Background With economic development and urbanization accelerating, rural women have become the primary labor force in their families, yet their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is not optimistic. In the southern mountainous regions of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, due to geographical remoteness and limited educational levels, local rural women are more prone to neglecting their own health status.
Objective To investigate the HRQOL of rural women in the southern mountainous regions of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and its impact on health service utilization, providing a theoretical basis for improving rural women's quality of life and rationally allocating health resources.
Methods From July to October 2019, a multi-stage cluster random sampling method was used to survey 4 682 women from four counties in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Demographic characteristics, family characteristics, health service accessibility, health status, HRQOL, and health service utilization information were collected. HRQOL was measured using the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions-3 Levels (EQ-5D-3L) scale. A conditional Logistic regression model was used to analyze the impact of HRQOL on health service utilization.
Results The two-week outpatient visit rate for women in the southern mountainous regions of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was 12.43% (582/4 682), the one-year hospitalization rate was 22.53% (1 055/4 682), and the mean health utility value was (0.88±0.15). Among the five dimensions of the EQ-5D-3L, self-reported pain/discomfort had the greatest impact on outpatient service utilization (OR=1.797, 95%CI=1.470-2.196, P<0.05) and inpatient service utilization (OR=1.791, 95%CI=1.512-2.121, P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for confounding factors, health utility values had an impact on both outpatient service utilization (OR=0.291, 95%CI=0.172-0.494, P<0.05) and inpatient service utilization (OR=0.239, 95%CI=0.146-0.391, P<0.05).
Conclusion The quality of life of rural women in western China is not optimistic, and HRQOL is closely related to health service utilization. Therefore, it is necessary to further strengthen the construction of the primary health service system.