Health issues of women in rural environments: an overview.

Significant attention has been devoted to the plight of rural residents and their health care systems in the past decade. The literature offers general information about rural environments, but little has been written about the many rural subgroups living across the 50 states. This article presents a profile of America's rural women and discusses the impact of economic, social, geographic, and cultural factors on their health. It is based on a review of the literature and the author's decades of personal and professional experiences in rural communities. The information can help physicians to better understand the medical concerns of the rural women they may encounter in their practices.