Abstract
The left-behind children (LBC) in China generally refer to children who remain in rural regions under the care of kin members while their parents migrate to urban areas. Due to some reasons, e.g., poverty, poor transportation conditions, lack of health resources, and preschool child care, it is hard for preschool-aged rural LBC to obtain essential health services. Random cluster sampling was used to recruit the caregivers and all the 3–5-year-old LBC in two rural counties in Hunan Province. A questionnaire was used to collect data on LBC demographics via face-to-face interviews with the caregivers. Health service needs were evaluated by the two-week prevalence rate, while health service utilization was measured by the two-week physician visit rate. Of the 559 respondents in the study, the two-week prevalence rate was 44.2% and the two-week physician visits rate was 48.6%. Nearly half of the sick children did not go to a hospital, 45.7% self-treated, and 5.3% did not take any treatment. The utilization rates of “health check,” “eye exam,” and “hearing screening for 3-year-olds” were extremely low (57.3%, 29.3%, 18.7%). The utilization rate of health services for preschool LBC in poor rural areas was extremely low, which can affect the normal growth and development of children.
Highlights
In China, the construction of medical and health service systems has been progressing steadily.the progress of basic health services for children still includes imbalances between rural and urban areas [1]
The left-behind children (LBC) in China generally refer to children who remain in rural regions under the care of kin members while their parents migrate to urban areas, usually for economic reasons [3]
This study was conducted as part of a baseline survey of “The impact of conditional cash transfer on the nutritional status and physical development of 3–5-year-old LBC in poor rural areas of
Summary
In China, the construction of medical and health service systems has been progressing steadily. The progress of basic health services for children still includes imbalances between rural and urban areas [1]. A national survey in 2013 showed the two-week prevalence rate among children under. 5 years in rural areas of central China was 10.3%, and the two-week physician visit rate was 12.8%, lower than the rate in urban areas (14.6%) [2]. Poor transportation conditions, and a lack of health resources leads to significant barriers to health service access among local children, especially for left-behind children (LBC). The LBC in China generally refer to children who remain in rural regions under the care of kin members while their parents migrate to urban areas, usually for economic reasons [3]. Public Health 2019, 16, 125; doi:10.3390/ijerph16010125 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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