Stimulated by Mayday 23: World Population Becomes More Urban Than Rural http://www.physorg.com/news99066556.html
"There’s no big countdown billboard or sign in Times Square to denote it, but Wednesday, May 23, 2007, represents a major demographic shift, according to scientists from North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia: For the first time in human history, the earth’s population will be more urban than rural.
Working with United Nations estimates that predict the world will be 51.3 percent urban by 2010, the researchers projected the May 23, 2007, transition day based on the average daily rural and urban population increases from 2005 to 2010. On that day, a predicted global urban population of 3,303,992,253 will exceed that of 3,303,866,404 rural people.
Though the date is highly symbolic, the researchers – Dr. Ron Wimberley, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at NC State; Dr. Libby Morris, director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia; and Dr. Gregory Fulkerson, a sociologist at NC State – advise avoiding the urge to interpret this demographic transition to mean that the urban population has greater importance than the rural."
The following by Robert C. Bowman, M.D.
More than just simple demographic changes are involved in these nationwide and worldwide changes in rural and urban distributions. When states cross from rural into urban, there are changes
In multiple studies, those least likely to gain admission are the most likely to distribute when they do manage to gain admission. Those most rural and lower income in origin are the most likely to be found in the most rural, isolated, and underserved practices.
The following data compares medical school admissions at the state level. Rural was defined as non-metro using the 1993 Urban Influence codes by Ghelfi and Parker. The states were divided into states with over 50% rural, 40 - 50% rural, 30 - 40% rural, 20 - 30% rural, 10 - 20% rural, and 0 - 10% rural. In addition the 47 schools with a rural mission as of 1998 (Barzansky) and osteopathic medical schools were compared.
The findings are rather simple. Basically all medical schools are admitting fewer medical students from rural origins. The medical schools with a rural mission had less decline in rural admissions. The medical schools with the greatest decline in admissions had most recently tipped over from rural to urban, crossing the 50% level.
Studies such as this one and studies noting declines in rural admissions from rural counties dependent upon farming and manufacturing indicate that some rural areas face greater challenges.
The numbers of different changes and the progressive steady, slow nature of the changes may hide identification of a single specific diagnosis for the development of a "magic bullet" cure.
The changes in medical school admissions reflect many of the demographic and social changes going on in America and in other nations.
It is important to help states and nations to become aware of these changes and their consequences, such as more difficulty distributing physicians and professionals.
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