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Rural-Urban Residence And Mortality Among Three Cohorts Of U.S. Adults, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Katherine A. Ahrens Mph, Phd

Population Health

Though U.S. life expectancy has increased over the past 50 years, this benefit has not been geographically uniform and certain rural persons and communities face a mortality gap. Rural residents experience a shorter life expectancy than urban residents, with higher mortality rates from specific causes such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, coronary heart disease, and lung cancer. Overall, there are higher mortality rates among rural residents for all five leading causes of death – heart disease, stroke, cancer, unintentional injury, and chronic lower respiratory disease – as compared to urban residents.

We sought to close gaps in our understanding of …