People in Rural Areas Die at Higher Rates Than Those in Urban Areas

People in Rural Areas Die at Higher Rates Than Those in Urban Areas

Deaths from heart disease, cancer and COVID are all higher in rural areas than urban ones in the U.S., and the gap is only widening

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-in-rural-areas-die-at-higher-rates-than-those-in-urban-areas/#:~:text=Homicides%20are%20higher%20in%20urban,areas%2C%20other%20NCHS%20data%20show.

Compared with people living in cities, rural residents are less likely to have access to health care and more likely to live in poverty. Rural states and counties also tend to lean Republican, and many of them have resisted adopting public policies known to improve health.

“I’m not sure that many people are aware that death and health outcomes are deteriorating in rural areas relative to urban ones,” says Sally Curtin, a demographic/health statistician at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and a co-author of the report.

While men have higher mortality rates than women overall, rates were higher among rural male and female individuals than among urban ones, and the gap widened over the study period, the researchers found.

Mortality rates were higher in rural areas for all of the top 10 causes of death in 2019. Heart disease was the leading cause, killing 189 people per 100,000 in rural areas and 156 per 100,000 in urban ones. Cancer was the second-biggest killer, claiming 164 and 143 lives per 100,000 in rural versus urban areas, respectively. The third leading cause of death in 2019 was unintentional injuries, a category that includes causes such as drug overdoses and firearm injuries that exclude homicide and suicide.

Rural deaths by suicide have increased by nearly 50 percent from 2000 to 2018, a separate analysis found.

Motor vehicle deaths are almost twice as common in rural areas as urban ones, according to another NCHS analysis.

Higher rural mortality rates can partially be explained by behavioral factors that increase the risk of chronic disease, such as smokingand lack of exercise. Obesity rates are also higher in rural areas. But it’s often difficult to disentangle such behaviors from the politics and policy decisions that enable them

Rural areas tend to be more politically conservative, and data suggest that people in Republican-leaning counties die at higher rates than people in Democratic ones. Many Republican-led states haven’t expanded Medicaid, which, under the Affordable Care Act, provides health insurance for low-income adults under age 65.

The reasons for the higher mortality rates in rural areas are likely multifactorial, experts say. “You can’t just point to one thing,” Curtin says.

It is hard to believe rural residents get less exercise since they generally work in agriculture.

Obesity? When they have access to healthier food?

I'll be on the look out for fat farmers. Usually, the obese can be found shopping at Walmart.

Now, death and dismemberment from farm machinery accidents, well, l can see that as a big problem.

Quote by Buz

It is hard to believe rural residents get less exercise since they generally work in agriculture.

Obesity? When they have access to healthier food?

I'll be on the look out for fat farmers. Usually, the obese can be found shopping ar Walmart.

Now, death and dismemberment from farm machinery accidents, well, l can see that as a big problem.

You do have access to healthier food and fresher meat, but countryside dining has classically been red meat, fried food, and starchy but not green vegetables. If you add alcohol to that, and tobacco in some form or another, it makes sense that you would see more heart disease. You'd have to exercise like Michael Phelps to counteract that.

Quote by Buz

It is hard to believe rural residents get less exercise since they generally work in agriculture.

Obesity? When they have access to healthier food?

I'll be on the look out for fat farmers. Usually, the obese can be found shopping ar Walmart.

Now, death and dismemberment from farm machinery accidents, well, l can see that as a big problem.

I highly doubt that rural residents 'generally work in agriculture', unless perhaps you also count the guy selling tractors or the trucker driving animal food around, etc. But these jobs provide no more exercise than selling family cars or driving around with grocery supplies.

There may be more physical work in the countryside, relatively speaking. But I'd think there are also way more city folks who hang out in gyms.

Quote by noll

I highly doubt that rural residents 'generally work in agriculture', unless perhaps you also count the guy selling tractors or the trucker driving animal food around, etc. But these jobs provide no more exercise than selling family cars or driving around with grocery supplies.

There may be more physical work in the countryside, relatively speaking. But I'd think there are also way more city folks who hang out in gyms.

There is a lack of health care as well because affordable health care is woke.

Generally country folk are really into eating green vegetables. But they will fry green tomatoes, okra, squash, and pickles. Yum!

Working out in gyms? Well, l do that. Do you know how popular it is for gym people to munch down on protein adding products? The answer us a helluva lot. I'd much rather munch down on some collard greens, much tastier.

My granddad, who is retired from a career in agriculture, sure loves to eat a big juicy steak with collard greens, and corn bread. He's 99 years old and going strong.

There really aren't a lot of job opportunities in rural living that aren't agriculture related. When is the last time you drove an hour or much more way out into the country to meet with your attorney, stock broker, accountant, occupational therapist, doctor, psychologist, tailor, or purchase a cell phone, etc.

Quote by noll

I highly doubt that rural residents 'generally work in agriculture', unless perhaps you also count the guy selling tractors or the trucker driving animal food around, etc. But these jobs provide no more exercise than selling family cars or driving around with grocery supplies.

There may be more physical work in the countryside, relatively speaking. But I'd think there are also way more city folks who hang out in gyms.

The countryside in The Netherlands can probably fit into just one country county in just about any US state. Agriculture industry and jobs are basically what country living in America is all about. Do you have any idea the distances between things over here?

Of course, in many places it is a few hours driving to the nearest hospital. So, yeah, you could die on the way.

Quote by Buz

The countryside in The Netherlands can probably fit into just one country county in just about any US state. Agriculture industry and jobs are basically what country living in America is all about. Do you have any idea the distances between things over here?

Of course, in many places it is a few hours driving to the nearest hospital. So, yeah, you could die on the way.

Not sure what distances have to do with what I said.

Quote by noll

Not sure what distances have to do with what I said.

I figured as much. It makes a ton of sense here. The further from urban areas you get, the only jobs available are in agriculture, most of which are quite physical.

Quote by Buz

I figured as much. It makes a ton of sense here. The further from urban areas you get, the only jobs available are in agriculture, most of which are quite physical.

Sure, but even in rural areas many people live in small towns.

Quote by Buz

I figured as much. It makes a ton of sense here. The further from urban areas you get, the only jobs available are in agriculture, most of which are quite physical.

I think welfare schemes are also one of the top jobs.

Quote by noll

Sure, but even in rural areas many people live in small towns.

Yeah, Farmers and Small Towners are opposing violent gangs, always having rumbles at the edge of town. Farmers wield a mean pitch fork. But Small Towners smack 'em upside the head with mayo filled BLTs. There ain't nothing scarier than an old dude in overalls and a John Deere cap tossing a corn cob at your tractor..

Quote by Buz

I figured as much. It makes a ton of sense here. The further from urban areas you get, the only jobs available are in agriculture, most of which are quite physical.

Add in the rural hospital closures all across America - being instigated by Red State republican senators and congressmen for the last 22 years. There just isn't a comparable level of care for those who live outside of the larger metropolitan areas.

When your nearest hospital is 3 hours away and there's one LIFEFLIGHT helicopter on station (and maybe it's busy on another call) - there's a glaring problem. Epecially in an area where one or two or three smaller regional hospitals have closed shop in the last decade.

When we identified food deserts in the city, we worked to bring in farmer's markets during summer and fall to supplement that need. I wonder is there's a similar way to serve "healthcare deserts".

So apparently this guy voted against this but now trying to take credit. This is very common, republicans voting against the interest of people in the rural areas they govern. This is what republicans do across the board.

Quote by WellMadeMale

Add in the rural hospital closures all across America - being instigated by Red State republican senators and congressmen for the last 22 years. There just isn't a comparable level of care for those who live outside of the larger metropolitan areas.

When your nearest hospital is 3 hours away and there's one LIFEFLIGHT helicopter on station (and maybe it's busy on another call) - there's a glaring problem. Epecially in an area where one or two or three smaller regional hospitals have closed shop in the last decade.

Mega-Hospital systems both private and public are buying up rural and small town hospitals and closing many down, all for higher profit. They can force outer region-rural dwellers to go further to the more profitable larger hospitals.

What seems outrageous is that many public regional hospital systems are doing this. They are creating monopolies and paying upper management salaries that put even corporate hospitals to shame.

To move a competitor hospital into the region, a certificate of need must be approved and that is political. A lot of corrupt money changing hands as rural hospitals are becoming a thing of the past.