PT Journal AU Young, AE Wasiak, R Webster, BS Shayne, RG TI Urban–rural differences in work disability after an occupational injury SO Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health PD 4VL PY 2008 BP 158 EP 164 IS 2 DI 10.5271/sjweh.1217 WP https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=1217 DE disability outcome; geographic variation; occupational injury; return to work; rural health; urban–rural difference; work disability; work-related injury SN 0355-3140 AB '

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OBJECTIVES ': 'In comparison with their urban counterparts, people living in rural areas have been found to experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality and have inferior health outcomes after illnesses and injuries. The current study sought to determine if this trend extends to work-disability outcomes after work-related injuries.

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METHODS ': 'This study was a retrospective cohort study using data on workers’ compensation claims. Rurality was defined at the postal-code level on the basis of United States 2000 census data. Work disability was measured using the number of full days a person was off work in the 2 years following an injury. Regression analyses were used to test the association between rurality and the duration of work disability after a work-related bone fracture.

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RESULTS ': 'The claimants with higher rurality experienced less work disability than those with lower rurality. This relationship remained after control for the impact of age, gender, part of body injured, occupation, and industry.

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CONCLUSIONS ': 'Rurality was found to be related to work disability. However, rather than being associated with more time off after an injury, as could be expected on the basis of past findings, increased rurality was found to be associated with less time off work. The findings suggest that features of rural environments, cultures, and behavioral patterns may facilitate return to work.

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