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The Association Between Parental Migration and Childhood Illness in Rural China

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  • Yuying Tong
  • Weixiang Luo
  • Martin Piotrowski

Abstract

Many studies have examined the relationship between parental migration and child well-being, but few have examined the influences of parental migration on children’s illness and the changes over time in China’s internal migration context. Using longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1997 to 2009, this study examines how parental out-migration is associated with left-behind children’s health, by comparing those children with children of non-migrant parent families. Random-effect models show that fathers’, but not mothers’, migration is positively associated with the likelihood of being ill. The association between fathers’ migration and childhood illness diminished over time: The influence of the fathers’ migration on childhood illness lessened as migration rates rose. The study also found that having to do more household chores due to the father’s absence partly accounts for the negative effect of fathers’ migration on children’s health. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Yuying Tong & Weixiang Luo & Martin Piotrowski, 2015. "The Association Between Parental Migration and Childhood Illness in Rural China," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 31(5), pages 561-586, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurpop:v:31:y:2015:i:5:p:561-586
    DOI: 10.1007/s10680-015-9355-z
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sun, Feinuo & Liang, Zai, 2021. "Parental migration and anemia status of children in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    3. Justina Račaitė & Jutta Lindert & Khatia Antia & Volker Winkler & Rita Sketerskienė & Marija Jakubauskienė & Linda Wulkau & Genė Šurkienė, 2021. "Parent Emigration, Physical Health and Related Risk and Preventive Factors of Children Left Behind: A Systematic Review of Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Lei Lei & Sonalde Desai & Feinian Chen, 2020. "Fathers' migration and nutritional status of children in India: Do the effects vary by community context?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(20), pages 545-580.
    5. Bing Xu & William A.V. Clark & Eric Fong & Li Gan, 2020. "Introduction to the special collection on life course decisions of families in China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(5), pages 129-142.
    6. Qian Song, 2017. "Aging, and separation from children: The health implications of adult migration for elderly parents in rural China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(55), pages 1761-1792.
    7. Babar Nawaz Abbasi & Zhimin Luo & Ali Sohail, 2023. "Effect of parental migration on the noncognitive abilities of left-behind school-going children in rural China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    8. Liu, Zhiqiang & Yu, Li & Zheng, Xiang, 2018. "No longer left-behind: The impact of return migrant parents on children's performance," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 184-196.
    9. Kriti Vikram, 2023. "Timing and Frequency of Fathers’ Migration and Nutritional Status of Left-Behind Children in India: A Life Course Approach," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(1), pages 1-29, February.

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