Table 1.
Description of variables in the year of 2003 and 2008 (Percentage/means)
| Variable | Description | 2003 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inpatient utilization | |||
| Probability of inpatient visit | The probability of seeking inpatient care. | 3.37 | 6.16 |
| Hospitalization rate | Hospitalization rates in the year of 2003 or 2008. | 3.89 | 7.48 |
| Per-visit hospitalization days | Mean per-visit hospitalization days. | 10.55 | 10.37 |
| Independent variables | |||
| Income (RMB) | Mean of per capita consumption expenditure. Natural log of income is introduced in regression models. | 2690.32 | 4471.15 |
| Female* | 1 if female, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 49.61 | 50.28 |
| Male | 1 if male, 0 otherwise. | 50.39 | 49.72 |
| Age 15-34* | 1 if age between 15 and 34, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 37.52 | 30.96 |
| Age 35-44 | 1 if age between 35 and 44, 0 otherwise. | 21.46 | 22.69 |
| Age 45-54 | 1 if age between 45 and 54, 0 otherwise. | 19.74 | 19.19 |
| Age 55-64 | 1 if age between 55 and 64, 0 otherwise. | 10.86 | 14.95 |
| Age 65+ | 1 if age between 65 and above, 0 otherwise. | 10.42 | 12.21 |
| Not ill in last two weeks* | 1 if not ill in the last two weeks, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 85.12 | 21.62 |
| Illness in last two weeks | 1 if ill in last two weeks, 0 otherwise. | 14.88 | 18.38 |
| Not Chronic disease* | 1 if not chronic disease, 0otherwise. Omitted group | ||
| Chronic disease | 1 if chronic disease, 0 otherwise. | 13.19 | 17.29 |
| Sick days (day) | Sick days in last two weeks | 7.89 | 8.52 |
| Bed days (day) | Days of staying in bed because of illness in last two weeks. | 1.30 | 1.16 |
| Off-work days (day) | Days off work and study in last two weeks because of illness. | 1.80 | 1.43 |
| Excellent health* | 1 if very good health, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 38.49 | -- |
| Good health | 1 if good health, 0 otherwise. | 36.34 | -- |
| Average health | 1 if health, 0 otherwise. | 19.99 | -- |
| Poor health | 1 if bad health, 0 otherwise. | 4.54 | -- |
| Very poor health | 1 if very bed health, 0 otherwise. | 0.65 | -- |
| Health status index | Mean scores of health status. | -- | 80.66 |
| Unmarried* | 1 if unmarried, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 18.37 | 16.52 |
| Married | 1 if married, 0 otherwise. | 74.8 | 75.27 |
| Divorced | 1 if divorced or separated, 0 otherwise. | 0.73 | 1.21 |
| widowed | 1 if widowed, 0 otherwise. | 6.10 | 7.00 |
| Illiterate* | 1 if illiterate, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 22.84 | 19.04 |
| Elementary | 1 if graduating from elementary school, 0 otherwise. | 31.17 | 31.46 |
| Primary | 1 if graduating from middle school, 0 otherwise. | 36.06 | 37.84 |
| High | 1 if graduating from high school, 0 otherwise | 8.85 | 10.22 |
| University | 1 if graduating from university, 0 otherwise | 1.09 | 1.45 |
| Unemployment* | 1 if unemployment, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 3.95 | 12.92 |
| farmer | 1 if farmer, 0 otherwise. | 72.28 | 64.39 |
| student | 1 if student, 0 otherwise. | 6.31 | 7.17 |
| Other occupations | 1 if other occupations, 0 otherwise. | 17.46 | 15.52 |
| Eastern region* | 1 if eastern region, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 31.18 | 30.96 |
| Central region | 1 if central region, 0 otherwise. | 26.84 | 27.42 |
| Western region | 1 if western region, 0 otherwise. | 41.98 | 41.62 |
| No medical insurance* | 1 if no medical insurance, 0 otherwise. Omitted group. | 87.49 | 6.51 |
| CMS/NCMS | 1 if CMS or NCMS, 0 otherwise. | 9.67 | 90.24 |
| Other medical insurance | 1 if other medical insurance, 0 otherwise. | 2.84 | 3.25 |
| Time (minutes) | Mean time of going to the nearest medical institution. Natural log of income is introduced in regression models. | 14.26 | 13.75 |
| Price of outpatient (RMB) | Median price of outpatient service. Natural log of outpatient price is introduced in regression models. | 39.08 | 72.03 |
| Price of inpatient (RMB) | Median price of inpatient service. Natural log of inpatient price is introduced in regression models. | 1472.71 | 1976.60 |
Note: * Reference groups. Per capita consumption expenditure in the year 2008 is deflated to the year of 2003 by using consumer price index.