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Health Inequality among Chinese Older Adults: The Role of Childhood Circumstances

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  • Yan, Binjian
  • Chen, Xi
  • Gill, Thomas M.

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which childhood circumstances contribute to health inequality in old age and how the contributions may vary across key dimensions of health. We link the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013 and 2015 with its Life History Survey in 2014 to quantify health inequality due to childhood circumstances for which they have little control. We evaluate comprehensive dimensions of health ranging from cognitive health, mental health, physical health, self-rated health to mortality. Our analytic sample includes about 8,000 Chinese persons age above 60. Using the Shapley value decomposition approach, we first show that childhood circumstances may explain 1-23 percent of health inequality in old age across multiple health outcomes. Second, while both direct health-related circumstances and indirect health-related circumstances contribute significantly to health inequality, the latter tends to be more sizable. Our findings support the value of a life course approach in identifying the key determinants of health in old age.

Suggested Citation

  • Yan, Binjian & Chen, Xi & Gill, Thomas M., 2020. "Health Inequality among Chinese Older Adults: The Role of Childhood Circumstances," GLO Discussion Paper Series 451, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:451
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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Xi, 2022. "Early Life Circumstances and the Health of Older Adults: A Research Note," IZA Discussion Papers 15511, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Haiyan Jia & Xiaoyu Sai & Yangyue Su & Ying Huang, 2022. "Measurement and Decomposition of the Health Poverty of Rural Residents in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Lanlin Ding & Andrew M. Jones & Peng Nie, 2022. "Ex ante Inequality of Opportunity in Health among the Elderly in China: A Distributional Decomposition Analysis of Biomarkers," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(4), pages 922-950, December.
    4. Nie, Peng & Ding, Lanlin & Jones, Andrew M., 2020. "Inequality of Opportunity in Bodyweight among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: A Distributional Approach," IZA Discussion Papers 13421, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Kovacic, Matija & Orso, Cristina Elisa, 2022. "Trends in inequality of opportunity in health over the life cycle: The role of early-life conditions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 60-82.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Life course approach; Inequality of opportunity; Physical health; Cognitive ability; Mental health; Mortality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

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