Table 9 Comparison of related research findings.

Schneider (2015)

Zhang and Donaldson (2010)

Conceptual changes and type differentiation of WAH in China under the background of agricultural industrialization

Concept: The meaning and usage of WAH in China have become more complex.

Classification: The transformation of rural land in China has altered agricultural production forms and production relations, leading to the differentiation of subsistence peasants into six categories: Commercial Farmer, Entrepreneurial Farmer, and Contract Farmer etc.

This study, based on China’s reality, classifies WAH into three categories—subsistence farmers, agricultural laborers, and non-agricultural workers—according to employer type and work nature.

Mueller (2021)

van Oostrom et al. (2021)

Brennan et al. (2022)

Younker and Radunovich (2021)

Agricultural occupational identity and health welfare

There is ongoing debate in the academic community regarding the health status of WAH.

We investigated the self-rated health levels of WAH subgroups and explained the reasons behind these differences.

Penchansky and Thomas (1981)

Li and Wang (2024)

Definition and dimensions of public service accessibility theory

Public Service Accessibility Theory emphasizes that the accessibility of public services refers to the ability of individuals or groups to obtain the public services they need. This ability consists of five dimensions: accessibility, acceptability, availability, affordability, and geographical accessibility.

In combination with Public Service Accessibility Theory, this study analyzes the role of economic factors such as income and public service factors such as medical service quality in the manifestation of self-rated health disparities among WAH subgroups.

Tian et al. (2023)

Adejoh et al. (2022)

Martins et al. (2023)

Wu and Zeng (2024)

OBrien et al. (2012)

Health disparities among WAH subgroups under gender, age, income, and education differences

Female, elderly, low-income, and low-educated WAH tend to exhibit poorer health outcomes.

This study investigates the self-rated health disparities among the three WAH subgroups—subsistence farmers, agricultural laborers, and non-agricultural workers—classified according to employer type and work nature.

Sha et al. (2019) Zheng et al. (2023)

The mediating role of income satisfaction and medical service quality

Income satisfaction mediates the relationship between commuting time and subjective well-being

Perceived attitudes toward medical services significantly mediate the relationship between overall public satisfaction with medical service and self-rated health.

This study further reveals the chain mediation effect of income satisfaction and medical service quality, providing a more systematic explanation of the mechanisms behind health disparities.