Americans who live in rural areas are at a greater risk for dying from the top five most common causes of death in this country, reports Medscape.

The authors hypothesize that the high percentage of potentially preventable deaths in rural areas might be a reflection of the poorer physical and mental health that has been reported among rural Americans, as well as limited socioeconomic resources and limited access to high-quality emergency and specialty care.

 “These findings suggest that a greater percentage of deaths in nonmetropolitan areas might be potentially excess deaths and thus are relevant for public health prevention efforts focused on rural populations,” the authors write. They note that ongoing efforts to reduce smoking and obesity in rural populations “are particularly important because these risk factors contribute to increased risk for heart disease, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and cancer.”

 

Read the whole story at www.medscape.com