The More Educated, the Healthier: Evidence from Rural China

Weidong Wang, Yongqing Dong, Xiaohong Liu, Linxiu Zhang, Yunli Bai and Spencer Hagist
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Weidong Wang: Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xiaohong Liu: China Center for Agricultural Policy, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Linxiu Zhang: Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yunli Bai: Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Spencer Hagist: Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: Education, as an important aspect of human capital, not only affects the economic returns of an individual, but also affects non-economic returns. This paper uses data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2014 and explores the impact of education on the health status of rural residents by using the family fixed-effect model. We find that education can improve the self-reported health status and reduce the possibility of depression of rural residents. We also find that the effect of education on self-reported health status of rural young people more significant than that of middle-aged and old people, but the effect on depression score was weaker than that of middle-aged and old people. Compared with the high-income group, education improved the health of the lowest income group more significantly. Finally, we explore the mechanism of education affecting the health of rural residents from a multi-dimensional perspective.

Keywords: rural labor force; education; self-reported health; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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