‘Countryside Is for Those Who Can Manage on Their Own’
Experienced Health Concerns and Accessibility Problems Undermining Social Inclusion in Rural Finland
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21394443 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hanna-Mari Ikonen (0000-0002-4370-5778, University of Jyväskylä, corresponding author), Maarit Sireni (0000-0002-7774-1750, University of Eastern Finland), Katariina Kotila (0009-0009-7232-5158, University of Eastern Finland), Verna Helle (University of Jyväskylä) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociologia Ruralis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0199 • E-ISSN: 1467-9523 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/soru.70046 |
| OpenAlex | W7167641136 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
This study examines how personal health experiences and access to healthcare strengthen or undermine social inclusion in rural Finland, where an ageing population, low incomes, centralisation of healthcare services and poor public transport pose challenges similar to those seen in many other European rural areas. Based on a qualitative content analysis of two datasets, we explore experiences of health and healthcare in three spheres of social inclusion: social relationships, security provided by services and living environments and participation as a member of society. Our study shows that while social relationships may offer health‐related support, concerns about service centralisation, emergency response times and transport barriers highlight access difficulties and the feelings of a lack of control over one's own life. It is felt that rural people and places are ignored in policy decisions on service provision. Strengthening these aspects that undermine social inclusion could enhance wellbeing and participation in rural communities
Centralisation · Feeling · Health care · Inclusion (mineral) · Qualitative research · Rural area · Service (business) · Social exclusion · Global Health Workforce Issues · Health disparities and outcomes · Rural development and sustainability
Methodological challenges in qualitative content analysis
Social exclusion and mental health
Interventions to reduce loneliness and social isolation in rural settings
The revenge of the places that don’t matter (and what to do about it)
Neoliberalisation in a Nordic State
A new evolution for transport-related social exclusion research
Rural accessibility, social inclusion and social justice
Public transport-disadvantaged rural areas in relation to daily accessibility of regional centre
Are rural households poorer than non-rural households in Europe
Primary school closures and population development – is school vitality an investment in the attractiveness of the (rural) communities or not
Stewardship of the rural
Health services and eHealth from the perspective of older rural residents of Finnish Lapland
Tackling poverty and social isolation using a smart rural development initiative
Transport-related social exclusion amongst older people in rural Southwest England and Wales
Rural volunteer fire services and the sustainability of older voluntarism in ageing rural communities
Regional opportunity structures
Disadvantaged and Disadvantaging Regions
Where Have All the Rural Poor Gone? Explaining the Rural–Urban Poverty Gap in European Countries
Trapped in the Past? The Reproduction of Poverty and Marginality in a Hungarian Manorial Village
Accessibility, Car Dependence and Rural Peripheralization
Rural Livelihood Diversification
Social Networks and Coping with Poverty in Rural Areas
Poverty and Social Exclusion in Diversified Rural Contexts
Being a poor farmer in a wealthy country
Intergenerational social mobility of cohorts born from 1951 to 1980 in Finland
Social Mobility and Education of Finnish Cohorts Born 1936-75
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |