Basic Public Health Service Utilization by Internal Older Adult Migrants in China

Since 2009, the Chinese government has launched a basic public health services (BPHS) equalization program to provide the same BPHS to all the citizens. However, utilization of BPHS among older migrants is still low. The purpose of this paper was to explore the determinant individual and contextual factors of older migrants’ utilization of BPHS, and to provide suggestion for the government to improve BPHS utilization. Based on Andersen’s model of health services use, data from the China’s Regional Economic Statistics Yearbook 2014 and National Health and Family Planning Dynamic Monitoring Survey on Migrant Population 2015 were analyzed using a hierarchical random intercept model for binary outcomes. Results showed that the percentage of migrant older adults receiving free physical examinations, which is an important item of BPHS, was 36.2%. Predisposing (education, hukou, living duration in the host city, and scope of migration), enabling (health insurance and social networks), and need (self-rated health and chronic conditions) factors of individuals’ characteristics had significant impact on the use of BPHS. The proportions of both migrant children enrolled in public schools and people with established health records had a positive impact on an individual’s chance of receiving free physical examinations. These findings suggest that economic development and improvement at the level of the city’s health resources cannot effectively improve access to BPHS by older adult migrants. Instead, the driving force appears to be supportive policies for the migrant population.