Rural Dwelling Senior Americans At-Risk for Obesity and Related Health Problems

Despite living in the countryside, where open space is plentiful and there is often significant agricultural production, California's more than half a million rural elders are far more likely to be overweight or obese, physically inactive and food insecure than their suburban counterparts.  All three conditions are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and repeated falls — conditions also more prevalent among rural elders.  Steven P. Wallace, from the University of California/Los Angeles (UCLA)’s Center for Health Policy Research (California, USA), and colleagues analyzed data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey, and found that older adults in rural areas are more often overweight or obese (61.3%) than their urban (57.3%) and suburban (54.0%) counterparts. Rural older adults do not get enough exercise, as one in five rural elders do not participate in either moderate or vigorous physical activity in their leisure time. Rural adults also have higher rates of heart disease and repeated falls and are more likely to be low-income than suburban older adults, a factor that exacerbates many health conditions. Noting that:  “Rural elders, because of their geographical isolation and lack of proximity to health care providers, experience unique environmental and other risk factors that require context-specific solutions to these health issues,” the researchers urge that: “Goals and policies that facilitate active aging and aging in place should be included in city and county general plan updates. Other policies at the local, state and federal levels also need to reflect the unique solutions that are required in rural areas.”