Abstract
BackgroundRural-to-urban migrant workers have been increasing rapidly in China over recent decades. Health related quality of life (HRQOL) may affect health service utilization. There is a lack of data on HRQOL in relation to health service utilization in Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers. This study was aimed to explore the influence of HRQOL on health service utilization in Chinese rural-to-urban female migrant workers.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey of 1,438 female rural-to-urban migrant workers in Shenzhen-Dongguan economic zone, China in 2013. HRQOL was assessed by the 36-items Health Survey Short Form (SF-36). Health service utilization was measured by any physician visit over the recent two weeks and any hospitalization over the last 1-year (annual hospitalization). Clustered logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of HRQOL on health service utilization.ResultsLower scores in three HRQOL domains (bodily pain, general health, role physical) were associated with more frequent health service utilization in female rural-to-urban migrant workers. Bodily pain and general health were associated with an independent influence of 15.6% on the risk of recent two-week physician visit, while role physical and general health were associated with an independent influence of 21.2% on the risk of annual hospitalization. The independent influence of HRQOL on health service utilization was smaller than that of socio-demographic and health-related variables.ConclusionsHRQOL may have a modest influence on health service utilization in Chinese rural-to-urban female migrant workers - an underprivileged population in urban China.
Highlights
Rural-to-urban migrant workers have been increasing rapidly in China over recent decades
Health related quality of life (HRQOL) scores in the eight domains varied from 70.6 ± 18.5 to 93.8 ± 10.9
HRQOL = health related quality of life; OR = Odds ratio; Confidence interval (CI) = confidence interval; bodily pain (BP) = Bodily pain; general health (GH) = General health. aFor HRQOL BP and GH scores, odd ratios per standard deviation (SD) increase were calculated. bOnly variables with P < 0.05 were included in the model. cNagelkerke R2 is the variance of in the dependent variable explained by all independent variables included in the regression model. dThe independent contribution of each cluster of predictors to the variation in two-week physician visit was calculated as individual corresponding R2 change/total R2 change in the final model × 100%
Summary
Rural-to-urban migrant workers have been increasing rapidly in China over recent decades. There is a lack of data on HRQOL in relation to health service utilization in Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers. This study was aimed to explore the influence of HRQOL on health service utilization in Chinese rural-to-urban female migrant workers. The influence of HRQOL on health service utilization in Chinese female rural-to-urban migrant workers has not yet been reported. We carried out a study to explore the influence of HRQOL on health service utilization in rural-tourban female migrant workers in Shenzhen-Dongguan economic zone, a leading urban economic development area in China.
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