Trends and urban-rural disparities in the utilization of Basic Public Health Service projects from 2017 to 2021 in Guangzhou, China: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background As national funding for Basic Public Health Service (BPHS) projects continues to increase in China, it is important to evaluate trends and urban-rural disparities in the utilization of the BPHS. This study aimed to identify trends in the utilization of BPHS projects in Guangzhou between 2017 and 2021, and the differences between urban and rural areas. Methods Data for this study were collected from the “National BPHS Project Management Information System.” Cochran-Armitage tests for trends were used to analyze trends in the count data, which were reported as rates, and Chi-square tests were used to examine regional differences in the count data. Results Over the five-year study period, only the percentage of children aged 0–6 years utidlizing health management services showed a downward trend, while the rest of the indicators showed increasing trens or remained unchanged in Guangzhou. The coverage of paper health records, coverage of electronic health records, percentage of newborn follow-up visits, percentage of older adults utilizing health management services, blood pressure control rate among patients receiving standardized management, rate of tuberculosis (TB) patient management, and rate of health management by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among older adults in urban areas was lower than that in rural areas. The rest of the indicators did not differ or were lower in rural areas than in urban areas. Conclusions The use of the majority of BPHS services has increased dramatically. However, there remains a gap between the implementation of TCM health management and other programs, and it is recommended that they be combined with programs serving similar populations to increase the rate of TCM health management.