the home, school, and consumer food environments on dietary intake among rural adolescents. Methods : A baseline survey was conducted among adolescents in eight rural high schools (four in Eastern Kentucky, and four …
The Bridging Activity of Multiracial Congregations
The growing diversity of U.S. communities has led scholars to explore how racial/ethnic diversity effects social capital, civic engagement, and social trust. Less is known about the relationship between diversity and the work of community-based organizations (CBOs). In this study, we examine how the racial/ethnic composition of one ubiquitous type of CBO, religious congregations, is related to measures of organizational bridging social capital. A…
Rural SNAP Participants and Food Insecurity
The burden of obesity disproportionately influences poor health outcomes in rural communities in the United States. Various social and environmental factors contribute to inadequate food access and availability in rural areas, influencing dietary intakes and food insecurity rates. This study aims to identify patterns related to food insecurity and fruit and vegetable consumption within a SNAP-eligible and low-income, highly obese rural Appalachia…
Policy Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Insecurity in Rural America
Rural communities are disproportionally affected by food insecurity, making them vulnerable to the consequences of supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While access to food was initially diminished due to food supply disruptions, little is known about the mechanisms through which federal emergency assistance programs impacted food access in rural populations. Through a series of five focus groups in spring 2021, we examined the imp…
Physical Activity Barriers and Assets in Rural Appalachian Kentucky
Obesity is an increasing public health concern in the U.S. and a contributor to chronic illness, with trends revealing a rise in adult obesity and chronic disease rates among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, including those in rural communities. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine perspectives on perceived physical activity barriers, resources, and level of community support. Researchers utilized the socioecological mod…
Online Pilot Grocery Intervention among Rural and Urban Residents Aimed to Improve Purchasing Habits
Online grocery shopping has the potential to improve access to food, particularly among low-income households located in urban food deserts and rural communities. The primary aim of this pilot intervention was to test whether a three-armed online grocery trial improved fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchases. Rural and urban adults across seven counties in Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina were recruited to participate in an 8-week intervention …
The Impact of a Grocery Store Closure in One Rural Highly Obese Appalachian Community on Shopping Behavior and Dietary Intake
Research has examined how the entry of grocery stores into neighborhoods influences dietary outcomes, yet limited evidence suggests a direct correlation between opening a store and changes in dietary intake. A factor that might influence individuals' behavior more directly is the closing of a grocery store where residents shop. This study aims to examine how a grocery closure in a rural Appalachian high poverty county is associated with dietary i…
Impact of community-driven interventions on dietary and physical activity outcomes among a cohort of adults in a rural Appalachian county in Eastern Kentucky, 2019–2022
Several environmental level factors exacerbate poor health outcomes in rural populations in the United States, such as lack of access to healthy food and locations to be physically active, which support healthy choices at the individual level. Thus, utilizing innovative place-based approaches in rural locations is essential to improve health outcomes. Leveraging community assets, like Cooperative Extension, is a novel strategy for implementing co…
Enduring Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Access, Nutrition, and Well-Being in Rural Appalachia
The COVID-19 pandemic produced acute effects on health inequities, yet more enduring impacts in vulnerable populations in rural Appalachia are understudied. This qualitative study included three focus groups with thirty-nine adults (74% female, mean age 52.7 years) to obtain perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being in Martin County, Kentucky, in fall 2022. Grounded Theory was employed using an iterative inductive-deductiv…
Barriers and Facilitators to Online Grocery Shopping Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants
This mixed methods study explored online grocery shopping perceptions by surveying individuals who do and do not receive SNAP benefits ( n = 129) and by conducting interviews with SNAP recipients ( n = 26) who have grocery shopped online. T-tests assessed survey findings, codebook thematic analysis was used to identify qualitative themes, and results were interpreted collectively. Survey results found no differences in perceptions of online groce…
Barriers and facilitating factors for Covid-19 vaccination in rural appalachia
The challenges to and opportunities for improving COVID-19 vaccination uptake identified here can inform vaccination education, distribution, and policy efforts in both Appalachian Kentucky and other communities with similar characteristics
Environmental health (8 works) · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations (8 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Business (6 works) · Geography (6 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (6 works) · Gerontology (5 works) · Agriculture (4 works) · Appalachia (4 works) · Economics (4 works)