International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 12, Issue 2, 2015, Pages 2205-2214

Health-related quality of life and health service utilization in Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers (Article) (Open Access)

Lu C.-H. , Luo Z.-C. , Wang J.-J. , Zhong J.-H. , Wang P.-X.*
  • a Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China, Institute of Public Health, School of Nursing, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China
  • b Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Xin Hua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
  • c Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China
  • d Community Health Services Center of Liaobu, Dongguan, 523401, China
  • e Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510182, China, Institute of Public Health, School of Nursing, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China

Abstract

Objectives: The number of rural-to-urban migrant workers has been increasing rapidly in China over recent decades, but there is a scarcity of data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and health service utilization among Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers in comparison to local urban residents. We aimed to address this question. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 2315 rural-to-urban migrant workers and 2347 local urban residents in the Shenzhen-Dongguan economic zone (China) in 2013. Outcomes included HRQOL (measured by Health Survey Short Form 36) and health service utilization (self-reported). Results: Compared to local urban residents, rural-to-urban migrant workers had lower scores in all domains of HRQOL, and were more likely to report chronic illnesses (9.2% vs. 6.0%, adjusted OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.28–2.04) and recent two-week morbidity (21.3% vs. 5.0%, adjusted OR = 5.41, 95% CI 4.26–6.88). Among individuals who reported sickness in the recent two weeks, migrant workers were much less likely to see a doctor (32.7% vs. 66.7%, adjusted OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.13–0.36). Conclusions: Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers have lower HRQOL, much more frequent morbidity, but are also much less likely to see a doctor in times of sickness as compared to local urban residents, indicating the existence of significant unmet medical care needs in this population. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Migrant workers Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) Health service utilization

Index Keywords

urban population urban area China rural area Chinese human epidemiology middle aged Asian continental ancestry group statistics and numerical data rural population health service controlled study morbidity chronic disease Cross-Sectional Studies quality of life Young Adult migrant worker cross-sectional study Humans male female Cities Shenzhen Guangdong health services Article health care utilization city rural-urban migration adult migration Transients and Migrants medical care rural to urban migrant worker Dongguan public health health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84930641451&doi=10.3390%2fijerph120202205&partnerID=40&md5=31baad0db0d0372cf5c059197e22e7c4
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120202205
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 9
Original Language: English