[A regional public health research network INSERM "PRISMAL" (perception, representation and risk management in rural health settings)].

The PRISMAL (Perception, representation and health risk management in rural settings) network comprises three academic research teams, two health insurance agencies, and two health care networks in the Franche-Comté region that share their expertise to study the relationship between health and the rural environment. Three main objectives guide the network's activities and are linked to the following questions: 1) What are the epidemiological changes linked to the rural setting; what are their causes and effects? 2) What are the relationships between the rural environment, health risks, behaviours in seeking health care, access to health care services and quality of life? 3) What are the perceptions and representations of the affected populations on health risks specific to the rural setting? Research activities utilise specific diseases as examples of the result from interaction with the rural environment, such as "farmer's lung", alveolar echinococcosis, occupational risks for farmers, lung cancer, suicide attempts, premature birth, and vascular stroke. The partnership's framework extends well beyond the medical world and includes ecologists, geographers, sociologists, administrators and environmental technicians.