Rurality is used as an expression of different
rural area
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
s as not being
homogeneously defined. Many authors involved in
mental health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
research in rural areas stress the importance of steering clear of inflexible blanket definitions of rurality , and to instead "select definitions of rurality that are appropriate to the study being conducted". One of the simplest, but clearest definition of rurality is that one that expresses rurality as "a condition of place-based homeliness shared by people with common ancestry or heritage and who inhabit traditional, culturally defined areas or places statutorily recognized to be rural"..
There is no single definition or measurement of rurality. It is often based on population size, population density, or geographical proximity to urban areas. Measurements of rural vary, ranging from populations of 2,500 to 50,000.
The index developed by categorises all areas of England and Wales into four criteria: extreme rural, intermediate rural, intermediate non-rural and extreme non-rural; as well as urban areas. He used 16 different ways of drawing the conclusions for his model, all of which led to the measure of an area's rurality.
See also
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Deprivation index
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) are widely-used datasets within the UK to classify the relative deprivation (essentially a measure of poverty) of small areas. Multiple components of deprivation are weighted with different strengths and compi ...
, measurements of
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
level
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Nordicity
Nordicity () is the degree of northernness. The concept was developed by Canadian geographer Louis-Edmond Hamelin in the 1960s based on previous work done in the Soviet Union. Hamelin's system defined northern territories – like northern Canada ...
, degrees of northernness
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Rural health
In medicine, rural health or rural medicine is the interdisciplinary study of health and health care delivery in rural environments. The concept of rural health incorporates many fields, including geography, midwifery, nursing, sociology, economi ...
, study of health and healthcare delivery in rural environments
References
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Further reading
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Mental health
Rural geography
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