Rural health

Village elders participate in a training for rural health care workers in Ethiopia.
Rural area
Economics
People
Society
History
Politics

In medicine, rural health or rural medicine is the interdisciplinary study of health and health care delivery in rural environments. The concept of rural health incorporates many fields, including wilderness medicine, geography, midwifery, nursing, sociology, economics, and telehealth or telemedicine.[1]

Rural populations often experience health disparities and greater barriers in access to healthcare compared to urban populations.[2][3] Globally, rural populations face increased burdens of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, contributing to worse health outcomes and higher mortality rates.[4] Factors contributing to these health disparities include remote geography, increased rates of health risk behaviors, lower population density, decreased health insurance coverage among the population, lack of health infrastructure, and work force demographics.[3][5][6] People living in rural areas also tend to have less education, lower socioeconomic status, and higher rates of alcohol and smoking when compared to their urban counterparts.[7] Additionally, the rate of poverty is higher in rural populations globally, contributing to health disparities due to an inability to access healthy foods, healthcare, and housing.[8][9]

Many countries have made it a priority to increase funding for research on rural health.[10][11] These research efforts are designed to help identify the healthcare needs of rural communities and provide policy solutions to ensure those needs are met.

  1. ^ Chan M (2010). Global Policy Recommendations. France: Graphic design: Rasmussen/CH. pp. 14–18. ISBN 978-92-4-156401-4.
  2. ^ "About Rural Health | CSELS | Rural Health | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  3. ^ a b "Rural Health Disparities Overview - Rural Health Information Hub". www.ruralhealthinfo.org. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  4. ^ "Tackling inequalities in public service coverage to "build forward better" for the rural poor". www.who.int. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  5. ^ Scheil-Adlung X (2015-05-05). Global evidence on inequities in rural health protection. New data on rural deficits in health coverage for 174 countries (Report).
  6. ^ "WHO guideline on health workforce development, attraction, recruitment and retention in rural and remote areas" (PDF). World Health Organization. 2010.
  7. ^ "Rural Health Disparities Overview - Rural Health Information Hub". www.ruralhealthinfo.org. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  8. ^ "Addressing health inequities among people living in rural and remote areas". www.who.int. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  9. ^ "Economic Stability - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov". health.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  10. ^ Healthy Horizons- Outlook 2003-2007: A Framework for Improving the Health of Rural, Regional, and Remote Australians (PDF). National Rural Health Alliance. 2003. ISBN 0-7308-5684-4.
  11. ^ "Rural Health in Rural Hands: Strategic Directions for Rural, Remote, Northern and Aboriginal Communities" (PDF). Society of Rural Physicians Canada. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-09.