Study on health-related behaviors among males in rural and urban residents from Guangdong province / 中华流行病学杂志

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. Conclusion 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.