scholarly journals The impact of social insurance on health among middle-aged and older adults in rural China: a longitudinal study using a three-wave nationwide survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Ma ◽  
Takashi Oshio

Abstract Background Many studies have examined the impact of social insurance on health, but the results have generally been mixed, presumably because they have not fully addressed potential biases related to the study’s cross-sectional design. In this study, we conducted a longitudinal analysis to investigate how participation in two social insurance programs in China—the New Rural Social Pension Insurance (NRSPI) and the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS)—was associated with health outcomes among middle-aged and older adults in rural China. Methods Using three-wave longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted in 2011, 2013, and 2015, we estimated the dynamic fixed-effects regression models to examine the association between participation in the NRCMS/NRSPI and six types of health outcomes. Results Participation in the NRSPI was positively associated with some health outcomes, but the associations were relatively modest and were observed only for some specific age and household income groups. Participation in NRCMS was not associated with any health outcomes. Conclusions The results provide limited evidence of the positive impact of social insurance on health among middle-aged and older adults in rural China. Thus, social insurance programs should be reformed to enhance their positive impact on health.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Ma ◽  
Takashi Oshio

Abstract Background: Many studies have examined the impact of social insurance on health but the results have generally been mixed, presumably because they have not fully addressed potential biases related to cross-sectional study design. In this study, we conducted a longitudinal analysis to investigate how participation in two social insurance programs in China—the New Rural Social Pension Insurance (NRSPI) and the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS)—was associated with health outcomes among middle-aged and older adults in rural China.Methods. Using three-wave longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted in 2011, 2013, and 2015, we estimated the dynamic fixed-effects regression models to examine the association between participation in the NRCMS/NRSPI and six types of health outcome.Results. Participation in the NRSPI was positively associated with some health outcomes, but the associations were relatively modest and were observed only for some specific age and household income groups. Participation in the NRCMS was not associated with any health outcome.Conclusions. The results provide limited evidence of the positive impact of social insurance on health among middle-aged and older adults in rural China. Social insurance programs should be reformed to enhance their positive impact on health.


Paradigm ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-129
Author(s):  
Olufemi Adewale Aluko ◽  
Funso Tajudeen Kolapo ◽  
Patrick Olufemi Adeyeye ◽  
Patrick Olajide Oladele

This study examines the impact of financial risks in form of credit, interest rate and liquidity risk on the profitability of systematically important banks in Nigeria over the period from 2010 to 2016. The fixed effects regression model is estimated with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors in order to produce results that are robust to heteroscedaticity, autocorrelation, cross-sectional dependence and temporal dependence. After controlling for some bank-specific, industry-specific, macroeconomic and institutional factors, the empirical results show that credit and liquidity risks have a positive impact on bank profitability while interest rate does not have an impact. The results are robust to alternative measures of profitability.


Author(s):  
Xiao Hu ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Jidong Huang ◽  
Rong Zheng

China is in the midst of an epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which has increasingly accounted for a growing share of disease burden, due in part to China’s ongoing rapid socioeconomic changes and population aging. Smoking, the second leading health risk factors associated with NCDs in China, disproportionately affects the old population more than their younger counterparts. Using survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study evaluated the impact of changes in cigarette affordability on smoking behavior among middle-aged and elderly (age 45 and older) smokers. Self-reported cigarette price and disposable income were used to calculate cigarette affordability. Cigarette consumption was measured using the number of cigarettes smoked per day reported by the survey respondents. The correlation between cigarette affordability and cigarette consumption was estimated using generalized estimating equations adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, geolocations, and cigarette price tiers, as well as year fixed effects. The estimated overall conditional cigarette affordability elasticity of demand was –0.165, implying a 10% decrease in cigarette affordability would result in a reduction in cigarette consumption by 1.65%. The cigarette affordability responsiveness differs by demographics, socioeconomic status, geolocations, and cigarette price tiers. This study provides evidence that tax/price policies that reduce cigarette affordability could lead to a decrease in cigarette consumption among middle-aged and elderly smokers in China. Smoke-free laws, as well as minimum price regulations, may be needed to compliment excise tax policy to target specific smoking subgroups whose cigarette consumption is less sensitive to changes in cigarette affordability.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongli Fan ◽  
Yingcheng Wang ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Peter C Coyte

Abstract While several studies have demonstrated the negative impacts of environmental pollution on population health, in general, few studies have examined the potential differential effects on the health of middle-aged and older populations, i.e. 45 years and older. Given the twin concerns of environmental pollution and population aging in China, this article employed a fixed effects model to infer the impact of environmental pollution on public health with a particular focus on middle-aged and older adults. The analyses were based on data from the 2011–2018 waves of the CHARLS and pollutant data from prefecture-level cities. The results showed that environmental pollution significantly increased the risk of chronic diseases and negatively impacted the health of middle-aged and older adults. Environmental pollution had its greatest negative effect on the health of the elderly, women, urban residents and those with lower incomes than for their counterparts. We further found that the main channels of effect were through reduced physical exercise and an increase in depressive symptoms, and the pollution prevention actions alleviated the health deterioration of environmental pollution for the middle-aged and elderly. It is imperative for the government to urgently reinforce policy's enforcement to decrease air and water pollution, and enhance the ability to circumvent pollution for the lower socioeconomic groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Robert E. Mann ◽  
Wah Lap Cheung ◽  
Gina Stoduto ◽  
Christine M. Wickens ◽  
Anca R. Ialomiteanu ◽  
...  

This study examined the associations of cannabis use, alcohol use and alcohol problems with probable anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) in young, middle-aged and older adults. Method: Data are based on the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing cross-sectional telephone survey of Ontario adults aged 18 years and older. For the purposes of the current study, a merged dataset from the years 2001 through 2009 inclusive was separated into three individual datasets: 18-34 year olds (n=4,211), 35-54 year olds (n=7,874), and 55 years of age and older (n=6,778). The survey included the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, which provides a measure of probable AMD for the general population. Logistic regression analyses examined the odds of probable AMD in three age groups associated with alcohol measures (number of drinks per day and alcohol problems (AUDIT 8+)) and cannabis use, while controlling for self-reported physical health, religious service attendance, and demographic factors. Due to listwise deletion, the logistic regression models were based on reduced samples. Results: Lifetime cannabis use and past year cannabis use predicted probable AMD in young and middle-aged adults, but only lifetime cannabis use predicted probable AMD among older adults. Alcohol problems predicted probable AMD among middle aged and older adults, but not among younger adults. No consistent link between recent alcohol consumption and probable AMD was observed. Conclusion: These analyses suggest that the impact of alcohol and cannabis use and problems on probable AMD may differ across age groups.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Ma ◽  
Xiangdan Piao ◽  
Takashi Oshio

Abstract Background: Social participation (SP) is known to have a favourable impact on health. However, studies on this issue have been conducted mainly in advanced countries, and results in China have been mixed. This study examined the impact of SP on health outcomes of middle-aged and elderly adults in China, adjusted for simultaneity and heterogeneity biases. Methods: In total, 57,417 observations of 28,935 individuals obtained from the population-based, three-wave panel survey, Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), conducted in 2011, 2013, and 2015 were used. The associations between one- or two-wave-lagged SP and health outcomes (mental health, self-rated health [SRH], activities of daily living [ADL], and diagnosed diseases) were examined by linear regression models. Individual-level heterogeneity was addressed by the random-effects estimation method. Results: SP was found to have a positive impact on mental health and ADL. Specifically, one-wave-lagged SP improved mental health measure (range: 10–70) by 0.820 (standard error [SE]: 0.199, p < 0.001), the basic ADL measure (range: 6–24) by 0.147 (SE: 0.043, p < 0.001), and the instrumental ADL measure (range: 5–20) by 0.159 (SE: 0.035, p < 0.001). In contrast, SP did not significantly affect SRH or diagnosed diseases. The impact of SP differed by SP type; playing Mah-jong (Chinese traditional game), chess, or cards, or going to the community club had the most favourable effect. The impact of SP on health was also greater for women than men and greater for individuals aged 60–69 years than those aged 45–59 years and aged 70 and older. Conclusions : SP had a positive, albeit selective, impact on health outcomes among middle-aged and elderly adults in China. The results suggest that policy measures to encourage these individuals to engage in SP are needed to enhance their health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 8815-8830
Author(s):  
Wanli Zhou ◽  
◽  
Yingwen Gu ◽  
Xiulin Wang

<abstract> <p>Based on the data regarding the renovation of the toilets of 30 provinces (municipalities) in rural China from 2005 to 2017, this study utilized a two-way fixed effect model to empirically test the impact of access to sanitary toilets on health, which include intestinal infectious diseases (consisting of hepatitis A, dysentery, and typhoid) and child mortality (consisting of perinatal mortality, infant mortality, and the mortality rate of children under 5). This study attempted to assess the health outcomes of the "toilet revolution" in rural China. The results showed that: (1) Access to sanitary toilets effectively reduced the incidence of hepatitis A and dysentery. For every 1% increase in the rate of access to sanitary toilets, the incidence of hepatitis A was reduced by 5.6%, and the incidence of dysentery was reduced by 36.5%. (2) Access to sanitary toilets does not significantly reduce child mortality. (3) There are obviously regional differences in the impact of access to sanitary toilets on the health outcomes. The renovation of sanitary toilets has shown the most significant effect on reducing the incidence of intestinal infectious diseases in the central region as well as the effect on reducing child mortality in the western region. It is implied that the health outcomes of China's "toilet revolution" may provide supporting evidence and experience for other developing countries and regions in implementing toilet renovation projects.</p> </abstract>


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Ma ◽  
Xiangdan Piao ◽  
Takashi Oshio

Abstract Social participation (SP) is known to have a favourable impact on health. However, studies on the issue have been conducted mainly in advanced countries, and results in China have been mixed. This study examined the impact of SP on health outcomes of middle-aged and elderly adults in China, adjusted for simultaneity and heterogeneity biases. Methods 57,417 observations of 28,935 individuals obtained from the population-based, three-wave panel survey: Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), conducted from 2011, 2013, and 2015 were used. The associations between one- or two-wave-lagged SP and health outcomes (mental health, self-rated health [SRH], activities of daily living [ADL], and diagnosed diseases) were examined by linear regression models. Individual-level heterogeneity was addressed by the random-effects estimation method. Results SP was found to have a positive impact on mental health and ADL, whereas it did not affect much SRH or diagnosed diseases. The impact of SP differed by SP type; playing Mah-jong (Chinese traditional game), chess, or cards, or going to the community club had the most favourable effect. The impact of SP on health was also found to be greater for women than men and greater for individuals aged 60–69 years than those aged 45–59 years and aged 70 and older. Conclusions SP had positive, albeit selective, impacts on health outcomes among middle-aged and elderly adults in China. The results suggest that policy measures to encourage these individuals to engage in SP are needed to enhance their health.


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