Table 1.
Description of variables and general characteristics of respondents.
| Variables | Description | Urban (n = 3194) |
Rural (n = 2602) |
p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome variables | ||||
| Self-assessed health | Mean ± SD | 89.29 ± 8.96 | 86.79 ± 10.05 | <0.001 |
| Quality of life | Mean ± SD | 71.91 ± 11.10 | 69.46 ± 12.21 | <0.001 |
| Explanatory variables | ||||
| Two-week access | To medications or treatment for chronic conditions over the past 2 weeks (n, %) | 1247 (39.00) | 750 (28.80) | <0.001 |
| One-year access | To medications or treatment for chronic conditions over the past 12 months (n, %) | 1751 (54.80) | 1318 (50.70) | 0.002 |
| Access in need | Received healthcare services when needed (n, %) | 2970 (93.00) | 2410 (92.60) | 0.592 |
| Control variables | ||||
| Sex | Male (n, %) | 1356 (42.50) | 1179 (45.30) | 0.029 |
| Female (n, %) | 1838 (57.50) | 1423 (54.70) | ||
| Age | Years (mean ± SD) | 65.81 ± 9.39 | 63.76 ± 9.00 | <0.001 |
| Marital status | Never married (n, %) | 22 (0.70) | 19 (0.70) | 0.029 |
| Currently married (n, %) | 2589 (81.10) | 2102 (80.80) | ||
| Cohabiting (n, %) | 6 (0.20) | 7 (0.30) | ||
| Separated/divorced (n, %) | 62 (1.90) | 25 (1.00) | ||
| Widowed (n, %) | 515 (16.10) | 449 (17.30) | ||
| Ethnicity | Han (n, %) | 3131 (98.00) | 2577 (99.00) | 0.002 |
| Others (n, %) | 63 (2.00) | 25 (1.00) | ||
| Education | Years of school (mean ± SD) | 7.42 ± 4.67 | 3.09 ± 3.25 | <0.001 |
| Living arrangement | Moved from somewhere else (n, %) | 2271 (71.10) | 779 (29.90) | <0.001 |
| Always lived in the same village/town/city (n, %) | 923 (28.90) | 1823 (70.10) | ||
| Work | At least two days during the last seven days (n, %) | 2590 (81.10) | 1813 (69.70) | <0.001 |
| Less than two days during the last seven days (n, %) | 604 (18.90) | 789 (30.30) | ||
| Smoking | No (n, %) | 2626 (82.20) | 1840 (70.70) | <0.001 |
| Yes (n, %) | 568 (17.80) | 762 (29.30) | ||
| Drinking | No alcohol consumption in the last 30 days (n, %) | 2748 (86.00) | 2028 (77.90) | <0.001 |
| Consumed alcohol in the last 30 days (n, %) | 446 (14.00) | 574 (22.10) | ||
| Exercise | No (n, %) | 2365 (74.00) | 2382 (91.50) | <0.001 |
| Yes (n, %) | 829 (26.00) | 220 (8.50) | ||
| Household size | Total number of people living in the household (metric variable) (mean ± SD) | 2.72 ± 1.29 | 2.71 ± 1.35 | 0.914 |
| Social support | In the last 12 months, household did not receive any financial or in-kind support (n, %) | 2952 (92.40) | 1977 (76.70) | <0.001 |
| In the last 12 months, household received some financial or in-kind support (n, %) | 242 (7.60) | 605 (23.30) | ||
| Regular income | Regular source of income (n, %) | 3109 (97.30) | 1358 (52.20) | <0.001 |
| Regular but seasonal source of income (n, %) | 37 (1.20) | 825 (31.70) | ||
| No regular source of income (n, %) | 48 (1.50) | 419 (16.10) | ||
| Debt or loans | Household or any members of the household have current debt or outstanding loans (n, %) | 178 (5.60) | 469 (18.0) | <0.001 |
| Household or any members of the household have no current debt or outstanding loans (n, %) | 3016 (94.40) | 2133 (82.00) | ||
| Household’s financial situation | Very good (n, %) | 59 (1.80) | 18 (0.70) | <0.001 |
| Good (n, %) | 599 (18.80) | 227 (8.70) | ||
| Moderate (n, %) | 1983 (62.10) | 1588 (61.00) | ||
| Bad (n, %) | 478 (15.00) | 681 (26.20) | ||
| Very bad (n, %) | 75 (2.30) | 88 (3.40) | ||
| Healthcare expenditure | As a percentage (%) of annual household income (mean ± SD) | 0.91 ± 0.29 | 0.45 ± 0.40 | 0.048 |