The following survival analysis of a 20-year panel of 1700 independently living rural
elders attempts to extend our knowledge of aging in rural areas by focusing on gender
differences in social networks and other factors associated with longevity. A Cox
Proportional Hazards Model was used as well as a Time Dependent Covariate analysis
in order to understand the effect that changes in the key predictor variables had
on relative risk. A theoretical model of aging in rural areas was developed.