Utilization of and Demand for Reproductive Health Services among 20–39-Year-Old Women in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The enjoyment of reproductive health (RH) services is a universal right for all human beings. The rural population serves an important role in economic and social development. However, little is known about the rural population’s RH services, especially in low and middle-income countries. Our study aimed to determine the utilization of and demand for RH services in rural China, which is the most populous country in the world with 40.42% rural populations.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in four villages of four cities in Hunan province among 978 women who were 20–39 years old. A researcher-made structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered into EpiData version 3.0 and analyzed by SPSS version 18.0. Statistical significance was defined as a two-sided P value of less than 0.05.Results: Among the 980 women who were recruited in this study, 978 participants completed the questionnaire as requested (response rate: 99.8%). Age, monthly household income, employment, spousal education level, and artificial abortion history were associated with the utilization of RH services (P＜0.05). The top three RH services participants utilized were free antenatal examinations (90.2%), free postpartum visits (73.0%), and free folic acid supplements (71.6%). The top three RH services they most wanted to obtain were prevention of cervical/breast cancer (58.9%), child health care (48.2%), and reproductive tract infection/sexually transmitted disease treatment (41.1%). The most commonly used method for participants to obtain information related to RH services was the internet.Conclusions: It is necessary to further improve the accessibility and availability of RH services to ameliorate the utilization of these services in rural areas. The internet was the most effective method for improving the use of RH services. Educational interventions and policy support help promote RH services in rural China.