Does the public health education affect health inequality among the migrant population in China?
Abstract Background As an essential component of public health infrastructure, public health education plays an important role in advancing health equity. In China, the large migrant population, while contributing substantially to socioeconomic development, continues to face significant health risks...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-08-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13123-8 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background As an essential component of public health infrastructure, public health education plays an important role in advancing health equity. In China, the large migrant population, while contributing substantially to socioeconomic development, continues to face significant health risks and inequalities due to frequent rural-to-urban mobility and occupational transitions. These issues not only undermine the well-being of migrants but also impede balanced social and economic progress. In this context, the present study systematically investigated the impact of public health education on health inequalities among the migrant population and explored the underlying mechanisms through which it exerts its influence. Methods Based on data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this study employed the Recentred Influence Function regression method—a two-dimensional decomposition technique—combined with Instrumental Variable approaches to examine how public health education influences health inequality and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Results The findings indicated that health inequality among migrants followed a pro-rich socioeconomic gradient, with substantial regional heterogeneity. Participation in public health education programs was associated with a significant reduction in health inequality. After accounting for endogeneity, receiving two or more types of public health education was linked to a 0.102-unit decline in the Wagstaff-Erreygers Index (p < 0.001), implying that the income-related health concentration curve might have narrowed by approximately 47.4% relative to the equality line. Heterogeneity analysis showed that these effects were more pronounced among non-interprovincial migrants and self-employed individuals. Further analysis suggested that the inequality-reducing effect of public health education was mediated primarily through improved healthcare availability, which exerted stronger mediating effects than enhanced healthcare accessibility. Conclusion Enhancing the provision and effectiveness of public health education and safeguarding the health rights of vulnerable groups are vital to narrowing health disparities. Accelerating the development of an inclusive public health system tailored to the migrant population will support the reduction of health inequality and contribute to the coordinated advancement of the Healthy China initiative. |
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| ISSN: | 1472-6963 |