The Educational Gradient in Health: Evidence from China

In addition to the health-protective effects of higher income and social status, better education appears to be an important contributor to good health. However, evidence is limited from developing countries undergoing rapid socioeconomic transition like China. To document the evolution of the educational gradient in health, we analyze the China National Health Services Survey (Ministry of Health, 1998, 2003 and 2008), and the Chinese Family Panel Study (Peking University, 2010). We find patterns consistent with the economic theory of socioeconomic gradients in health, as modified to take account of China's rapid economic, demographic, and epidemiologic transitions over the past quarter century.

Co-sponsored with the Center for East Asian Studies, Stanford University.