Abstract
BackgroundThe household registration system in China places migrants in a vulnerable status regarding access to local public services, including limited access to health services. Most studies on migrants’ health services utilization targeted on working-age migrants, and there has been a paucity of studies conducted among elderly migrants. This study aims to investigate the status of health services utilization and its influential factors among elderly migrants.MethodsData (13,043 participants, 52.4% male, mean age 66.22 ± 6.20) were derived from the 2015 Migrant Dynamics Monitoring Survey. The outcome variable in the study was health services utilization, consisting of doctor visits, hospitalization and local inpatient care. The Behavioral Model of Health Service Use was applied to categorize the influential factors into three components, including predisposing, enabling and need factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influential factors of the three components of health services utilization.ResultsOf the total sample, 45.5% would visit a doctor when they were ill, 81.8% would prefer to be hospitalized when recommended by doctors, and 71.6% (those who were hospitalized) would choose to receive local inpatient care rather than going back to their hometown. Age, marital status, household income, years of residence, migration range, reasons for migration, size of friend network, health insurance type, local health insurance status and chronic disease status were significantly associated with health services utilization.ConclusionA low level of local health services utilization was observed among elderly migrants. Enabling factors played important roles in promoting health services utilization among elderly migrants. Policy and decision makers may consider improving the capability for elderly migrants to access health services, such as increasing income and providing local health insurance.
Highlights
The household registration system in China places migrants in a vulnerable status regarding access to local public services, including limited access to health services
Purpose of study This study aims to employ the Behavioral Model of Health Service Use to investigate the status and determinants of health services utilization among elderly migrants
In this study, we used the data from the 2015 Migrant Dynamics Monitoring Survey, and analyzed health services utilization status among elderly migrants, and we explored factors associated with the use of health services, as guided by the Behavioral Model of Health Service Use
Summary
The household registration system in China places migrants in a vulnerable status regarding access to local public services, including limited access to health services. Zhang et al Global Health Research and Policy (2018) 3:8 as well as their family. They are partially or fully dependent on their children. In families with low socio-economic status, there is always an imbalance between taking care of the elderly and supporting the young, and in most situations, the needs of the elderly are usually ignored. These challenges and difficulties exert negative effects on the health of the elderly migrants [5, 11]
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