Objective: To investigate the self-rated health status of the floating population in a district of Guangzhou.
Methods: Cluster stratified random sampling was applied to survey 219 floating people from a community in Guangzhou, who were assessed with self-rated health status was assessed with Self-Rated Health Measurement Scale.
Results: The scores of the floating population were significantly higher than the normal individuals in physical health sub-scales (P<0.01), while the scores of the floating population were significantly lower in psychological and social health sub-scales (P<0.05). The low score items in the subscale of physical health mainly consisted of fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms, those in the subscale of psychological health mainly in anxiety, depression and obsession, and those in the subscale of social health mainly in participation in social activities and seeking help from others.
Conclusion: To improve the health status of the floating population, campaigns of health education need to be launched periodically and psychological counseling should be provided for these individuals. Additionally, interactive activities should be increased in their daily social life.