Rural-urban differentials in mortality

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine rural-urban differentials in mortality over time in North Carolina. Two approaches were used to assess residence differentials: by size of place and by grouping counties by size of largest place in the county. The results for total mortality indicate that the greatest risks of dying are evident in urban areas but the differential is not as strong as in the past. Consideration is also given to infant neonatal and postneonatal mortality. These residence differentials generally hold for whites and nonwhites with the range in mortality between the residence categories being much larger for nonwhites than whites. The findings also demonstrate variability in the extent and nature of rural-urban differentials depending on how residence is measured. (EXCERPT)