BACKGROUND: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions over the past 20 years. METHODS: This study investigated the differences in rates of obesity and perceptions of health status between rural, urban, and suburban Southern women based on selected socioeconomic factors. Using data from a national health survey, the reports from 4,391 women aged 40 to 64 years were included in the study. RESULTS: Significantly more rural women lived in poverty, reported a poorer health status, and had a greater prevalence of obesity. Urban women had the next highest obesity rate and a moderate health status. The healthiest group with the lowest obesity and poverty rates were suburban women. CONCLUSION: Obesity and poor overall health are closely related in rural women. The greatest challenge to health care providers is to provide appropriate community-based weight-management programs.
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Ramsey et al. (2002) studied this question.