The Impact of Changes in Family Structure on the Utilization of Medical Services for Rural Elderly People
The increasing miniaturization of rural family structure is impacting China's traditional family elderly care function.Studying the medical service utilization behavior of elderly people in rural areas under this trend can help clarify the medical service needs of elderly people in the new era.This article uses data from the 2015-2018 China Health and Elderly Care Tracking Survey,using fixed effects models and instrumental variable methods,to empirically analyze the impact of family structure changes on the utilization of medical services by rural elderly people,and explore the heterogeneity of this impact in different age groups,health conditions,and economic conditions.Research has found that compared to the enlargement of family structure,the miniaturization after the transformation of family structure reduces the time and economic support for offspring to their parents,hindering the utilization of medical services for rural elderly people.Further analysis reveals that compared to rural elderly people,the miniaturization of family structure has a stronger hindering effect on the utilization of medical services by rural elderly people.In addition,the miniaturization of family structure significantly reduces the demand for medical services for elderly people with poor health conditions and high incomes.Based on this,this article proposes a reference path for improving the utilization of medical services for elderly people in rural areas from the perspectives of families and governments.
Changes in Family StructureLarge Scale Family StructureMiniaturization of Family StructureUtilization of Medical Services
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
