Rural and Remote Health is an open-access international academic journal serving rural and remote communities and publishing articles by rural health practitioners, educators, researchers and policy makers.

Diabetic foot complications and amputations are significant in Fiji, accounting for 40% of all surgeries. This may be attributed to poor education, awareness and footcare practices among patients. Despite extensive research on diabetic foot complications and management, there is a significant gap in understanding patients' perceptions. This Original Research article explores the perceptions of type 2 diabetes patients in Fiji regarding diabetic foot complications and their self-management practices.

'Perceived social support' describes the perception of adequacy of support being provided by a person’s social network. Higher perceived social support has been linked to multiple health-related, psychological, and other benefits. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was originally developed in English and has been widely translated and used in other languages. However, a recent review found that many studies among non-English-speaking people have used the scale without attempting to understand the meaning and context or to reconcile linguistic and cultural differences. This Original Research article reports on a study that coordinated the translation of the MSPSS into Diné bizaad, the language of the Navajo tribal members, by local community groups, with a focus on developing understanding of the cultural and language-specific meaning of concepts.

Cognition, physical function and life purpose constitute an important triad for functional and successful aging. The populations of many countries are aging, so increasing our understanding of experience of aging is crucial for making future public health decisions. Most studies on the experience of aging have been in urban areas but nearly half of the world’s population lives in rural areas and can have vastly different experiences from people living in urban areas. This Systematic Review describes the main characteristics and ways of aging in rural communities around the world, focusing on cognition, physical function, functionality and purpose in life.

Cognição, função física e propósito de vida constituem uma importante tríade para um envelhecimento funcional e bem-sucedido. As populações em muitos países estão envelhecendo, portanto, aumentar a compreensão da experiência de envelhecer é crucial na tomada de decisões futuras em saúde pública. A maioria dos estudos sobre a experiência de envelhecer é de áreas urbanas, entretanto, cerca de metade da população mundial vive em áreas rurais e pode ter experiências muito diferentes das populações urbanas. Esta revisão sistemática descreve as principais características e modos de envelhecer em comunidades rurais ao redor do mundo, com foco na cognição, função física, funcionalidade e propósito de vida.

La cognición, la función física y el propósito de vida constituyen una tríada importante para un envejecimiento funcional y exitoso. Las poblaciones de muchos países están envejeciendo, por lo que aumentar nuestra comprensión de la experiencia del envejecimiento es crucial para tomar futuras decisiones de salud pública. La mayoría de los estudios sobre la experiencia del envejecimiento se han realizado en áreas urbanas, pero casi la mitad de la población mundial vive en áreas rurales y puede tener experiencias muy diferentes a las de las personas que viven en áreas urbanas. Esta Revisión Sistemática describe las principales características y formas de envejecimiento en las comunidades rurales de todo el mundo, centrándose en la cognición, la función física, la funcionalidad y el propósito de vida.

Research on caregiver involvement in caring for children with disabilities in sub-Saharan African contexts has primarily focused on female caregivers, leaving male caregivers understudied. This Original Research article reports on a study exploring the journeys of male caregivers in rural Kenya as they navigate the complex landscape of health care for their children with disabilities. The authors uncover valuable lessons that can inform the development of better support services and make a positive impact on the lives of children with disabilities in rural settings by improving access to quality health care.

South Africa has a history of mental health care provided primarily at tertiary level in institutions. However, in line with World Health Organization guidance, attempts have been made to decentralise and streamline the integration of public mental health care into general health care systems at primary and secondary levels. The currently implemented Mental Health Care Act 17 of 2002 serves as the national guideline to implement policy into practice, thereby increasing access and the quality of care to service users. This, of course, has implications for the roles workers and facilities are now called upon to play. This Original Research article presents data from a project that investigated issues regarding access and provision of mental health care in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The authors studied the experiences of public health care workers at PHC clinics and the associated referral hospitals, focusing mainly on exploring their views on the ability and readiness for access to and provision of mental health care to state health service users in the area.

Despite decades of government and professional efforts, small rural communities across Australia continue to grapple with a chronic shortage of healthcare professionals, particularly medical personnel. In rural South Australia, where general practices had been chronically understaffed for many years, the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network (RMCLHN) created the Riverland Academy of Clinical Excellence (RACE), a division of the RMCLHN focusing on training a clinical workforce to ensure sustainable care for rural communities. This Personal View outlines the strategies and tactics employed by RMCLHN to address enduring medical workforce challenges and reports on the success of the RACE.

The KidsFirst North program is a maternal–child health support program in rural northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The program serves both Indigenous and non-Indigenous families, and the majority of participants in the study are Indigenous. This Original Research article takes a community-based participatory research approach to investigate factors of success and barriers, from the perspectives of families, frontline workers, and administrators alike.