Description

Approximately one-in-three North Carolinians, almost 3 million people, lives in a rural county (e.g., non-metropolitan statistical area). North Carolinians living in rural areas are less likely to have access to health services, more likely to engage in risky health behaviors, and have a higher mortality rate than North Carolinians living in non-rural areas. Rural North Carolinians are more likely to forgo seeing a doctor due to cost and are less likely to visit a dentist. Smoking and obesity are more prevalent in rural counties in North Carolina. Rural North Carolinians are more likely to die due to heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, unintentional injuries, and suicide. There are also rural-urban disparities in infrastructure and the capacity to address health needs. The health disparities between urban and rural residents are due to a number of factors including: differences in demographic and socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, access to, and quality of health care.

The goal of the NCIOM Task Force on Rural Health is to develop a North Carolina Rural Health Action Plan to provide policy makers, funders, and stakeholder organizations with a common vision and action steps to improve rural health.