This book integrates the expertise of professiontion available on the various health concerns and als from a broad array of disciplines-anthrosubpopulations and by the numerous methodpology, health services research, epidemiology, ological complexities in compiling the necesmedicine, dentistry, health promotion, and sosary data. Recognition of the nuances within and cial work-in an examination of rural health across rural populations, as recommended here, care and rural health research. This investigawill allow us to provide care more efficiently tion includes an inquiry into issues that are uniand effectively and to prevent disease or ameversal across rural populations, such as public liorate its effects. Reliance on some of the newer health issues and issues of equity in health care. technologies and approaches discussed here, Several chapters explore the health care issues such as distance learning and broad-based, comthat confront specified subpopulations includmunity-wide health initiatives, will facilitate ing, for instance, migrant workers and Native disease treatment and prevention in relatively Americans, while others provide a more focused isolated areas. Ultimately, all of us must work approach to diseases that may disproportionately to ensure the availability of adequate health care have an impact on residents of rural areas, such to even the most isolated communities, for "as as specific chronic and infectious diseases.