Object: The correct use of nutrition labels for prepackaged food helps university students develop healthy eating habits and prevent the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases. This study evaluates the understanding and use of nutrition labels of prepackaged food by university students in four different fields of study in Chongqing, China. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online survey platform conducted in July 2022 in colleges and universities in Chongqing, China. The convenience sampling method was used to select students in four different fields of study, including medicine, humanities, science and technology, and arts and sports. Ten questions were used to assess participants’ understanding of nutrition labels. A score of six or above (60%) indicates that the respondent has a basic understanding of the nutritional labels of prepackaged food. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to assess participants’ understanding and use of nutrition labels for prepackaged foods and their influencing factors. Results: A total of 1262 valid questionnaires was collected. The average age of the participants was 21.8 years (SD: 2.43), 50.1% were male, 80.8% were ethnic Han, and 50.9% were from rural areas. Only 21.3% of the university students in Chongqing had a good understanding of the nutrition labels of prepackaged food, where medical students were the highest (39.9%) and science and engineering students were the lowest (15.6%). Gender, ethnicity, grade, major, and whether received courses related to nutrition were influential factors in the understanding and use of nutrition labels of prepackaged food. Medical students also had more positive attitudes toward nutritional labels of prepackaged food. Conclusions: Understanding and use of nutrition labels for prepackaged food by university students in Chongqing are unsatisfactory. Student’s major was a significant influencing factor in nutrition label comprehension, with medical students having the greatest understanding. Based on these results, we suggest that nutrition and health courses should be popularized among non-medical students to narrow the differences between different fields of study. For university students in all fields of study, education and publicity of nutrition labels of prepackaged food are needed, not only in the classroom but also in daily life.

Objective: Online healthcare services significantly enhance patient satisfaction and reduce healthcare costs. This study aims to analyse the current utilisation of online healthcare services among patients and identify the associated influencing factors. Methods: Data from the Chinese Social Survey 2021 (CSS2021) were used for descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression to determine factors influencing patients’ use of online healthcare services. Results: A total of 3426 patients were included in this study, among whom 19.76% (677/3426) had used online healthcare services. Female patients outnumbered male patients regardless of whether they accessed healthcare services via online platforms. The average age of all respondents was 49.38 years (SD: 14.739). Among those who used online healthcare services, the majority were aged 31–40 years (182/677, 26.88%), while individuals over 40 years old were significantly less likely to use such services compared with those aged 21–30 years. Additionally, patients with moderate (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.27 to 2.99) or high education levels (OR 3.72, 95% CI 2.39 to 5.78), married patients (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.01), non-local residents (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.88), and frequent internet users were more likely to choose online healthcare services. Conclusion: Based on an analysis of CSS2021 data, the utilisation of online healthcare services in China is influenced by a combination of factors. Therefore, efforts should focus on promoting these services to males, middle-aged and elderly populations, individuals with lower educational attainment, unmarried or non-married individuals and local residents, considering gender, age, education level, marital status and population mobility.

Objective: Barriers to healthcare accessibility and individuals’ perceived fairness of medical services are crucial indicators for evaluating the performance of a health system. An in-depth analysis of the statistical associations among these factors and the role played by different types of medical insurance can provide targeted, evidence-based references for policy formulation in China. Methods: Data were analyzed from 9109 respondents of the 2023 Chinese Social Survey (CSS2023). Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation analysis, multinomial logistic regression, and path analysis based on structural equation modeling were employed to examine the distribution of barriers and perceived fairness, the correlations among them, the differential impacts of various obstacles on perceived fairness, and the statistical pathways between insurance types and perceived fairness. Results: Economic barriers (reported as severe by 48.16% of respondents) and capacity barriers (reported as severe by 22.48%) were the most prevalent types of obstacles. All five types of barriers exhibited significant negative correlations with perceived healthcare fairness (p < 0.01), with economic barriers (ρ = −0.309) and capacity barriers (ρ = −0.267) demonstrating the strongest associations. Multinomial logistic regression revealed a progressively smaller magnitude of association across the outcome contrasts: for each one-unit increase in the economic-barrier score, the odds ratios for reporting “very unfair,” “somewhat unfair,” and “fair” (compared to “very fair”) were 2.30, 1.77, and 1.23, respectively (all p < 0.001), while the impact of geographical barriers was comparatively limited. Lower levels of perceived fairness were reported by adults aged 31–45 years and 46–60 years, divorced individuals, and the unemployed. Path analysis indicated that Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (indirect statistical association = 0.022, 95% CI: 0.002–0.042, p = 0.029) and Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (indirect statistical association =0.050, 95% CI: 0.001–0.099, p = 0.044) were significantly associated with higher perceived fairness, and a portion of these associations was statistically consistent with the reduction in accessibility barriers, whereas no statistically significant indirect associations were detected for Government-funded Medical Insurance, NRCMS, or Critical Illness Insurance. Given the small sample sizes for Government-funded Medical Insurance (n = 189) and Critical Illness Insurance (n = 83), these non-significant findings should not be interpreted as evidence of the absence of an association. Conclusions: Economic burdens and substandard medical services are the primary drivers of perceived inequity. Urban employee and resident insurance programs were statistically associated with higher perceived fairness, and a portion of these associations was consistent with the reduction in accessibility barriers, whereas rural and critical illness schemes lack such an indirect association. Policy priorities should focus on alleviating financial burdens, improving healthcare quality, strengthening insurance schemes for vulnerable groups, and addressing the specific needs of adults aged 31–45 years and 46–60 years, divorced, and unemployed populations to advance healthcare fairness in China.