Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Research on Aging in Rural Versus Urban Environments

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Abstract
This paper examines three conceptual and methodological problems characteristic of research on patterns of aging in rural versus urban environments. These are: lack of consistency and clarity in definitions of rurality and in the application of those definitions; inconsistency in the way in which rural-urban comparisons are made and representative communities selected; and problems arising from inattention to the issue of duration of residential experience. Our analyses show how these problems also characterize the emerging body of Canadian research on aging in rural environments.