Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Canadian Urban - Rural Health Disparity: The Role Of Health Lifestyles And An Alternative Explanation For Rurality's Higher Bmi Rates, Matthew J. Stackhouse

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Canadian urban - rural health disparity is concerning, as rural residents are more likely to experience deleterious health outcomes such as injuries, chronic conditions, obesity, and shorter life expectancy. There are several rural social-structural explanations for the disparity such as an aging population, less education attainment, greater unemployment rates, poorer working conditions, lack of health professionals, greater distance from quality health resource, and poorer health behaviours. Some of these findings have been linked to higher Body Mass Index (BMI) scores in rural areas. However, no study has considered the health lifestyle differences of urban - rural Canadians and how …