A new American Heart Association study states cardiovascular disease-fueled deaths are more likely in rural America than in urban areas. These stark findings highlight several systemic issues -- rural poverty, food deserts, and U.S. health insurance, among other things -- that comprise the picture of rural America.

In the study, experts looked at death certificate data across America's rural and urban communities over 12 years, discovering a 21% upward trend in rural counties between 2010 and 2022.