Rural Healthy People 2020 Volume 2
Abstract
Rural health challenges are complex, reflecting both significant disparities across rural populations residing in
the United States and unique regional, political, and social differences that influence how we craft solutions
to problems. Rural populations face even greater challenges today than they did in 2001 when Rural Healthy
People 2010 was conceptualized. To better understand challenges that rural residents face in accessing
health care, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers must rethink the lens through which they view
rural populations. Beyond location, rural challenges also include race, ethnicity, customs, the economy, and
geography.