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The Relationship Between Rural Status, Individual Characteristics, and Self‐Rated Health in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Author(s) -
Bethea Traci N.,
Lopez Russell P.,
Cozier Yvette C.,
White Laura F.,
McClean Michael D.
Publication year - 2012
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.1748-0361.2012.00414.x
Subject(s) - multinomial logistic regression , logistic regression , socioeconomic status , behavioral risk factor surveillance system , environmental health , obesity , educational attainment , demography , medicine , gerontology , protective factor , self rated health , risk factor , rural area , rural health , psychology , population , pathology , machine learning , sociology , computer science , economics , economic growth
Abstract Purpose: To examine rural status and social factors as predictors of self‐rated health in community‐dwelling adults in the United States. Methods: This study uses multinomial logistic and cumulative logistic models to evaluate the associations of interest in the 2006 US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a cross‐sectional survey of 347,709 noninstitutionalized adults. Findings: Self‐rated health was poorer among rural residents, compared to urban residents (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.54, 1.90). However, underlying risk factors such as obesity, low income, and low educational attainment were found to vary by rural status and account for the observed increased risk (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.12). There was little evidence of effect modification by rural status, though the association between obesity and self‐rated health was stronger among urban residents (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 2.38, 2.64) than among rural residents (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 2.03, 2.34). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that differences in self‐rated health by rural status were attributable to differential distributions of participant characteristics and not due to differential effects of those characteristics.