BMC health services research

Differences in health service needs and use between city residents and rural migrants in China from 2012 to 2016

Updated

Abstract

19.97% of respondents were rural-to-urban migrants in China, with an increasing trend from 2012 to 2016.

  • Rural-to-urban migrants reported a higher need for health services (11.99%) compared to urban residents (10.47%).
  • No differences in health care needs were observed between urban residents and migrants in 2012.
  • Health services utilization rates were similar for both groups across 2012, 2014, and 2016.
  • Factors such as increased age, male sex, poor medical insurance coverage, and dissatisfaction with income were associated with higher health care needs.

Simplified

Key numbers

11.99%
Health Service Needs Increase
Health service needs of rural-to-urban migrants vs. urban residents
60.02%
Health Service Utilization Rate
Utilization of health services among rural-to-urban migrants and urban residents
19.97%
Respondents Identified as Migrants
Proportion of respondents identified as rural-to-urban migrants

Full Text

What this is

  • This research compares health service needs and utilization between urban residents and rural-to-urban migrants in China from 2012 to 2016.
  • It utilizes longitudinal data from the Chinese Labor Dynamic Survey (CLDS) to analyze self-reported health issues and service usage.
  • Findings reveal that rural-to-urban migrants have higher health needs but similar health service utilization compared to urban residents.

Essence

  • Rural-to-urban migrants in China exhibit higher health care needs (11.99%) than urban residents (10.47%), yet both groups utilize health services at similar rates.

Key takeaways

  • Rural-to-urban migrants had a higher reported need for health services (11.99%) compared to urban residents (10.47%). This indicates a disparity in health needs between these populations.
  • Despite higher health service needs, there was no significant difference in health service utilization between rural-to-urban migrants and urban residents across the study years.
  • Factors such as age, male sex, poor medical insurance coverage, and dissatisfaction with income negatively impacted health care needs, highlighting socioeconomic influences on health.

Caveats

  • The study's cross-sectional design limits causal inferences regarding health needs and utilization. Additionally, self-reported data may introduce recall bias.
  • Variability in health service needs was noted, particularly a significant drop from 2012 to 2014, suggesting potential inconsistencies in data collection methods.

Simplified

Funding

Competing interests

ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Sun Yat-sen University. Written informed consent has been obtained from all respondents. CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION: All presentations of case reports have consent to publish and have signed a form. COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
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