Study On Health Service Utilization Of Rural Preschool Left-behind Children In Shandong Province

Background:The left behind children refers to one or both parents work outside, but the children was left home more than half a year and cannot live together with their parents. The report on the Situation of National Rural Left-Behind Children issued by national women’s federation in 2008 showed the proportion of left-behind children accounts for 28.29% in all rural areas, especially the age of 0-5 years left-behind children up to 27.05% and the scale up to 15.852million people, besides, the number will continue growing. The number of rural left-behind children is huge and their health condition will directly affect the solution of rural problems. Many studies show there are a lot of problems in physical and mental health of rural left-behind children, so more and more attention should be paid on these children. The study on left-behind children in our country has just started, still can not meet the need of providing scientific basis for policy decision, in addition, although social forces have already paid attention on the special group, the preschool left-behind children has less research and attention. So we launched this study.Objectives:The study is to analyze the health conditions between rural preschool left-behind children and non left-behind children in Shandong province and our group conducted the research, studying the growth and development situation, two week prevalence rate, outpatient rate, hospitalization rate and vaccination conditions; put forward the policies and suggestions on improving health conditions of left-behind children.Data and Methods:This research was conducted with layer-cluster random sampling. In accordance with the level of economic development, first, selecting two cities from Shandong province; then, Simple random sampling method was used to select two countries as the sample countries, Changqing and Gaotang; at last, selecting eight kindergarten in villages or towns. Questionnaire was conducted with 735 children in Shandong Province and the actual effective questionnaire was 735.Main Results:The left-behind children and non left-behind children separately account for 36.6% and 63.4% in 735 samples. To children under 7 years, the prevalence rates of growth retardation, underweight and wasting were 4.8%、2.6%、2.0% among all children. Date shows there are significant difference between growth retardation, underweight, wasting and age. The two-week prevalence of the rural preschool children is 33.1%; chi-square test shows the influencing factors of the two-week prevalence includes age, whether children are only-child, the type of children guardianship, whether anorexia, whether particular about food and whether can avoid dangerous and so on, coming to 8 factors. Among them, the two-week prevalence of left-behind children accounts for 36.8%, according to chi-square test, there are significant difference between age and two-week prevalence. The outpatient rate of children is 89.7%, yet the outpatient rate of left-behind children accounts for 87.9. At the basis of chi-square test, there are significant difference between parent’s marital status and outpatient rate. The hospitalization rate is 8.4% in all children, but the hospitalization rate of left-behind children accounts for7.4%. According to chi-square test, in all children, there are significant difference between whether children are only-child and hospitalization rate; in left-behind children, there are significant difference between debt and hospitalization rate. According to statistics,98.4% children have immunization cards and the vaccination rate is also very high, however, in the light of t-test, there are no significant difference about the vaccination rate between left-behind children and non left-behind children.Conclusion and Suggestions:Conclusion:1) To children under 7 years, the prevalence rates of growth retardation, underweight and wasting were 4.8%、2.6%、2.0% among all children, lower than children under 5 years in 2010 (respectively 9.9%,3.6%,2.3%).2) In this study, The two-week prevalence of the rural preschool children and left-behind children is 33.1% and 36.8%; the result shows that the age is an important influencing factors of the two-week prevalence.3) The outpatient rate of all children and left-behind children is 89.7% and 87.9%. The majority of children, whether left-behind children or non left-behind children, choose to see doctors after having illnesses, so the medical behavior is obvious.4) The hospitalization rate of all children and left-behind children is 8.4% and 7.4%. However, the children, whether left-behind children or non left-behind children, both have a lower hospitalization rate. 5) 98.4% children have immunization cards and the vaccination rate is also very high, however, according to t-test, there are no significant difference about the vaccination rate between left-behind children and non left-behind children.Suggestions:1) Government should promote the reform of household registration system, providing preferential policies for migrant workers.2) Encourage migrant workers to do poineering work at home or do work nearby home.3) Strengthen the education and promotion about health diet of rural preschool children. 4) Provide adequate health resources to meet the health service need and demand of rural preschool left-behind children.5) School should strength the management for left-behind children.6) Enhance the management for guardians.