Well-being and health-related quality of life in new-generation migrant workers in Zhejiang province, China

Haiyan Xing,Weiqian Chen,Xiaoqi Cheng,Wei Yu

doi:10.1186/s12955-019-1193-y

Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the multiple happiness questionnaire (MHQ) in new-generation migrant workers (NGMW), to compare the difference of well-being and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in NGMW with first-generation migrant workers (FGMW) and urban workers (UW), and to explore the relationship between well-being and HRQOL and analyze influential factors to well-being in NGMW in Zhejiang province, China.MethodsBy stratified sampling, 542 NGMW, 226 FGMW and 200 UW had completed the questionnaires in 2018. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (a) for internal consistency of the multiple happiness questionnaire (MHQ) was used. Factor analysis was applied for construct validity. Scores of well-being and HRQOL were compared between NGMW and control groups. Spearman’s correlation was performed to clarify the relationship between well-being and HRQOL in NGMW. Multiple linear regression analytical methods were used to adjust confounding effects and to identify the variables that were associated with well-being.ResultsMHQ had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha overall was 0.960, subscales ranged from 0.754 to 0.957) and structural validity based on factor analysis. Except for life satisfaction and altruism commitment, there was a positive correlation between well-being and HRQOL in NGMW. There were significant differences in psychological well-being (PWB), health concern, subjective vitality, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) between NGMW and FGMW. Compared to UW, NGMW’s general well-being (GWB), subjective well-being (SWB), life satisfaction, positive relation and altruism commitment scores were lower and their negative affect was higher. The GWB score was related to MCS, PCS, self-reported social status, marital status, age and monthly income.ConclusionThe results suggest that the MHQ is a reliable and valid measure for well-being in NGMW. There is a significant difference in well-being and HRQOL between NGMW and control groups. Well-being is higher in NGMW than in FGMW, but is lower than in UW. Well-being is related with HRQOL and may be affected by MCS, PCS, self-reported social status, marital status, age and monthly income in NGMW.

Highlights

According to the 2016 Report on China’s Migrant Population Development [1], the number of migrant population reached 253 million in 2015 in China, more than half of which were the new-generation migrant workers (NGMW).The migrant workers had made tremendous contributions to the rapid development of the local economy in urban areas
Compared with the first-generation migrant workers, the group characteristics mainly included that they had higher education levels, had no or less family burden, went out directly after graduating from school and had few farming experiences, they paid more attention to changing lifestyles and pursued better development opportunities [3].Some researchers pointed out that the main dilemmas faced by the NGMW include personal marriage, identity, career development and the barriers arising from economic, quality and social welfare [2]
The results provided a good fit to the data lending support to the original hypothesized structure of the questionnaire with comparative fit index (CFI) =0.909, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) =0.902, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) =0.049, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.051, 90%CI RMSEA = 0.048 to 0.053

Summary

Introduction

According to the 2016 Report on China’s Migrant Population Development [1], the number of migrant population reached 253 million in 2015 in China, more than half of which were the new-generation migrant workers (NGMW).The migrant workers had made tremendous contributions to the rapid development of the local economy in urban areas. Compared with the first-generation migrant workers, the group characteristics mainly included that they had higher education levels, had no or less family burden, went out directly after graduating from school and had few farming experiences, they paid more attention to changing lifestyles and pursued better development opportunities [3].Some researchers pointed out that the main dilemmas faced by the NGMW include personal marriage, identity, career development and the barriers arising from economic, quality and social welfare [2]. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the multiple happiness questionnaire (MHQ) in new-generation migrant workers (NGMW), to compare the difference of well-being and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in NGMW with first-generation migrant workers (FGMW) and urban workers (UW), and to explore the relationship between well-being and HRQOL and analyze influential factors to well-being in NGMW in Zhejiang province, China

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Conclusion