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Lifestyle differences in rural areas are much more sedentary now that broadband internet is more available. In urban areas you have social factors and other rea
by pbnjay 2y ago
Lifestyle differences in rural areas are much more sedentary now that broadband internet is more available. In urban areas you have social factors and other reasons to walk around or stand up for longer periods.
Couple that with the mentioned shrinking of hospital and healthcare access and yeah you’ve got a double whammy.
- apwheele 2y agoI think this is right. For counterpoint though, there will of course be variance, but an opposite hypothesis is a larger proportion have labor jobs (men moreso than women). Grew up in rural PA (mostly farming, some factory work). They exact a significant toll (part of the reason opioid dependence grew IMO). But most of the metrics I have been seeing in terms of death rates show it is both for men and women, so I don't think labor jobs can explain it.
- forgetfreeman 2y agoHold up a sec, are you proposing that life in the country is more sedentary than in urban areas? I'm guessing you've never bailed hay.
- triceratops 2y ago> I'm guessing you've never bailed hay Never had my boat fill up with hay so...no. I'd also guess most country people don't bale hay every day.
- jimbokun 2y agoNeither have most people living in rural areas.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- redserk 2y agoAs someone who grew up and lived in a very rural area, most rural people don’t bale hay. Most rural people live like those in the suburbs but are just physically farther away from other people.
- klyrs 2y agoA cursory search indicates that the giant marshmallow looking haybales that modern farming produces are formed by a machine which you tow behind a tractor. I'm just a city gal, but how much of a workout is that, really? Edit: also, why are we speculating on stereotypes and not consulting actual data collected on exactly this question? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7182355/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7182355/ It seems that people living in rural areas are, on average, more sedentary than their urban counterparts, despite the overwhelmingly popular stereotype that rural folk are svelte and outdoorsy.
- mecsred 2y agoIt's a pretty significant workout. Hooking up, detaching, cleaning and maintaining a bailer is a lot more effort than even a good distance walk. The statistics you're quoting are more so due to the fact that most people in rural areas don't operate a bailer or really any farm machinery. Which showcases one of the problems with relying on "actual data" without having a good understanding of the situation.
- drawkward 2y agoYes "actual data " is the problem. You even point out yourself >most people in rural areas don't operate...really any farm machinery" Which would be consistent with that damn actual data showing that rural folk are more sedentary than urban folk, in aggregate or on average.
- forgetfreeman 2y agoExcept it really wouldn't, because it doesn't take into account any of the bog standard daily lived realities of being rural that include hunting and fishing, managing livestock, working in the trades, dealing with equipment, or hell even just keeping several acres mowed and maintained, all of which are dirt common activities for rural Americans. What, you think you get outside the city and everyone's sitting on their ass in a trailer park collecting welfare and working on their diabetes or something?
- trgn 2y agoit's crazy how something seemingly minor, the necessity to walk some real distance for meeting daily needs, has such a wide range of benefits. Unconsciously, it makes you eat better and less, otherwise the walking would be very uncomfortable. It also makes you care about your immediate environment more, because you experience it a lot more directly. When you don't have that, it's an uphill battle. You have to carve out dedicated time to exercise, and you have to be very conscious of your diet. Walking makes for a healthier life, it really does, rather than only the healthy opting in for walking.