Researchers warn that people opting for “the simple life” of rural America are actually living shorter lives.
Credit: FORMAT / Unsplash

Key Results

The key finding was a significant gap in quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) between urban and rural residents, especially for men. Urban men at age 60 could expect 17.5 quality-adjusted years of life, compared to only 15.7 for rural men. For women, the gap was smaller but still present (19.3 years for urban women vs. 18.7 for rural women). The study also found that this gap has widened over the past two decades, with rural residents seeing little to no improvement in QALE while urban residents have made gains.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — For many Americans, moving to the country is a lifelong dream to finally escape the stress of busy city life. Unfortunately, a new study warns that people opting for “the simple life” of rural America are actually living shorter lives.

Researchers at the University of Southern California have discovered a growing divide in health between rural […]

Read the Full Article