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

BACKGROUND Individuals 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. METHODS To 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. RESULTS A 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. CONCLUSION To 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.