Health Service Utilization Among African Migrants in China: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: As the number of African migrants in China has increased in recent years, many sociocultural and policy factors hindered their utilization of health services. However, few studies examined the current status of the health care utilization and influence factors among African migrants in China.

Methodology: A large national cross-sectional study was conducted among African migrants in China in 2019. Participants were recruited both online and offline to participate in a self-report survey. Information on health service utilization and factors based on Andersen’s behavioral model were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify correlates of health service utilization.

Results: A total of 1006 eligible participants from 74 cities of 27 provinces in China completed the survey and 28.5% of the sample reported utilizing health services in the past 12 months. Logistic regression analysis showed that longer duration in China, migration to China for business and study, living in apartment and dormitory in China, suffering from chronic diseases, communicable diseases, and greater depressive symptoms facilitated health service utilization.

Conclusion: The health utilization among African migrants in China is low. The existing public health policy and intervention measures are needed to be improved to make health utilization more accessible and feasible for African migrants.

Note:
Funding Statement: This research has been funded by Guangdong Medical Research Foundation (No. A2020427).

Declaration of Interests: There have no competing interests in this research.

Ethic Approval Statement: The research has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University (GDDHLS-20181203). Participants in this study provided written informed consent before their participation.

Keywords: Health Services; Migration; Social Epidemiology