Environmental injustices in rural America

Abstract

The World Health Organization identified the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) as conditions associated with health differences in populations. The absence or scarcity in the SDH in rural areas places these populations at a greater disadvantage to optimal health with fewer resources and opportunities for quality of life and mental and physical well-being. Public health strategies to reduce rural health disparities require models that incorporate the SDH. This chapter summarizes select SDH that negatively impact rural communities and proposes a public health model to address rural health disparities by incorporating the SDH.