Page 94 - IJPS-11-4

International Journal of
Population Studies Health disparities and older adults well-being in China

socioeconomic status across different life stages ultimately aging population in rural areas. The aging phenomenon
impacts the health status of the older people. Disparities in rural China surpasses that of urban areas, with the old-
in health among different socioeconomic statuses tend to age population in rural areas being 1.8 times larger than
widen with age (Lowry & Xie, 2009). The cumulative effect in cities. Due to limited labor force and medical care,
of poor socioeconomic status over the life span culminates most older-aged living in rural areas usually experience
in the development of certain diseases (Galobardes et relatively poorer health statuses.
al., 2004; Cohen et al., 2010; Van den Berg et al., 2010). Finally, a particular identity can be regarded as a
Certain studies have even pointed out that individuals with symbol of privilege, signaling high socioeconomic status
disadvantaged socioeconomic status during childhood to the public. In comparison to ordinary citizens in China,
face a heightened risk of mortality, as children from only a select few have accumulated over 15 years of service
lower socioeconomic statuses are more likely to adopt in government, state-owned enterprises, universities/
unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and drinking (Lynch colleges, hospitals, and military institutions, benefitting
et al., 1994; Van de Mheen et al., 1998; Chen et al., 2002; from the “bureaucratic” welfare system. Their pensions
Chen & Miller, 2013). The environment experienced and medical benefits far surpass those of individuals
during childhood, along with healthy habits and physical employed in the private sector, self-employed individuals,
functions in midlife, is closely related and can significantly
influence the aging process and susceptibility to chronic and those working in the agricultural sector. However, it is
diseases throughout the life cycle (Guralnik et al., 2006). In often difficult to specifically identify whether respondents
addition, Greenfield & Moorman (2019) used Wisconsin have ever been employed in these government-related
places using micro-level data. As a workaround, we use
longitudinal data to verify that socioeconomic differences membership in the Communist Party of China as a proxy
during childhood may have consequences for cognitive to reflect socioeconomic status, as most public institutions
health status in later life. Therefore, socioeconomic status
not only affects current health status but also exerts a prioritize admission for party members. In addition,
cumulative and persistent impact on the health status of similar to the pension system, party membership also
the older people. exhibits a cumulative effect: the longer one remains a
member of the Communist Party of China, the greater the
Socioeconomic status usually refers to education benefits they accrue. In Section 3, we use data analysis to
level, household location, and specific identity factors. verify the relationship between socioeconomic status and
Zhu & Xie (2007) used education level as an indicator of the health of the older persons.
socioeconomic status and verified its positive correlation
with cognitive ability in China. The older people with 2. Data and methods
higher education levels also demonstrate better cognitive 2.1. Overview of China Health and Retirement
abilities (Livingston et al., 2017). To address regional Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
inequalities within Chinese society, household location
serves as a crucial distinction, particularly regarding This study used the fourth wave of the CHARLS to
household registration versus individual residence. explore the intricate interplay between health and the
Household registration is broadly divided into urban socioeconomic status of old-age individuals in China.
and rural types, with changing household registration CHARLS, meticulously executed and maintained since
being a challenging process. Individuals with urban 2008, is overseen by the China Center for Economic
household registration usually possess greater access Research (CCER) at Peking University and the China
to education resources and employment opportunities, Social Survey Center. It stands as a monumental,
initiating socioeconomic stratification from birth in nationally representative longitudinal survey aimed at
China. Hayward & Gorman (2004) argued that childhood gathering a comprehensive dataset comprising micro-level
socioeconomic status affects adulthood socioeconomic information pertaining to families and individuals aged 45
status, subsequently impacting health. Children with rural and above in China. The overarching objective of CHARLS
household registration growing up under poor conditions is to facilitate analysis of critical issues such as population
may experience health consequences in adulthood. Zeng et aging. Its inaugural data collection took place in 2011,
al. (2007) observed that urban older adults exhibit superior employing a multifaceted approach involving multistage
cognitive abilities compared to their rural counterparts, stratified sampling across 150 county-level units and 450
whereas older adults tend to score higher in activities village-level units, encompassing 17,000 individuals within
of daily living (ADLs). Regional inequality significantly approximately 10,000 households. These meticulously
contributes to social stratification in China. Furthermore, drawn samples are tracked at biennial intervals, with
the significant outflow of young people exacerbates the the dataset for 2018 constituting the fourth wave of the

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 88 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.2035