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Concordance of Rural-Urban Self-identity and ZIP Code-Derived Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Designation.
- Source :
-
The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association [J Rural Health] 2020 Mar; Vol. 36 (2), pp. 274-280. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Mar 26. - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Purpose: This study examined the concordance between individuals' self-reported rural-urban category of their community and ZIP Code-derived Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) category.<br />Methods: An Internet-based survey, administered from August 2017 through November 2017, was used to collect participants' sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported ZIP Code of residence, and perception of which RUCA category best describes the community in which they live. We calculated weighted kappa (ĸ) coefficients (95% confidence interval [CI]) to test for concordance between participants' ZIP Code-derived RUCA category and their selection of RUCA descriptor. Descriptive frequency distributions of participants' demographics are presented.<br />Findings: A total of 622 survey participants, residents of New Hampshire (63%) and Vermont (37%), responded to the survey's self-reported rural-urban category. The overall ĸ was 0.33 (95% CI: 0.27-0.38). The highest concordance was found among those living in a small rural area (N = 81, 13%): 62% of this group identified their communities as small rural. Sixty-five percent (300/459) of participants residing in urban or large rural areas reported their community as more rural (small rural or isolated). Sixty-eight percent (111/163) of participants living in small rural or isolated areas identified their community as more urban (large rural or urban).<br />Conclusions: Discordance was found between self-report of rural-urban category and ZIP Code-derived RUCA designation. Caution is warranted when attributing rural-urban designation to individuals based on geographic unit, since perceived rurality/urbanicity of their community that relates to health behaviors may not be reflected.<br /> (© 2019 National Rural Health Association.)
- Subjects :
- Humans
Self Report
Transportation
Urban Population
Health Behavior
Rural Population
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1748-0361
- Volume :
- 36
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 30913340
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12364