title: [Study on health-related behaviors among males in rural and urban residents from Guangdong province].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the magnitude of inequities in health-related behaviors among males in Guangdong province, and to investigate the extent of the disparities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data sets available from the Guangdong Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Survey 2007 are used. Concentration index (C) and concentration curve are employed to measure the differential of males' health-related behaviors across urban and rural areas in Guangdong. Odds ratios of 6 health-related behaviors among different areas are derived from 4 logistic models, after adjusting for age, married state, educational status, occupation and income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results from Cs reveal that the inequality gradients disadvantageous to men in rural areas are:smoking (C = -0.075, P = 0.000), alcohol intake (C = -0.023, P = 0.002), blood pressure (C = 0.106, P = 0.000), blood sugar (C = 0.114, P = 0.000) and weight (C = 0.107, P = 0.000), while lack of physical activity (C = 0.044, P = 0.000)concentrates in the more affluent areas. The magnitudes of these inequalities appear to be higher on health-seeking behaviors than on health-risk behaviors. After adjusting for age and marital status, there is still strong evidence showing the rural-urban differences in the health related behaviors among males in Guangdong province. When educational status, occupation and income are added to the logistic model as control factors, the results have led to a loss of statistical significance on such rural-urban inequalities, indicating that socioeconomic factors play an important role on these health-related behaviors which leads to the inequalities among males in Guangdong province.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To reduce the gaps in health-related behaviors seen in the rural and urban areas, effective policies should be developed to change the social determinants of rural-urban differences in health and to strengthen the implementation of health-related programs on those vulnerable groups.
authors.affiliation: Medical School of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Hui-yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yong-hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wen-jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yan-jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xiao-jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qiu-mao
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Xiu-ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hao-feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Shao-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Nie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D004651:Employment; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011593:Psychology, Social; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult