Overview

Geographical location can influence health status.

For instance, within urban locations, there is often a clear divide between higher income and lower income populations which can result in higher rates of mental illness and addictions and a lack of social support which can increase susceptibility to injury.

Those living in rural areas have other risks which can lead to injury, including, less access to health services, which affects the outcome of injury. Moreover, motor vehicle incidents are also more likely in rural areas due to longer distances when driving and poorer road conditions.

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• Populations who are from a lower socioeconomic status living in a rural location have an increased risk of motor vehicle collisions, most likely because people have to drive increased distances, rely on less road-worthy vehicles, and face poor road conditions – all of which increase their exposure to the risk of being injured in a motor vehicle crash. 

• Due to the influence of accessibility on health, children in rural Manitoba were found to be more likely to suffer injury and mortality as the result of an injury than children in the province’s urban areas. 
• Other intersectional identities (such as Indigenous status) influence one's geographical location and risk of injury. For instance, Indigenous children living in northern / rural Manitoba, have an increased risk of injury and mortality than children in urban areas. 
• Further and more updated research surrounding geographical location and risk of injury throughout the Atlantic provinces need to be explored and further updated to bring awareness to accessibility to health services, and its influence on injury and mortality.