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Although residential crowding has many well-being implications, its connection to mental health is yet to be widely examined. Using survey data from 1613 residents in Beijing, China, we find that living in a crowded place – measured by both square metres per person and persons per bedroom – is significantly associated with a higher risk of depression. We test for the mechanisms of such associations and find that the residential crowding–depression link arises through increased living space-specific stress rather than increased life stress. We also identify the following subgroups that have relatively stronger residential crowding–depression associations: females, those living with children, those not living with parents, and those living in non-market housing units. Our findings show that inequality in living space among urban residents not only is an important social justice issue but also has health implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese government did great contribution in improving the residents’ housing characteristics and was quite successful especially in urban area. However, in the big cities, the negative interrelationships between housing overcrowding characteristic and people’s life still emerge and seriously affect people’s life. In this research, the researcher will investigate the capital city Beijing as the target and to know the situation of housing overcrowding problem, also do some implication to the rural migrants’ life. By the way, some suggestions will be forward in solving the housing overcrowding problem in Beijing among rural migrants. At the end, the Beijing local government should take some necessary actions to carry out the housing policy. In this research, the researcher obtains the data from two types of interviews: rural migrants and government officers. It is also supported by the utilization of secondary data. The findings of this research indicate that majority of the rural migrants endure by the housing overcrowding problem, also this housing problem seriously implies to their regular life in Beijing. Therefore, the Beijing government should provide some necessary assistance to this group people. This paper reports the housing overcrowding problem in Beijing and does the implications to the rural migrants’ life. It also provides some suitable advice to other urban areas in solving the housing overcrowding problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective ED overcrowding is a worldwide issue, with most evidence coming from developed countries. Until now, little was known about this subject in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the situation of prolonged lengths of stay ( LOS) in the ED for high-acuity patients in a Chinese tertiary hospital and to identify associated factors. Methods A retrospective study was performed in a Chinese tertiary hospital from 1 January to 31 December 2010. The primary outcomes were ED LOS and associated factors in overall high-acuity patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used. Results In this consecutive study period, 7966 high-acuity patients presenting to the ED were triaged to the resuscitation room. The median LOS in the ED for these patients was 10.6 h ( IQR, 3.1-23.1 h). In the multivariate analysis, the most significant factor associated with prolonged LOS was boarding for more than 2 h ( OR, 4.29; 95% CI, 4.03-4.57). Patients requiring emergency operation or intensive care unit admission experienced a shorter LOS ( OR, 0.56 and 0.76; 95% CI, 0.53-0.60 and 0.71-0.81, respectively). Older patients, night shift arrivals, non-spring visitors, general internal medicine patients and patients leaving without receiving advanced therapy had longer LOS. Conclusions We found an excessive LOS in the resuscitation room in this tertiary hospital. The most significant reason for prolonged LOS was boarding block. Shortage of inpatient beds and reluctance of the wards to admit these patients might be the primary reasons for extremely long boarding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a serious issue worldwide., Objectives: This study was done to evaluate the degree of overcrowding in local "teaching hospitals" in Beijing, and to ascertain the apparent root causes for the pervasive degree of overcrowding in these EDs., Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study. The studied population included all ED patients from 18 metropolitan teaching hospital EDs in Beijing for calendar years 2013 and 2014. Patient characteristics, and the primary reasons that these patients sought care in these EDs, are described., Results: The total numbers of annual emergency visits were 1,554,387 and 1,615,571 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. High acuity cases accounted for 4.6% and 5.5% of the total annual emergency visits in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The percentage of patients placed into "Observation" beds, which were created to accommodate patients deemed to have problems too complex to be treated in an inpatient bed, or to accommodate patients simply needing chronic care, was 11.9% and 13.1% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The ED-boarded patients accounted for 2.71% and 2.6% of the total annual emergency visits in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The average waiting time to admit the ED-boarded patients was 37.1 h and 36.2 h in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Respiratory symptoms were the most common presenting complaints, and an upper respiratory infection was the most common ED diagnosis. Patients who had pneumonia or various manifestations of end-stage diseases, such as advanced dementia or multiple organ dysfunction, were the most common characteristics of patients who had stays in "Observation" units., Conclusions: One principal reason for ED crowding in Beijing lies in the large numbers of patients who persist in the expectation of receiving ongoing care in the ED for minor illnesses. However, as is true in many nations, one of the other most important root causes of ED crowding is "access block," the inability to promptly move patients deemed by emergency physicians to need inpatient care to an inpatient bed for that care. However, in our system, another challenge, not widely described as a contributor to crowding in other nations, is that doctors assigned to inpatient services have been empowered to refuse to admit patients perceived to have overly "complex" needs. Further, patients with multisystem illnesses or end-stage status, who need ongoing chronic care to manage activities of daily living, have begun to populate Beijing EDs in increasing numbers. This is an issue with various root causes., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)