EXECUTIVE SUMMARYOral health is an essential component of good health, and good oral health is a fundamental human right. The role of the dental profession is to help the population and decision makers to achieve health through 278
ObjectivesTo explore the factors associated with utilization of oral health services among Chinese adults and older adults according to the Andersen Behavior Model.MethodsData from the 4th National Oral Health Survey (2015‐2016) in China were used. A total of 7206 people (3669 adults aged 35‐44 years and 3537 older adults aged 65‐74 years) were included in our analysis. Oral health service utilization in the past 12 months was the outcome variable. Explanatory variables were selected according to the Andersen Behavior Model. Descriptive statistics and bivariate associations (chi‐square tests) were analysed, followed by hierarchical Poisson regression models, which were conducted to determine the factors associated with oral health service utilization.ResultsIn total, 21.4% (95% CI: 19.4%‐23.7%) of adults (35‐44 years old) and 20.7% (95% CI: 18.6%‐22.9%) of older adults (65‐74 years old) utilized oral health services in the past 12 months. Nearly 80% of adults (78.7%, 95% CI: 74.0%‐82.7%) and more than 90% of older adults (93.7%, 95% CI: 91.0%‐95.6%) visited a dentist for treatment. Adults aged 35‐44 years old who were female (IRR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.00‐1.33, P = .047), had good oral health knowledge and attitudes (IRR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.06‐1.59, P = .011), perceived their oral health status as fair (IRR:1.51, 95% CI:1.24‐1.85, P < .001) or poor/very poor (IRR:2.52, 95% CI:2.01‐3.18, P < .001) and had a decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index >0 (IRR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.11‐2.09, P = .009) were more likely to report dental visits in the past 12 months. Older adults who utilized oral health services tended to be female (IRR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.09‐1.59, P = .004); to be covered by Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) (IRR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.18‐2.05, P = .002), Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) (IRR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.32‐2.16, P < .001) or government medical insurance (GMI) (IRR: 1.03, 95% CI:1.01‐2.16, P = .044); to have a high education level (IRR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.08‐1.74, P = .010); to have an income level in the 2nd tertile (IRR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.13‐1.84, P = .003) or 3rd tertile (IRR:1.52, 95% CI:1.18‐1.95, P = .001); and to perceive their oral health status as poor or very poor (IRR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.21‐1.95, P = .001).ConclusionsSex and self‐perceived oral health status were associated with oral health utilization among Chinese population. Additionally, for older adults, education level, household income and insurance coverage were determinants of dental service use. These findings can aid in creating more targeted policies to increase the use of dental services by Chinese adults.
Uncertainty puts people in a binary state of mind, where every piece of external information can positively or negatively affect their state of health. Given the uncertain situation created by the new coronavirus pandemic, this study claims to be the first empirical analysis of the real-time status of public panic in China. It frames peoples’ intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli, creating a psychosocial analysis of public panic. We conducted an online survey of WeChat and QQ users in February 2020 and collected 1613 samples through a QR code questionnaire. We used the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression equation model to conceptualize public panic pathways in different gender and age groups. This underlines the psychological origins of fear and anxiety and points out how the media uses socially constructed public panic. The results show that the outbreak of COVID-19 created uncertainty among the public, and the official media intensified it because of the late dissemination of news about the outbreak’s real-time status. Hence, unofficial media remained faster in news reporting, but the news reporting remained contradictory with official reports. This created doubts about the authenticity of the given information and caused public mental health abnormalities. The study provides a conceptual framework based on lessons learned from physiology, psychology, and social psychology and real-time public analysis to inform policymakers and public administrators about the contextual dynamics of public panic in China. It provides useful insights into the wise handling of this uncertain time and controlling the fatal conditions of public panic created by COVID-19. It has implications for other countries as well.
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