Care about Public Health in America? Than You Should Read This

Posted by Allison S. Bybee

I recently came upon a report that caught my eye and it should catch yours too if you’re interested in improving the well-being of Americans. A quick review of Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document for Rural Areas produced evidence of the many diverse public health disparities that exist between rural and urban regions. Each of these disparities challenge American policy makers to consider how current and future health reform will affect rural Americans differently then their urban counterparts. [The following is adapted from the National Rural Health Association’s “What Different about Rural Health?”]

NINE WAYS THAT AMERICAN RURAL HEALTH DIFFERS

1. Income Disparities: The average rural income is $19,000 per year in comparison to $26,000 per year found in urban counterparts.

2. Motor Vehicle Incidents: While rural areas account for only one third of all motor vehicle incidents, approximately 66% of the deaths from motor vehicle incidents occur in rural areas.

3. Smoking: When rural 8^th graders were surveyed, some 26% reported that they smoked. This is twice the percentage of urban 8^th graders who reported similar smoking habits (only some 12%).

4. Childhood Poverty: Rural children are much more likely to be poor than urban children.

5. Mental Health: A great majority, some 87% in fact, of the Mental Health Professional Shortage areas are in America’s rural communities.

6. Teeth and Gums: While there are approximately 60 dentists per 100,000 people in urban settings, there are only 40 dentists for the same rural population.

7. Cardiovascular Health: Hypertension rates in rural areas (128.8 per 1,000 rural residents) is much higher than urban counterparts (101.3 per 1,000 urban residents).

8. Transportation: Greater distance and transportation obstacles exist for rural residents who are trying to make it between their place of residence and a physician or specialist’s office.

9. Workforce: While approximately twenty percent of Americans (63 million) live in rural areas, only ten percent of physicians practice in rural America.

What do these disparities have to do with healthcare and health policy? Everything. Keep checking back for more insight into how geography affects health in America and what we can do about it.