Accentuated for Rural Beneficiaries
The percent of seniors with high blood pressure:
rural: 39.7% urban: 34.8%
As a result of this poorer health, rural elderly are more dependent upon prescription medication. In 1996, the mean number of prescriptions filled was 24 among the rural elderly, compared to 21 for the urban elderly (AHRQ 2000; AHRQ 1998).