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Migration and the overweight and underweight status of children in rural China

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  • de Brauw, Alan
  • Mu, Ren

Abstract

The rapid economic growth in China is accompanied by a large scale rural-to-urban migration, but over time more children are left behind rural areas. This paper studies how the overweight and underweight status of the rural children is associated with the out migration of others in their household. We find that migration is related to different nutritional outcomes for the left-behind children. The older children (aged 7-12) are more likely to be underweight; the younger (aged 2-6) are less likely to be overweight if left behind without the care of a grandparent. We also find evidence that the remaining adult household members spent less time preparing meals, whereas older children take up more household chores.

Suggested Citation

  • de Brauw, Alan & Mu, Ren, 2011. "Migration and the overweight and underweight status of children in rural China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 88-100, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:36:y:2011:i:1:p:88-100
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. You, Jing, 2013. "The role of microcredit in older children’s nutrition: Quasi-experimental evidence from rural China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 167-179.
    2. Goode, Alison & Mavromaras, Kostas & zhu, Rong, 2014. "Family income and child health in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 152-165.
    3. Viet Nguyen, Cuong, 2016. "Does parental migration really benefit left-behind children? Comparative evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 230-239.
    4. Jing You, 2014. "Dietary change, nutrient transition and food security in fast-growing China," Chapters,in: Handbook on Food, chapter 9, pages 204-245 Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Calogero Carletto & Jennica Larrison & Çaglar Özden, 2014. "Informing migration policies: a data primer," Chapters,in: International Handbook on Migration and Economic Development, chapter 2, pages 9-41 Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Huang, Bihong & Lian, Yujun & Li, Wensu, 2016. "How far is Chinese left-behind parents' health left behind?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 15-26.
    7. Loh, Chung-Ping A. & Li, Qiang, 2013. "Peer effects in adolescent bodyweight: Evidence from rural China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 35-44.
    8. Carletto, Calogero & Covarrubias, Katia & Maluccio, John A., 2011. "Migration and child growth in rural Guatemala," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 16-27, February.
    9. Mueller, Valerie & Kovarik, Chiara & Sproule, Kathryn & Quisumbing, Agnes R., 2015. "Migration, gender, and farming systems in Asia: Evidence, data, and knowledge gaps:," IFPRI discussion papers 1458, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    10. repec:spr:demogr:v:54:y:2017:i:5:d:10.1007_s13524-017-0613-z is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Meng, Xin & Yamauchi, Chikako, 2015. "Children of Migrants: The Impact of Parental Migration on Their Children's Education and Health Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 9165, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    12. 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.
    13. Su, Yaqin & Tesfazion, Petros & Zhao, Zhong, 2017. "Where Are Migrants from? Inter- vs. Intra-Provincial Rural-Urban Migration in China," IZA Discussion Papers 11029, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    14. Xin Meng & Chikako Yamauchi, 2015. "Children of Migrants: The Cumulative Impact of Parental Migration on their Children's Education and Health Outcomes," GRIPS Discussion Papers 15-07, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
    15. Jelena Brcanski & Aleksandra Jović-Vraneš & Jelena Marinković & Dragana Favre, 2014. "Social determinants of malnutrition among Serbian children aged >5 years: ethnic and regional disparities," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(5), pages 697-706, October.
    16. Li, Qiang & Liu, Gordon & Zang, Wenbin, 2015. "The health of left-behind children in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 367-376.

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