Rural

 Study Finds - For many Americans, moving to the country is a lifelong dream to finally escape the stress of busy city life. Unfortunately, a new study warns that people opting for “the simple life” of rural America are actually living shorter lives.Researchers at the University of Southern California have discovered a growing divide in health between rural and urban Americans as they age. Specifically, rural residents face shorter lifespans and more years lived in poor health. The research paints a concerning picture of the health challenges facing older adults in these communities.

“Rural populations face a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, which has serious implications for healthy aging,” says lead author Jack Chapel, a postdoctoral scholar at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, in a media release. “With an aging population and fewer physicians available, the burden on rural communities is set to grow, leading to significant challenges in providing care for those who will face more health issues in the future.”

The study, published in The Journal of Rural Health, found that for men nearing retirement age, the gap in health-adjusted life expectancy between urban and rural areas has more than doubled over the past two decades. While urban men can expect to live about 17.5 quality years after age 60, their rural counterparts face only 15.7 years of healthy life – a difference of nearly two full years. For women, the disparity is smaller but still significant. Urban women at age 60 can anticipate 19.3 quality-adjusted years of life, compared to 18.7 years for rural women. These figures represent not just the total lifespan but also years lived in good health.