Abstract: Objective To study the status and influence factors of hospitalization among rural residents in Haiyuan county of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region(Ningxia).Methods With multi-stage stratified cluster sampling,a total of 11 848 rural residents in Haiyuan county of Ningxia were investigated with a household questionnaire survey.Results Of the residents surveyed,1 255 required hospital admission during the period and the presumed hospitalization rate was 6.7%.The proportion of non-hospitalization among the ill residents requiring hospitalization was 17.9%.Univariate analysis showed that the presumed hospitalization rate for the Han residents was 5.8% and that for the Hui was 6.7%,with a statistically significant difference(χ²=8.214,P=0.016).The presumed hospitalization rate in the residents increased with age and was significantly different among the residents of different age groups(χ²=596.479,P<0.01); the presumed hospitalization rate was also significantly different among the residents with various marital status(χ²=153.073,P<0.01) and was low in those unmarried(2.8%); the presumed hospitalization rate decreased with the increase of educational level(χ²=194.628,P<0.01).Multivariate analyses showed that being Hui nationality(odds ratioOR=1.158),at older age(OR=3.246),suffering from chronic disease(OR=3.246),and being ill within the two weeks before the survey(OR=3.496)were risk factors for the requirement of hospital admission; with a higher education level(OR=0.752)was a protective factors for the requirement of hospital admission.Conclusion The presumed hospitalization rate among rural Hui residents,children,elderly persons,and the people with poor health is relatively high in Haiyuan county of Ningxia.