Evaluating Chinese migrant workers’ housing conditions by diarrhea disease prevalence

Chinese migrant workers often face significant health-related social inequalities, particularly in housing, in urban China. However, there is limited research investigating the health impacts of housing inequalities among migrant workers. We examined the accommodation types associated with the prevalence of diarrhea among migrant workers in urban China. We used a nationwide survey data to investigate the overall housing conditions and applied multilevel logistic regression models to analyze the association between diarrhea and housing types. The findings highlight that the prevalence of diarrhea among migrant workers is significantly associated with housing types rather than neighborhood or income levels. Compared with living in private rental properties, migrants living in government-subsidized properties have significantly increased odds of reporting diarrhea episodes (OR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.23–1.61; p < 0.001). This study indicated the need to address the quality and maintenance of housing infrastructure rather than ownership status alone.