LOS ANGELES, April 30 -- Rural residents in the Untied States are at higher risk of early death from one of the five leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas, according to a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of 2022, more than 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the U.S. population, lived in rural areas and were more likely to die early from one of the five leading causes of death than their urban counterparts, according to CDC.

Heart disease and cancer were leading causes of early death, followed by unintentional injuries, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory disease, according to the report.

The report shows the rural-urban divide in preventable early deaths in the country continues to widen.

To address disparities in preventable premature deaths across rural and urban counties, data on disparities in cause-specific premature deaths from the five leading causes by rural-urban county category, race, and ethnicity are needed to inform interventions and health care policies for specific racial and ethnic groups, said CDC.

  - Xinhua