Hospital Admissions in U.S. Rural and Urban Areas

Abstract

THE issue of Public Health Reports of October 30 contains an interesting survey by Selwyn D. Collins, principal statistician, United States Public Health Service, of variation in hospital admissions with the size of city, family income and other environmental factors. The survey is based on records for 8,758 families in 130 localities in eighteen States. Hospital rates were lower for rural than for urban areas, and were lower for small towns than for large cities. In cities the highest rates for admissions and days of hospital treatment occurred in the highest and lowest income groups, while in rural areas the lowest income group had the lowest hospital rates. The lowest income group in both urban and rural areas had the lowest average days per hospital case. Four important diseases were responsible for about half of all the admissions to hospital, namely, tonsil-lectomy, deliveries, appendicitis and accidents. The first three diseases tended towards higher percentages of cases admitted to hospital in the higher income -level. In the percentage of cases admitted to hospitals, deliveries showed the largest and most regular increases with income.