What limits the utilization of health services among the rural population in the Dabie Mountains- Evidence from Hubei province, China?

Abstract

BackgroundIndividuals living in rural mountain areas tend to use health services less to manage discomfort or illness. This study aims to identify the variables that best explain the health service utilization of a sample of the rural population in the Dabie Mountains in China.MethodsTo obtain information about health service utilization, a cross-sectional household survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews among the residents of a poor town in the Dabie Mountains. A total of 1,003 residents aged 15 or more, who had felt unwell in the last two weeks before the survey, were included in the analysis. The χ2 test and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the factors influencing health service utilization.ResultsA total of 51.2% of those surveyed had not used health services when they felt unwell, higher than the data reported in the 4th National Health Services Survey of China. Enabling variables played an important role in predicting the utilization of health services. Factors associated with increased health service utilization included being younger, travelling longer to the nearest clinic, and higher household net income.ConclusionTo reduce disparities in health service utilization, (1) some effort should be made to change the perceptions and attitudes of older people; (2) reimbursement levels of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Care System should be improved to reduce economic barriers to health service utilization.

Assessing spatial inequalities in accessing community pharmacies: a mixed geographically weighted approach

“…Moreover, we found that the effects of economic status and altitude were not simply additive (especially in the model for predicting Ph/inhab): wealthier municipalities had a higher density of pharmacies, but this relationship depended on height, being significant only in locations at a relatively high altitude. These findings are also consistent with previous studies on healthcare services (Liu et al, 2011;Fang et al, 2014). Fang et al (2014) have in fact established that economic determinants influence the utilisation of healthcare services to a greater extent in mountainous regions than in the plains.…”

“…These findings are also consistent with previous studies on healthcare services (Liu et al, 2011;Fang et al, 2014). Fang et al (2014) have in fact established that economic determinants influence the utilisation of healthcare services to a greater extent in mountainous regions than in the plains. Analogously, Liu et al (2011) have reported that maternal healthcare utilisation is closely related to both wealth and altitude.…”

“…The elderly need pharmacies more than the general population (Lin, 2004); indeed, more than 90% of elderly people in Italy take at least one medicine on a long-term basis (Pilotto et al, 2006). The elderly are also less likely to utilise health services when they feel unwell (Fang et al, 2014). It may be argued that older adults in Italy have access to cars, either as drivers or as passengers (Mollenkopf et al, 2004;Marcellini et al, 2007).…”

Mental and Physical Symptoms of Female Rural Workers: Relation between Household and Rural Work

“…These findings corroborate the results of a study conducted with a Korean population [ 26 ], which found that the prevalence of musculoskeletal, and therefore physical, discomfort was higher among women with lower incomes, similar to the women in the present study, who have an average family income of BRL 1500.00 and a per capita income of BRL 500.00. In addition, higher income levels reduced the chance of experiencing physical discomfort by 2%, that is, income served as a protective factor against physical discomfort; this is in line with the results of a study on individuals from agricultural areas in China, which sought to identify the variables that explained the use of health services [ 27 ].…”

What Contributes to the Regularity of Patients with Hypertension or Diabetes Seeking Health Services? A Pilot Follow-Up, Observational Study in Two Sites in Hubei Province, China

“…These determinants could include social support/hospital accompaniment (e.g., whether a PLCD has someone to accompany them when go to the hospital) and primary hospitals (e.g., village clinic; community or township hospitals) as the usual source of care. In sum, current evidence on health-seeking behaviors and positive self-maintenance of chronic conditions for PLCD in China have focused too narrowly on the patterns of health service utilization [24] and willingness to use health services [3,9]. There is, however, limited understanding the individual- and social-level factors that are associated with regular utilization of healthcare services by PLCD.…”