Analysis of the health status, health-related behaviors and health needs of the elderly in China / 中华医院管理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the health status, health-related behaviors and health needs of elderlies in eastern, central and western China and to understand their health experience, for exploring an efficient medical service model, and optimizing allocation of medical resources.Methods:This study used the 2008-2018 database from Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey organized by Peking University. It described the concentration trend of medical distance by median, compared the health status, health-related behaviors and health needs of the elderly in eastern, central and western China by χ2 tests, and analyzed time-distribution trends of the poor health status, negative health behaviors and health needs by linear relation test. Results:Among 49 611 subjects included in the study, 7 881 of them self-evaluated their health status as poor, 19 445 evaluated their recent health status as deteriorated, while 14 954 lack routine physical examination, 35 141 lack physical exercise, 8 178 smoked, 7 859 drunk, 35 814 had no access to health education services in their communities, 35 676 expressed their health education needs, and 2 637 lack adequate medical services. The difference of distribution of health status, health-related behaviors and health needs of the elderly in eastern, central and western China was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The health status, negative health behaviors and health needs of the elderly in 2008-2018 presented a linear time distribution trend( P<0.05), while the overall medical distance in eastern, central and western China was 1.02 km, 1.00 km and 1.56 km respectively, and the medical distance in the rural area further than that in the urban areas. Conclusions:The health status of the elderly in China needed to be further improved, the proportion of negative health behaviors was high, and the health needs of the elderly in central and western China were large. Promoting an active medical service mode in central and western China, strengthening the interactions between medical institutions and residential communities will contribute to health needs fulfillment and medical resource utilization.