Friday, Sep 9 2011 12:57PM
Health issues are more prevalent in rural counties than in urban ones, according to a recent report.
According to a report released by the University of Wisconsin, residents of rural counties have worse health on average than residents of urban counties due to factors including lower income and employment opportunities, among other reasons.
The County Health Rankings (CHR) report compared various statistics and data from 3,000 counties nationwide to determine the overall health of each county. According to CBS News, more urban counties rated higher in health than rural counties.
The report states that 48 percent of the healthiest counties were urban or suburban, while 84 percent of the unhealthiest counties were in rural areas.
Patrick Remington, project director of CHR, told the news source the disparity of health quality between urban and rural areas is likely due to numerous financial factors.
"They may have a better educational system. They may have more job opportunities," Remington told CBS News. "All these things come together to make urban areas [and], in particular, suburban communities, healthier than their rural counterparts."
One rural county official told the media outlet limited finances play a considerable role in the health of a community. David Fanslau, manager of Sullivan County, New York, told the source the more economically challenged a county is, the less access it generally has to good healthcare.