Analysis on the Influencing Factors of Medical Seeking Behavior of the Elderly Migrantfollowing Child in China

The floating elderly migrantfollowing child is a special group of floating population in China with many problems relating to their social viability and environment. Using data from the National Health and Family Planning Dynamic Monitoring Survey of Floating Population, we analyze the personal, familial and social factors that affect health care seeking behaviors made by the elderly migrantfollowing child. Our results show that main sources of income, gender, geographical range of mobility, types of household registration, education level of offspring, types of medical insurance and differences in place of settlement significantly affect health care decision making in the elderly migrantfollowing child. Among them, the influence of education level, geographical range of mobility and types of medical insurance is particularly obvious. This reflects the importance of policies such as public health education, medical insurance coverage and financial support for medical care outside one’s region of household registration in ensuring basic healthcare for the elderly migrantfollowing child, a vulnerable group in society. We recommend reform of the current medical system to improve healthcare services for the unique group of elderly migrantfollowing child by increasing their medical insurance coverage, speeding up the implementation of an intercity medical payment system, improving education programs for health promotion, and utilizing big data and other technological means to build a modern healthcare system.