October 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 44

H E A LT H A N D W E L L N E S S

Addressing Health Disparities in Rural America
By Allison Colman

A

cross the United States, rural communities face their fair share
of obstacles. They often struggle with higher poverty rates,
lower health literacy levels, unpredictable employment and
fewer resources that support access to healthy foods and physical activity - obstacles that can contribute to poor health outcomes among
rural residents and a diminished quality of life. Local park and recreation
agencies are a critical component of promoting equitable health outcomes
in any community, but they may fill an even larger role in rural areas where
resources are limited, and residents must overcome substantial challenges
to engage in healthy opportunities.

More than 15.5 percent of rural
residents live in food insecure
households, with financial
constraints often cited as the
primary reason and food deserts
- areas with limited access to
affordable and nutritious food -
as a secondary concern.
42

Parks & Recreation

Health Equity in Rural America
The social determinants of health,
including the neighborhood and
built environment, health and
healthcare, social and community
context, education and economic
stability, are often directly related
to health outcomes. When communities consistently face barriers to these social determinants,
inequities exist and persist over
generations. Public health dispar-

| O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

ities between rural and nonrural
communities are well documented
in the research shared in articles,
such as " Introduction to Food Security and Healthy Food Access "
on the Rural Health Information
Hub
(www.ruralhealthinfo.org/
toolkits/food-access/1/food-secu
rity-and-access), which shows that
the more rural an area, the higher
the rate of food insecurity, obesity,
heart disease and diabetes. In addition, the CDC reports that with
all health factors accounted for,
children in rural areas (57.7 deaths
per 100,000) compared to those in
large central areas (37.5 deaths per
100,000) experience higher mortality rates among persons 1-24 years
of age (https://wonder.cdc.gov/
mcd-icd10.html).
Food access and health literacy
play a significant role in these pub-



October 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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