Abstract:

Objective To explore the motives and influencing factors for senior citizens' choice of community health services available within 30 min. Methods Based on cluster sampling and social support network analysis paradigm, and among the senior citizens aged 60 and above receiving medical treatment in community health centers of Luwan District of Shanghai, 709 people who could reach both a general hospital and a community health center within 30 minutes' walk were selected and surveyed with a questionnaire. Results The top three reasons for senior citizens to choose community health centers were as follows: close distance and high accessibility（85.9%）, service attitude （72.8%） and affordability (41.2%). While general hospitals were chosen due to their excellent techniques (78.3%), equipments (61.3%) and treatment outcomes (45.3%). Factors like suffering from chronic diseases, time of waiting and annual times of visit to community health centers had relatively greater influence on their choice （P＜0.01）. Conclusion At present, the community health services network is characterized by high intensity, low density and low interactivity. The stability of community health services network is not remarkable compared with the other health services available within 30 min. Time of waiting is an important factor influencing the stability of the network. Senior citizens are more concerned about the emotional support and information transmission of community health services.

Key words: health service within 30 minutes, senior citizen, community health, social support network