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Table 1 Comparison of factors associated with pregnant women attending different primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals (n = 1393)

From: Healthcare-seeking behavior among pregnant women in the Chinese hierarchical medical system: a cross-sectional study

Variable, n (%)

Hospital level

P-value

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Environmental factors

Urban vs rural living

Urban

185 (34.5)

216 (49.4)

223 (53.2)

< 0.001

Rural

352 (65.5)

221 (50.6)

196 (46.8)

Annual per capita household income

<  50,000¥

317 (59)

245 (56.8)

163 (39.1)

< 0.001

≥ 50,000¥

220 (41.0)

186 (43.2)

254 (60.9)

Aware of the national maternal healthcare policies?

Yes

339 (63.1)

296 (67.7)

258 (61.6)

0.143

No

198 (36.9)

141 (32.3)

161 (38.4)

Previously participated in any health education or consulting before pregnancy?

Yes

282 (52.5)

206 (47.1)

216 (51.7)

0.215

No

255 (47.5)

231 (52.9)

202 (48.3)

Previously participated in medical examination before pregnancy?

Yes

304 (56.6)

280 (64.1)

266 (63.6)

0.026

No

233 (43.4)

157 (35.9)

152 (36.4)

Previously sought a health assessment or medical guidance before pregnancy?

Yes

193 (35.9)

125 (28.6)

134 (32.1)

0.051

No

344 (64.1)

312 (71.4)

284 (67.9)

Previously participated in network-based health education?

Yes

109 (20.3)

93 (21.3)

73 (17.5)

0.345

No

428 (79.7)

344 (78.7)

345 (82.5)

Demographic and pregnancy characteristics

Age, years

<  35

514 (95.7)

412 (94.3)

367 (87.6)

< 0.001

≥ 35

23 (4.3)

25 (5.7)

52 (12.4)

Highest education level

Junior high school or below

160 (29.8)

86 (19.7)

70 (16.7)

< 0.001

High school

206 (38.4)

117 (26.8)

107 (25.5)

College or above

171 (31.8)

234 (53.5)

242 (57.8)

Number of previous pregnancies

1 time

309 (57.5)

281 (64.3)

223 (53.2)

< 0.001

2 times

132 (24.6)

123 (28.1)

114 (27.2)

≥ 3 times

96 (17.9)

33 (7.6)

82 (19.6)

Number of abortions

None

361 (67.2)

324 (74.1)

272 (64.9)

< 0.001

Once

121 (22.5)

99 (22.7)

80 (19.1)

≥ 2 times

55 (10.2)

14 (3.2)

67 (16.0)

Number of prior live births

0

418 (77.8)

362 (82.8)

327 (78.0)

0.334

1

109 (20.3)

68 (15.6)

83 (19.8)

≥2

10 (1.9)

7 (1.6)

9 (2.1)

History of pregnancy complications

Yes

37 (6.9)

34 (7.8)

75 (17.9)

< 0.001

No

500 (93.1)

402 (92.2)

344 (82.1)

Current pregnancy was planned

Yes

395 (73.6)

343 (78.5)

348 (83.7)

0.001

No

142 (26.4)

94 (21.5)

68 (16.3)

Agrees with the necessity for maternal healthcare

Yes

460 (85.7)

405 (92.7)

359 (85.9)

0.001

No

77 (14.3)

32 (7.3)

59 (14.1)

Agrees with the necessity for maternal healthcare when feeling good

Yes

498 (92.7)

415 (95.0)

398 (95.0)

0.225

No

39 (7.3)

22 (5.0)

21 (5.0)

Delivery location was predominantly selected by the woman

Yes

422 (78.6)

373 (85.4)

359 (85.7)

0.004

No (i.e. selected by others)

115 (21.4)

64 (14.6)

60 (14.3)

Health insurance schemes

Yes

467 (87.0)

375 (85.8)

365 (87.1)

0.824

No

70 (13.0)

62 (14.2)

54 (12.9)

Distance to hospital

<  5 km

219 (40.8)

189 (43.3)

143 (34.2)

0.034

5-10 km

218 (40.6)

163 (37.4)

172 (41.2)

>  10 km

100 (18.6)

84 (19.3)

103 (24.6)

Mode of transport to the hospital

Private cars

177 (33.1)

181 (41.4)

177 (42.7)

< 0.001

Public transport

172 (32.1)

119 (27.3)

144 (34.7)

Taxi

38 (7.1)

26 (5.9)

40 (9.6)

On foot

148 (27.7)

111 (25.4)

54 (13.0)

Waiting time to see the doctor

<  15 min

149 (27.7)

87 (20)

45 (10.7)

< 0.001

15–30 min

323 (60.1)

262 (60.1)

267 (63.8)

31–60 min

55 (10.3)

77 (17.7)

88 (21.0)

>  60 min

10 (1.9)

10 (2.2)

19 (4.5)

Subjective feeling that the antenatal advice applies to their current situation

Yes – it does

515 (95.9)

417 (95.4)

408 (98.1)

0.084

No – it does not

22 (4.1)

20 (4.6)

8 (1.9)

  1. Note. P is from a chi-squared test. Age take 35 as cutoff for pregnant women aged more than 35 usually be called elderly pregnant women