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Rural and Urban Differences in Mortality Among Americans 55 Years and Older: Analysis of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study
Author(s) -
Smith Mark H.,
Anderson Roger T.,
Bradham Douglas D.,
Jr. Charles F. Longino
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-0361.1995.tb00425.x
Subject(s) - marital status , residence , demography , longitudinal study , confounding , metropolitan area , ethnic group , urbanization , proportional hazards model , medicine , rural area , gerontology , geography , environmental health , population , surgery , pathology , sociology , anthropology , economics , economic growth
Previous research on rural and urban differences in risk of mortality has been inconclusive. This article used data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study to establish whether all‐cause mortality risk among persons 55 years and older varies by degree of urbanization, controlling for the potential sociodemographic confounders of age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, and marital status. Using the Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Procedure, the authors found that persons living in the most rural locales and those living in rural communities in standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs) have the lowest risk of mortality, while those living in SMS A central cities had the highest risk of dying during the study period. The protective effect of rural residence declines in older age cohorts.