The Study On Disparities In Health-seeking Behaviors Between Urban And Rural Among The Elderly In China

In 2000 China entered the aging society, and the cost of medical services was increasing dramatically with the case of aging rate and extent of the growing elderly. The fundamental way to ease the cost of medical services is to reduce the dependency on the public health services and medical care system, including change people's awareness of the disease, take the necessary preventive measures, optimize health-seeking behaviors, and have a health living conditions.Weber's thinking about lifestyles in different social classes related to Bourdieu's social practice theory, they point out major social institutions like religion, culture and the economy affect us. This study uphold that the health seeking behavior of individuals as a specific form of human social behavior, shaping is made in a particular social group and cultural background, there are differences in health seeking behavior among different living environments individuals. In China, the elderly living urban and rural have their own different health seeking behavior, and the medical services is inequality for them. Therefore, we need to the study on disparities in health-seeking behaviors between urban and rural, in order to better meet the health needs of old people, improve the quality of life in the elderly. Using 2006 and 2010 China's urban and rural elderly population status tracking survey data by Mechanic's medical service theory research the differences in elderly health-seeking behaviors.Main discover and conclusion as follow:Compared with the elderly live in urban, the ones live in rural is without autonomy in get treatment. (1) The elderly live in rural has lower treatment than urban elderly; (2) they prefer traditional and conservative treatment, and economic is the main limiting factor for them; (3) the elderly live in rural has on judgment on the quality of medical service organizations, and can't make rational decision when they have to receive treatment; (4) in rural if the health of the elderly poor, they don't like to receive treatment.In rural, all the elderly has the same possibility to get treatment from the public health services and medical care system. But for the elderly live in urban, the opportunity to get treatment was facing stratification based on the disparities in wealth and education.For the elderly live in rural, the public health services and medical care systems are not powerful enough, and the low level of security and insufficient government input lead to them can't get timely treatment. However the elderly live in urban receive the best health services.The study find out obvious disparities in health-seeking behaviors between urban and rural among the elderly really affect their daily life, but not all the health service policy respond timely. Policymaker and the general public have to know about this, and provide an impressive array of social services for elderly. And give the vulnerable group a chance to learn something about health care knowledge common sense.