Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40297022›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Effects of rural-to-urban migration on healthcare utilization of middle-aged and older adults: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study.

Lu Xu, Yingchun Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Lu XuDepartment of Health Management, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yingchun ChenDepartment of Health Management, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: An increasing number of middle-aged and older adults are migrating from rural to urban areas for employment, to care for their younger generation and due to old age. As these age groups move into urban areas, their healthcare service utilization are directly related to their health status and basic rights to survival. It also places higher demands on China's healthcare service provision. Objectives: This study aims to examine effects of rural-to-urban migration on healthcare utilization among middle-aged and older adults in China. Methods: Panel data from Waves 3, 4, and 5 of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were used. We included 318 participants in the exposure group and 7,525 participants in the control group. The study employed propensity score matching (PSM) and Difference in Difference (DID) analysis. Results: Difference in difference regression results showed that middle-aged and older adults reduced number of hospitalizations when they moved to a city with DID values of -0.092 ( Conclusion: Middle-aged and older migrants who migrated to cities reduced inpatient healthcare utilization, possibly due to lower hospitalization reimbursement rates, financial burden, and lower social integration. Policies enhancing health insurance reimbursement rates for migrants, integrated community support programs, and strengthening health education to promote health equity may provide remedy.

Indexed as

Patient Acceptance of Health CareRural PopulationUrban PopulationAgedChinaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedChinahealthcare utilizationmiddle-agedmigrantsolder adults

Identifiers

PMID40297022
PMCPMC12034533

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.