This study aimed to investigate the patterns and predictive factors of healthcare-seeking behavior among older Chinese adults. A sample of 10,914 participants aged ≥60 years from the 2011, 2013 and 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) was included. The bivariate analyses and Heckman selection model was used to identify predictors of healthcare-seeking behavior. Results shows that the utilization rate of outpatient services increased from 21.61% in 2011 to 32.41% in 2015, and that of inpatient services increased from 12.44% to 17.68%. In 2015, 71.93% and 92.18% chose public medical institutions for outpatient and inpatient services, 57.63% and 17.00% chose primary medical institutions. The individuals who were female, were younger, lived in urban, central or western regions, had medical insurance, had poor self-rated health and exhibited activity of daily living (ADL) impairment were more inclined to outpatient and inpatient services. Transportation, medical expenses, the out-of-pocket ratio and the urgency of the disease were associated with provider selection. The universal medical insurance schemes improved health service utilization for the elderly population but had little impact on the choice of medical institutions. The older adults preferred public institutions to private institutions, preferred primary institutions for outpatient care, and higher-level hospitals for hospitalization.
Keywords: health services use; healthcare-seeking behavior; population aging; self-rated health; socioeconomic status.