Do living arrangements matter?—Evidence from eating behaviors of the elderly in rural China

Chang Liu, Fujin Yi, Zhigang Xu and Xu Tian

The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 2021, vol. 19, issue C

Abstract: The rapidly aging population and increased number of elders living alone in rural China have raised concerns in that such elders are more vulnerable to unhealthy eating behaviors. Using data from four waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey, we estimate the effects of living arrangements on eating behaviors of the elderly in rural areas. Results show that living arrangements are significantly associated with eating behaviors, in which elders living alone are the most disadvantaged compared with their counterparts (living with grandchildren only, living with adult children, or living with others). Specifically, elders living alone consume fewer cereals, vegetables and fruits, meat, eggs, and dairy products. This type of living arrangement lowers the dietary quality and eating frequency of their meals, leading to unhealthy diets. Further estimation finds evidence that household size and composition have significant effects on elders’ eating behaviors, namely, scale and spillover effects, explaining the differential eating behaviors of elders among different patterns of living arrangements.

Keywords: Living arrangement; Eating behavior; The elderly; Rural China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joecag:v:19:y:2021:i:c:s2212828x21000013

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2021.100307

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