Does informal care impact the use of healthcare services in China?Evidence from the perspective of drug utilization

Based on the 2011-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS),we investigated the effect of informal care on caregivers’utilization of medical drugs using the instrumental variable method with fixed effects.Our results indicate that caregivers are more likely to take medical drugs than non-caregivers.Additionally,caregivers tend to take a significantly higher number of drugs than non-caregivers,particularly those treating physical diseases.Moreover,the effect of informal care on the drug utilization is found more significant among those aged 45-54,male caregivers,and those who provide care for their parents-in-law compared to their respective counterparts.We further identified channels through which informal care contributes to caregivers’higher drug utilization.These channels include an increased risk of developing chronic diseases,a higher number of chronic diseases,lower their self-reported health,and reduced social activities.These results offer implications for policymakers in overcoming the challenges of establishing and developing a supportive system for informal care in China.

Factors associated with healthy ageing:a comparative study between China and the United States

This study compares the associators of healthy ageing in China and the United States,using the 2005-2014 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(CLHLS)and the 2004-2014 Health and Retirement Study(HRS).Health ageing is measured using an overall healthy ageing index(HAI),defined according to five dimensions:no major chronic diseases,free of physical functional impairment,free of cognitive impairment,no depressive symptoms,and socially active engagement.Multilevel logistic regression analysis is adopted to explore the association of demographic characteristics,socioeconomic status,and healthy lifestyles with the odds ratios of healthy ageing in China and the United States.Results indicate that the proportion of individuals experiencing healthy ageing is slightly higher in US than Chinese older adults aged 65-100(25.67%vs 23.27%).Nevertheless,Chinese oldest-old(80-100)have a higher proportion of healthy ageing than American oldest-old(15.05%vs.12.19%).Our results indicate that the odds of healthy ageing decrease with age,whereas they increase with education,income,marriage,and health behaviours.The odds of healthy ageing are lower for older Chinese women than men,whereas the odds are higher for older US women.Moreover,non-white elders in the United States have significantly lower odds of healthy ageing than their white counterparts.These findings suggest certain similar patterns of healthy ageing across two countries,but distinct patterns do exist.Promoting gender and racial equalities in healthy ageing are crucial for Chinese and American policymakers,respectively.

Does health insurance coverage lead to better child health?Evidence from China

Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey,this study investigated the impact of health insurance coverage on children’s health in China.To address the potential endogeneity between insurance and health,we adopted the instrumental variable probit model.We found that insurance enrollment significantly improved the health of children,especially urban children,but there was no significant insurance effect across gender.After using the propensity score matching method,an alternative measure of child health,and a sub-sample of children aged above 10,our major finding of the insurance effect on child health is verified and robust.We further conducted the path analysis by identifying three potential paths through which medical insurance improved child health.We found that child health behaviour and nutritional intake are the effective paths between insurance enrollment and health status.These results provided implications for policy makers in constructing and developing the supportive system of child medical insurance in China.