Rural Americans Are Facing Shorter Lifespans And Poorer Health Outcomes Than Urbanites, New Research Suggests
Many of us might dream of moving to the countryside to escape all the demands of life in the city. With less traffic, little to no light pollution, and fresh air, living in the country sure sounds a lot better and healthier than dealing with the stress and hazards that come with city life.
However, rural Americans are actually facing shorter lifespans and poorer health than their urban counterparts.
Researchers at the University of Southern California discovered that rural populations are experiencing widening health disparities as they age.
The troubling trend is due to a number of factors, including chronic illnesses and health behaviors, such as smoking.
“Rural populations face a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, which has serious implications for healthy aging,” said Jack Chapel, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scholar at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.
“With an aging population and fewer physicians available, the burden on rural communities is set to grow, leading to significant challenges in providing care for those who will face more health issues in the future.”
Over the past two decades, the gap in life expectancy between rural and urban areas has doubled for men approaching retirement age.
After the age of 60, urban men can expect to live about 17.5 years of healthy life. On the other hand, rural men only get about 15.7, which is nearly two years less.
The difference is smaller in women but still significant. Urban women at age 60 can expect 19.3 quality years of life.
Nicholas Felix/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
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In comparison, rural women get 18.7 years of good health. The researchers investigated a range of factors, including chronic diseases, health behaviors like smoking, and disability rates, to learn more about the disparities.
They found that rural Americans had higher rates of obesity, smoking, and chronic conditions at age 60.
There was also a major contrast based on education and geography. Rural communities in the South fared the worst.
Regardless of location, college graduates saw significantly better health outcomes. But even when comparing similarly educated groups, rural residents still fell behind their urban peers in health-adjusted life expectancy.
Since the late 1990s, the health-adjusted life expectancy of urban men has increased by an entire year, while rural men have seen no gains whatsoever. So, it seems that rural areas are getting left behind as the health of the overall population improves.
The researchers used simulated scenarios to explore potential solutions to this problem. They concluded that addressing obesity and smoking could be especially beneficial for rural communities.
Managing chronic conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease can also improve health outcomes.
The study authors suggest that health interventions should not only be targeted toward older adults but younger ones as well in order to close the gap.
“Closing the gap in healthy life expectancy between urban and rural areas for older adults would require encouraging health behavior changes earlier in life and making broader social and economic improvements in rural areas,” said Bryan Tysinger, a study co-author and the director of health policy simulation at the Schaeffer Center.
The study was published in The Journal of Rural Health.
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