Critical Issues in Rural Health

Rural residents represent a large sector of the United States (U.S.) population. About 22 percent of Americans, approximately 55 million people, are considered "rural" residents. Rural people have a unique set of health issues; they experience social, cultural, and economic disadvantages that can increase their risk for adverse health consequences. The first of its kind, Critical Issues in Rural Health, provides comprehensive sociological treatment of rural health and health care trends in the U.S. The editors have presented both integrative reviews of theory and research on rural health issues, as well as the most up-to-date findings of empirical research. This book emphasizes differences between rural and urban areas in health and health care, and chapter authors report the impact of age or life stage, race and ethnicity, social class, rural occupations, and community structure on various substantive health issues. Previous research has examined morbidity differentials between rural and urban areas; however, surprisingly little research has examined the differences in disability and mortality rates by place of residence or degree of rurality - this book does. This informative and groundbreaking text/reference goes beyond the scope of previous studies by examining the health and well-being of rural people at all stages of life with the most up-to-date statistics available. This book will be of interest to students, academics and practitioners in the fields of rural sociology, environmental sociology, public health, human medicine, nursing, epidemiology, psychology, political science, dentistry, governmental policy, consumer science and rural history.