This study – to be carried out by the ScHAAR members of the RERC consortium - was identified from the findings of the Phase 1 systematic review of health literature. It will focus on the wider determinants of health in rural areas to identify how these vary between different types of rural community, how they impact on older people living in rural areas, what issues influence opportunities for lengthening life expectancy in rural older populations and what issues influence opportunities for promoting healthy lifestyles in rural areas.
The study will sample people aged 60 and over, whose main place of residence is located in rural areas. Residents will be sampled from farming-based and mining villages and hamlets within Yorkshire, Shropshire and Lincolnshire. Villages will be categorised according to demographic structure, village services and amenities, recent evolution and accessibility. A sample will be chosen to ensure coverage for a range of these factors. The study will use focus groups, questionnaires and ‘face to face’ interviews to gather the required information which will revolve around the ‘EuroQol –5D’ (PDF) format which defines health in terms of five dimensions: mobility, self care, usual activity, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression.
The ‘rural networks’ element of the study will derive from a broad focus on ‘pathways to knowledge’ about health and health services and will link to the findings of the overarching ‘rural networks’ research.