Wednesday, Jun 22 2011 1:23PM
A new report shows life expectancy for rural residents is dropping nationwide.
Based on research from 1997 to 2007, researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation at the University of Washington found that life expectancy for men and women living in rural areas is diminishing.
According to the report, nearly one in four women living in rural communities can expect to live below the average life expectancy for American females, while the average expectancy for men living in these areas is now below 70 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy for all men living in the U.S. in 2007 was 75.6 years, while the average for women was 80.8.
The report's authors say the effects from poor health, including smoking and diabetes, as well as a lack of effective healthcare are likely contributing to this decline in life expectancy in rural areas.
Elliott Fisher, physician at Dartmouth Medical School who studies regional variations, told the Washington Post the findings may confirm those theories.
"The critical insight this work underscores is something that we've known for years - that both health and health care are produced locally," he said.