Rural–urban health disparities among US adults ages 50 and older
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Fact sheet (AARP Public Policy Institute)
- Author(s):
- Carter, Beth, author Dean, Olivia, author
- Contributor(s):
- AARP (Organization), issuing body. Public Policy Institute (AARP (Organization)), issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : AARP Public Policy Institute, October 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Aged Middle Aged Health Equity Health Services Accessibility Health Status Disparities Rural Population Urban Population Health Behavior United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- As of 2019, rural areas were home to 20 million Americans ages 50 and older. While most older adults do not live in rural areas, these localities are experiencing faster growth of the older adult population compared with urban areas. Rural communities face many health care challenges that contribute to longstanding health disparities compared with urban residents. Research shows that rural Americans are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than are those living in urban areas. These disparities are closely tied to the social determinants of health--that is, the conditions that impact health in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age. Contributors to rural health disparities include economic factors such as higher rates of poverty and limited job opportunities, health care access factors such as lower rates of health insurance and limited access to health care providers, and environmental factors such as geographic isolation and lack of transportation. While many studies have analyzed rural health disparities, few have focused specifically on the population ages 50 and older or analyzed racial and ethnic disparities within the older rural population. This report analyzes indicators of health care access, health-related behaviors, and health conditions among the 50 and older age group living in rural versus urban areas. The analysis also explores racial and ethnic differences in health among older adults living in rural versus urban areas to assess whether health disparities by race and ethnicity are exacerbated by residence in a rural area.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-ND license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (8 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918383862006676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918383862006676