title: Chronic illness and country living.
abstract: A household health survey of an entire rural shire in the Central Western Region of New South Wales was conducted by the Health Commission of New South Wales, Regional Health Office in Bathurst along with the Central Western Regional Advisory Council during April-May, 1976, to determine the prevalence of chronic illness. Approximately 1,056 dwellings were located in the Oberon Shire by the interviewers; household interviews were obtained from 789 of them. Slightly more than 42% of the survey population reportedly had one or more chronic illnesses. Types of chronic illness associated with diseases of the respiratory and circulatory systems were most prevalent which leads one to speculate about clean, fresh, country air and the simple, easy-going, lifestyle of farming communities.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology