Understanding variations in rural health: connecting service use and outcomes

On average, Canadians living in rural areas tend to be less healthy and experience higher rates of mortality than urban residents. Still, the causes of these differences are not obvious. Factors not related to the health care system, such as level of income and education, rates and type of employment, and patterns of health shape the health of individuals and communities. At the same time, residents of rural and remote areas experience more limited access to health care services than their urban and suburban counterparts. This research will describe variations in mortality among rural and urban areas across British Columbia, with a focus on deaths which may have been prevented by health care. Then, it will determine whether differences in the use of health services fully explain differences in mortality rates, or if there are other characteristics of individuals and communities which help understand differences in mortality among areas.