Where you live: Can be hazardous to your health. (On First Reading).Where you live may be hazardous to your health. The wide open spaces, pastureland and forests of rural America would seem to be the optimum environment for good health. But not so, says a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control. For the first time in history, the annual statistical report on the nation's health looked at health status compared to a community's level of urbanization. The report shows Americans who live in the suburbs are significantly healthier than those living in the country or the inner city. City and country people have higher working-age adult deaths than suburban residents, who are more likely to have healthy lifestyles and also have the lowest infant mortality rates infant mortality rate n. The ratio of the number of deaths in the first year of life to the number of live births occurring in the same population during the same period of time. . Of course geography alone does not determine health status. Age, race, ethnicity ethnicity Vox populi Racial status–ie, African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic , occupation and income, among other factors, all affect it. Suburbanites tend to be younger and richer than the people who live in the country or inner city. And occupations like farming are higher risk jobs, so it is no surprise to see that death rates from unintentional injuries unintentional injury Accidental injury Public health Any injury caused by an accident. See Injury. are highest in rural areas. Distance and lack of doctors also affect rural health care. And although more than 50 million Americans live in the country--20 percent of the U.S. population--less than 11 percent of the nation's physicians practice in these areas, making access to health care a serious problem. Other pieces of the nationwide health care picture show: * Children and young adults are more likely to die in the most rural counties. * The country and inner city hold the largest numbers of folks without health insurance. The number of people with no health care coverage, either public or private, varies by state. Less than 10 percent of people under age 65 in Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. are without health insurance compared to 25 percent or more in Louisiana Louisiana (ləwē'zēăn`ə, l  ē'–), state in the S central United States. It is bounded by Mississippi, with the Mississippi R. , Texas and New
Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). .
* Teenagers and adults in rural counties are the most likely to smoke. * People living in the suburbs exercise more, so suburban women are most apt to be thin. The good news is that, overall, Americans are healthier than we were 25 years ago. Death rates for unintentional injuries and homicides fell, while the percentage of women receiving early prenatal care prenatal care, n the health care provided the mother and fetus before childbirth. rose. We live longer, and the top three causes of death--heart disease, cancer and stroke--declined. The report, "Health, United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , 2001, with Urban and Rural Health Chartbook," is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs. More information about the secretary of health's rural health task force is available at http://ruralhealth.hrsa.gov/initiative.htm |
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