Key result
Rural living links to higher physical and mental multimorbidity versus urban, driven by lower incomes.
Why the study?
Self-rated physical and mental health are linked to excess morbidity and mortality and can vary across rural and urban contexts, which may be problematic given rural disparities in healthcare access.
Is there a rural-urban disparity in the prevalence of self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity among working age adults in the U.S.?
Population
Over 4000 working age adults in the U.S
Comparison
Rural vs urban contexts
Design
Cross-sectional demographically representative national study
Authors
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Income largely accounts for rural-urban multimorbidity disparity; hypothesis-generating and requires longitudinal confirmation before guiding policy.
Cross-Sectional (n=4,000)
Is there a rural-urban disparity in the prevalence of self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity among working age adults in the U.S.?
Rural working-age adults in the U.S. have a higher risk of self-reported physical and mental multimorbidity compared to urban adults, a disparity largely driven by lower household incomes.
Rhubart et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity (SRPMM) (n=4,000). Rural residence vs. Urban residence was evaluated on Prevalence of self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity (SRPMM). Rural working-age adults had a higher risk of self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity compared to urban adults (overall prevalence ~15%), which was attenuated after controlling for lower incomes.
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