Erin Gaede and coauthors publish WIndicators article
Erin Gaede, a Ph.D. student in the Sociology department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with coauthors, recently published a WIndicators article through the Division of Extension at the University of Wisconsin-Madison titled “The Impact of Housing Financial Stress and Food Insecurity on Rural Health.” Chronic diseases are the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S., and in rural America the problem is getting worse. In 2023, rural counties had higher rates of chronic disease than urban counties, and Wisconsin faces trends similar to those in rural areas nationally. The article uses the American Community Survey (ACS), CDC PLACES, and Feeding America, as well as 32 interviews with residents from 17 different Wisconsin counties. The researchers find that poverty, which is more prevalent in rural places, is associated with food insecurity and housing stress. These correlations suggest a compounding effect of housing stress and food insecurity in vulnerable households that may contribute to chronic disease.