Rural Health

Are health outcomes different for people in rural areas?

On the whole, the roughly 1 in 5 Americans living in rural parts of the United States have a higher risk of disease and worse health outcomes than their urban counterparts. There are many factors contributing to this reality. Access to health care is more challenging in rural communities, due to longer drive times, fewer transportation options, economic limitations, and fewer available health care providers. People in rural areas also tend to have higher smoking rates and more commonly experience high blood pressure and obesity. For these and other reasons, rural residents are at greater risk of death from heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory disease.

Why does CEAL’s focus include rural health? 

Research teams across CEAL are looking at ways to address differences in health outcomes in specific communities, and rural-urban differences are one important example. CEAL teams seek to understand the factors contributing to these differences and uncover effective strategies to close the gap and improve the health and well-being of people in rural communities across the country.