Community Resources and Hazards Across the Rural-Urban Continuum

How does proximity to community resources and hazards differ by rurality?In this cross-sectional study of approximately 2.1 million Maryland addresses measuring straight-line distances, isolated rural areas—with high proportions of older adults and people with disabilities—were up to 5 miles farther from the nearest hospital, pharmacy, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program retailer than urban addresses. Federally qualified health centers were closest to large-rural addresses.The findings of this study suggest that using finer distinctions in categorizing rurality, rather than a simple urban-rural divide, could improve understanding of resource access and health impacts, informing place-tailored policies and interventions.

Corresponding Author: Oshozimhede E. Iyalomhe, MD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology and Human Genetics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD 21201 (OIyalomhe@som.umaryland.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.