A large sector of the United States (U.S.) population. About 22 percent of Americans, approximately 55 million people, are considered “rural” residents. Rural people have a unique set of health issues; they experience social, cultural, and economic disadvantages that can increase their risk for adverse health consequences.

The first text of its kind, Critical Issues in Rural Health, provides comprehensive sociological study of rural health and health care trends in the United States, by examining the health and well-being of rural populations at all stages of life. Editors Glasgow, Morton, and Johnson present integrative reviews of theory and research on rural health issues, with the most up-to-date statistics of empirical research. This informative and groundbreaking text goes beyond the scope of previous studies and emphasizes differences between rural and urban areas in health and health care. Surprisingly little research has examined the differences in disability and morality rates by residence or degree of rurality-this book does. In additon, contributing authors report on the impact of age or life stage, race and ethnicity, social class, rural occupations, and community structure on various health issues.

Nina Glasgow, Ph.D., is Senior Research Associate in the Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University. Dr. Glasgow was Chair of the Rural Health Interest Group of the Rural Sociological Society from 1999-2002. Her current research focuses on the effects of social integration on the health newcomers to nonmetropolitan retirement destinations.

Lois Wright Morton Ph.D., is Assistnat Professor of rural sociology in the Department of Sociology at Iowa State University. Dr. Morton's research examines the social organization and civic structure of rural places, food systems, and population health.

Nan E. Johnson, Ph.D., is Professor and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University and in the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. Dr. Johnson is currently focusing her research on aging and eldercare in the United States.