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Surviving the Famine unscathed? An Analysis of the Long-term Health Effects of the Great Chinese Famine

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  • Wenli Cheng
  • Hui Shi

Abstract

This paper studies the long-term health effects of the Chinese Famine of 1959-1961 on different birth-cohorts exposed to it during different stages of their early childhood. Based on a 2011 national survey, it finds that exposure to the Famine (1) reduced adult height for all cohorts; (2) had some negative impact on mental health for some cohorts; (3) had no significant effects on the risk of acquiring common chronic diseases for any cohort; (4) had no consistent effects on health related lifestyle choices for any cohort; and (5) lowered the risk of being overweight for 2 out of 5 cohorts. Notably where the effects of the Famine were found to be statistically significant, the magnitudes were small.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenli Cheng & Hui Shi, 2017. "Surviving the Famine unscathed? An Analysis of the Long-term Health Effects of the Great Chinese Famine," Monash Economics Working Papers 14-17, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:mos:moswps:2017-14
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    2. Yao, Yuxin & Zhang, Yi, 2023. "The long-term and intergenerational effects of early-life hunger experience on human capital and labor market outcomes," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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