Rates of unnecessary cesarean section and other potentially risky obstetric procedures show some significant differences between rural and urban hospitals in the United States, reports a University of Minnesota study. Both rural and urban hospitals showed increases in cesarean section over the last decade, while rates of non-indicated induction of labor rose more sharply at rural hospitals, according to the new research by Dr. Katy B. Kozhimannil, assistant professor in the division of health policy and management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and colleagues. The study was published in Medical Care.