Author Question: There is a vast array of definitions of rural. When looking at health planning and policy, what ... (Read 94 times)

Mr3Hunna · **on:** Jul 8, 2018

There is a vast array of definitions of rural. When looking at health planning and policy, what agency would be the most helpful to the nurse?

A) Institute of Medicine
B) U.S. Office of Technology Assessment
C) U.S. Bureau of the Census
D) White House Office of Management and Budget

Question 2

There are common definitions of rural and urban areas in this country. What would the nurse expect when an area is defined as urban clusters by the U.S. Bureau of the Census?

A) Nonadjacent blocks of less than 2,000 people
B) Populations of 2,500 people not adjacent to urbanized areas
C) Census blocks of 25,000 people in urbanized areas
D) Combined census blocks of 50,000 people

katheyjon · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 8, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Ans: D
The most commonly used definitions of rural come from two federal agencies: the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the White House Office of Management and Budget. The White House Office of Management and Budget definition has been widely used for health planning and policy because it is based on whole counties, and most of our public health data are available at the county level. The OMB approach is primarily concerned with identifying metropolitan areas (sometimes referred to as metropolitan statistical areas), which consist of one or more urban core counties and the surrounding counties that are economically tied to the core.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: B
When these census blocks are combined with adjacent blocks so as to encompass a population of at least 50,000 people, it is called an urbanized area. The Census Bureau also identifies urban clusters as places that meet the population density threshold and have at least 2,500 people but are not adjacent to an urbanized area. Many small rural towns are considered urban clusters by this definition, and as a result, few federal programs that are intended to assist rural populations rely on this definition.