Urban and Rural Disparities of Personal Health Behaviors and the Influencing Factors During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: Based on an Extended IMB Model

Abstract

Background: Health behavior was conducive to control the COVID-19 epidemic. This study aimed to determine the differences in health behaviors and related factors among rural-urban residents in China. Methods: From February 14 to 22, 2020, the peak of COVID-19 epidemic in China, a total of 2449 participants(urban residents,1783(72.81%) and rural residents, 666 (27.19%)) were recruited by snowball sampling on WeChat and Tencent QQ social platforms. Data were collected through the Web-questionnaire guided by an information–motivation–behavioral skills model. Multiple-group structural equation model was applied to analyze the factors. Results: Rural residents had lower health behavior scores than urban residents, even after adjusting demographic characteristics (33.86 vs. 34.29, P=0.042, total score was 40). In urban and rural residents, motivation, behavioral skills and health risk stress had significant direct positive and negative influences effects on health behaviors, respectively. Information and positive perception of interventions had direct effects on health behaviors in rural residents, but not in urban residents. All the factors were mediated by behavioral skills in rural and urban residents. Conclusions: This study suggest that the government should pay attention to substantial rural-urban disparities and implement different COVID-19 prevention and intervention policies for health behaviors targeting rural and urban residents.

Urban–Rural Differences in Patterns and Associated Factors of Multimorbidity Among Older Adults in China: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Apriori Algorithm and Multinomial Logistic Regression

“…It can be expected that the patterns and associated factors of multimorbidity may vary between urban and rural older adults. There is a dearth of evidence on urban-rural differences in patterns and associated factors of multimorbidity in China, which is a very important consideration in determining comprehensive intervention strategies applicable to rural and urban areas (33).…”

Protection Motivation During COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study of Family Health, Media, and Economic Influences

“…News regarding the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic influenced the level of community knowledge of emerging infectious diseases (Yan et al, 2016). In China, information and motivation, and behavioral skills were positively associated with COVID-19 prevention behaviors (Luo et al, 2020). Among a sample of Nigerian social media users, aspects of uses and gratification theory such as information sharing, socialization, information seeking, and pass time (occupy time) were associated with the sharing of false information or fake news about COVID-19 (Apuke & Omar, 2020).…”

Study on the Experience of Public Health System Construction in China's COVID-19 Prevention

“…In order to protect the demand of people who really need health resources, the Chinese government is forced to build more health resources than the actual demand, which causes the waste of financial expenditure and human resources to a certain extent (33). In addition, although the Chinese government allocates resources from low-risk regions to high-risk regions to meet the health resources demand of people in high-risk regions, rural regions with low levels of economic development still face the shortage of health resources (34). The technical level of doctors and the improvement level of medical facilities in rural regions are relatively low.…”