title: Inequalities in health status among rural residents: EQ-5D findings from household survey China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study analyzed inequalities in health status among different socioeconomic and demographic rural residents covered by the New Rural Cooperative Medical System in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lian Yungang City, China. A total of 337 respondents, who were selected by using a multistage stratified systematic random sampling method, completed the surveys. A questionnaire consisting of EQ-5D and demographic and socioeconomic information was adopted for data collection, and was administered by face-to-face interviews. Multiple regression models were employed to examine the differences in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and the EQ-5D dimensions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with those with lower education attainment, the respondents with higher education levels tended to report a higher VAS score (β = 2.666, 95% CI: 0.978 to 6.310), and were less likely to suffer from pain/discomfort (OR = 3.968; 95% CI: 1.447 to 10.880). The singles were more likely than the married to report moderate or extreme problems in usual activities (OR = 4.583; 95% CI: 1.188 to 17.676) and mobility (OR = 10.666; 95% CI: 2.464 to 6.171). However, no statistically significant differences were identified between the respondents with different income levels in the VAS score and EQ-5D dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that the singles and the people with lower education levels are high-risk groups for poorer health status in the Chinese rural population. The findings from this study warrant further investigation.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Aixia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. rychung@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Roger Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010146:Pain; D011788:Quality of Life; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult