Factors influencing education for self-help in a public emergency among older adult migrants: a cross-sectional study in China’s Mainland

Abstract

Background: The number of older adult migrants in China continues to grow. As a unique population characterized by both “mobility” and “aging,” they face heightened risks during public emergencies. Objective: This study investigated the current acceptance rate among these older adult migrants with respect to education for self-help in a public emergency (ESHPE) and analyzed influencing factors. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: This study’s data were derived from the 2018 National Migrant Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey, conducted by the National Health Commission of China; overall, 5840 migrants were included in this study. SPSS 25.0 and RStudio 4.3.2 were utilized to analyze the selected sample, while Chi-square tests were conducted to perform univariate analysis on the acceptance rate of ESHPE among older adult migrants. A combination of the Random Forest model and binary logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the importance of statistically significant variables. Results: Overall, 1162 older adult migrants received ESHPE, representing an acceptance rate of 19.90 %. The acceptance rate was lower among those aged over 75 (Odds Ratio [OR] : 0.637, 95 % Confidence Interval [CI] : 0.454–0.893); residing in rural villages (OR : 0.757, 95 % CI : 0.616–0.931); with a migration duration of 11–15 years (OR : 0.679, 95 % CI : 0.540–0.853), 16–20 years (OR : 0.725, 95 % CI : 0.547–0.961), or over 20 years (OR : 0.708, 95 % CI : 0.531–0.943); who had migrated for family (OR : 0.646, 95 % CI : 0.544–0.768), social (OR : 0.559, 95 % CI : 0.434–0.718), or other reasons (OR : 0.364, 95 % CI : 0.191–0.691); and who had not lished resident health records (OR : 0.693, 95 % CI : 0.582–0.825) or were unaware of or unclear about such records (OR : 0.494, 95 % CI : 0.388–0.630). Conclusions: The acceptance rate of ESHPE in this cohort remains relatively low. Therefore, targeted intervention measures tailored to their specific needs must be developed, and more focused educational resources for public emergencies must be created. Online interactive platforms should be established to enhance the self-help education content and strategies. Such measures should help improve the acceptance rate of ESHPE among older adult migrants