CDC: Rural Americans more likely to die from five leading causes

Americans who live in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease or stroke than their urban counterparts, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Detailed community-based case-control studies comparing areas with the highest and lowest death rates might clarify how various risk factors and community-wide social determinants of health affect mortality in rural and urban areas,” the authors said. The report is part of a new rural health series in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The Health Resources and Services Administration has partnered with CDC on the series and will also work to promote the findings and recommendations to rural communities.