Health Effects of Ecological Civilization Construction: Evidence from China’s Ecological Civilization Pilot Zones

Ecological civilization construction (ECC) represents a critical pathway for improving public health and advancing sustainable social development, exerting a positive and profound influence on population health. This study treats the establishment of national ecological civilization pilot zones as a quasi-natural experiment. Drawing on microdata from the 2014–2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and applying a difference-in-differences (DID) model, it investigates the impact of ECC on residents’ physical and mental health. The results reveal that (1) ECC significantly improves residents’ physical and mental health, and this finding remains robust after a series of validation tests; (2) mechanism analysis shows that ECC enhances health primarily through three channels: environmental, livelihood, and economic effects; (3) heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that ECC can effectively mitigate health inequalities associated with gender, urban–rural divides, and social status differences. In summary, the study provides valid empirical evidence that ECC can contribute to improvements in population health, reductions in health disparities, and the sustainable development of a healthy society.