The impact of Internet access on household dietary quality:Evidence from rural China

Over the past few decades,the Internet has rapidly diffused across China.The spread of the Internet has had a profound economic and social impact on Chinese rural areas.Existing research shows that Internet access significantly impacts agricultural production and improves smallholder farmers’income.Beyond these,the Internet can affect other dimensions of social welfare.However,research about the impact of Internet access on dietary quality in rural China remains scarce.This study utilizes multi-period panel data from Fixed Observation Point in rural China from 2009 to 2015 to estimate the impact of Internet access on dietary quality and food consumption of rural households and conducts a causal analysis.Regression models with time and household fixed effects allow robust estimation while reducing potential issues of unobserved heterogeneity.The estimates show that Internet access has significantly increased rural household dietary quality(measured by the Chinese Diet Balance Index).Further research finds that Internet access has increased the consumption of animal products,such as aquatic and dairy products.We also examine the underlying mechanisms.Internet access improves dietary quality and food consumption mainly through increasing household income and food expenditure.These results encourage the promotion of Internet access as a valuable tool for nutritional improvements,especially in rural areas.

The impact of the Rural Minimum Living Standard Guarantee(Rural Dibao)Program on child nutrition outcomes

The Rural Minimum Living Standard Guarantee(Rural Dibao)is an important unconditional cash transfer program to alleviate poverty in rural China.Despite the importance of children’s nutrition in breaking poverty cycles,little is known about the impact of Rural Dibao on child nutrition outcomes.Using China Family Panel Studies(CFPS),this paper examines the effects of Rural Dibao on child nutrition outcomes and investigates potential pathways and heterogeneous effects.We exploit propensity score matching and difference-in-differences techniques to evaluate the effects of the Rural Dibao program on child nutrition outcomes.Our results suggest that Rural Dibao significantly impacts the nutrition outcomes of children up to 15 years of age.Specifically,our results suggest that Rural Dibao improves child height-to-age z-scores by 1.05 standard deviations and lowers the probability of stunting by 11.9 percentage points.Additional analyses suggest that increased protein intake is the main pathway through which Rural Dibao participation contributes to better nutrition outcomes.We also find that the effect of the program is more pronounced among girls,children who are non-left-behind or live with highly educated mothers,and those from low-income families and poor areas.Our findings suggest that Rural Dibao participation helps improve child nutrition outcomes through improving diet quality.

Off-farm employment and poverty alleviation in rural China

Two phenomena in the history of China's economic growth during the last four decades are the increase in the share of offfarm employment and the progress in poverty alleviation in rural China.Although both of them have been well documented in the literature,less is known about the linkage between the two.To better understand the role that off-farm employment has played in poverty alleviation in rural China is critically important not only for China but also for those countries that are trying to reduce poverty.Here,we examine the impact of off-farm employment on poverty alleviation in rural China.Using the data from two nationally representative household panel surveys(China National Rural Survey and China Rural Development Survey),this paper provides supporting evidence that off-farm employment contributes to poverty alleviation in rural China.Specifically,if household participation in off-farm employment increases by 10 percentage points,the likelihood for a nonpoor household to fall into poverty will decrease by 0.88 percentage point whereas the likelihood for a poor household to climb out of poverty will increase by 3.5 percentage points.In a word,off-employment can not only prevent rural residents to fall into poverty but also help those already in poverty climb out of it.

Status and path of intergenerational transmission of poverty in rural China:A human capital investment perspective

This paper focused on the intergenerational transmission of poverty in rural China by estimating the intergenerational transmission of earnings and stated its mechanism from the perspective of human capital investment before children participated in the labor market.The data used in this study were longitude data collected in 2000 households of 100 villages among 25 counties across five provinces in 2005,2008,2012,2016,and 2019.Qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted.We found a significant intergenerational transmission of earnings in rural China,especially for the pairs of father–children and parents–children.The intergenerational earnings'elasticities were much less than those in urban areas,which indicated better social mobility in rural areas than that in urban China.The children with parents who could earn much were more likely to be invested before they participated in the labor market,gain a high education and have more skills.Three cases further showed that the mechanism of human capital investment in children breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty and promoting social mobility.

The dynamic impact of income and income distribution on food consumption among adults in rural China

Previous studies have demonstrated that income has a significant effect on food demand in rural China. However, little research has focused on the dynamic impact of income and income distribution on food demand in rural China. Using China Health and Nutrition Survey data, this study employs a consistent two-step quadratic almost ideal demand system model, with addressed problems of endogeneity of total expenditure and zero shares, to estimate the food demand elasticities among adults in rural areas with regard to the different income strata. The results show that changes in income and income strata have significant effects on food demand in rural areas. Except for grains, all other food groups, including vegetables, oils and fats, animal products, and other foods, have positive income elasticities, and the rise in the income strata will lead to declining income elasticities for grains, vegetables, oils and fats, and animal products. Based on the estimated income elasticities, the food consumption projections indicate that reducing income inequality in rural society can improve the living standard of low-income people in terms of nutrient intakes.

The power of informal institutions:The impact of clan culture on the depression of the elderly in rural China

Exploration of ways to improve the subjective welfare of residents is an important area of current academic research.Using data from the China Family Panel Studies survey conducted in 2010,this paper investigated the impact of clan culture on the mental health of elderly people in rural China.The results demonstrated that clan culture can significantly decrease the depression score of the rural elderly.Further,there was no gender difference with respect to the impact of clan culture on the depression score of the elderly.At the same time,the positive effects of clan culture on the depression score of the elderly have gradually weakened with economic development.Exploration of the mechanisms involved indicated that in areas with stronger clan culture,older people receive more social support.This study enriches our understanding of the impact of informal institutions on the welfare of rural residents.At the same time,it can also provide a certain decisionmaking reference for the government to formulate relative poverty relief strategies in a new stage of poverty alleviation.

The effects of social security expenditure on reducing income inequality and rural poverty in China

Social security has,as one of its primary aims,the provision of financial support to those deemed to be poor or facing the threat of poverty.Based on China's national statistical data covering social insurance,social assistance,and social welfare between the period 1978–2018,this paper evaluates the effect of social security expenditure in reducing income inequality and rural poverty with cointegration analysis.It was found that there is a positive correlation between social security expenditure and the income gap of urban and rural residents in the long run,but the effect is very limited;nearly 99%of the changes of the urban–rural income gap come from its own contributions.Further research also shows that the elasticity of rural poverty incidence to social security expenditure is–0.2255,which indicates social security expenditure helps reduce rural absolute poverty.Based on these findings,the policy implications can be that much social security expenditure and a more equitable social security system should be encouraged.It will become one of the major anti-poverty strategies after 2020 in China when we win the battle against absolute poverty.

Do credit constraints affect households'economic vulnerability?Empirical evidence from rural China

Poverty alleviation is still one of the major challenges in developing countries,especially in transitional economy like China.From the perspective of anti-poverty,this paper examines the impact of formal credit constraints(FCCs)and informal credit constraints(IFCCs)on economic vulnerability(EV)using the data from the China Household Income Project(CHIP)survey for 2013(CHIPs 2013)of rural households.The potential endogeneity problem of credit constraints(CCs)is addressed by applying the control function approach within an ordered probit model.The results show that both FCCs and IFCCs have a robust positive and significant impact on the EV of rural households and that the impact of FCCs is greater than that of IFCCs.To identify the potential mechanisms through which CCs affect EV,the seemingly unrelated regressions are used and the potential intercorrelation among these mechanisms is examined.We find that the impact of CCs on EV is partly mediated by health,trust,per capita financial assets and per capita income,whereby health and per capita income contribute to most of the total indirect effect.Thus,policies focus on supply-side and demand-side to improve credit accessibility could reduce rural households'EV,especially through its positive effect on health and per capita income.

Study on the Strategy of Rural Industry Development in the Central China under the Background of Urban-Rural Integration

Taking the rural areas in the central China s the target,the representative achievements and difficulties faced by rural industries in the process of urban-rural integration were sorted out systematically in this article. In the new stage of development,it is necessary to adjust the development strategy,focus on tapping the rural characteristic industries,accelerate the upgrading of agricultural products,aim at market demand,and implement multi-channel marketing strategies to expand the influence of agricultural brands. The government must actively promote the integration of urban and rural industries and the development of division of labor,actively cultivate and develop rural characteristic industrial clusters,and encourage farmers to explore various types of rural industrial models.

Current Situation and Countermeasures of Water Body Pollution in Rural Areas of China

At present, people＇s environmental awareness gradually enhances, and the environmental requirements on production and living continuously improve. Urban sewage discharge management and sewage treatment intensity are increasing in whole country, and urban water environment has certain improvement. But in rural areas, due to relatively weak environmental awareness of residents, not high economic development degree and not perfect infrastructure construction, the issue has not been handled properly. It seriously restricts further development of rural economy, and contradiction between water pollution worsening and farmers eager to raise the level of living environment increasingly aggravating has become key problem restricting China＇s new rural construction. According to status quo of rural water pollution in China, causes and hazards of rural water pollu- tion are analyzed in detail, and several treatment suggestions are put forward.

Relationship between Migration and HIV Risky Behavior: a Comparative Study of Returning Migrants and Non Migrants Based on Rural Out-of-school Youth in Jilin, China

Objective To estimate the relationship between migration and HIV risky behavior when controlling for gender, age, and educational levels and to evaluate the gender differences in migration, HIV knowledge, and HIV risky behaviors among rural youth in China. Methods A cross-sectional, anonymous, investigative questionnaire for 1710 unmarried, out-of-school rural youth, aged between 15 and 24 years, was handed out in Gongzhuling county of Jilin province, China. Results 58.5% of participants had a history of migration, irrespective of gender. There were gender differences observed in other factors such as drug abuse（4.3% for males and 5.5% for females, P〈0.01）, multiple sexual partners（24.1% for males and 44.1% for females, P〈0.01）, and HIV knowledge rate（35.2% for males and 25.5% for females, P〈0.001）. While controlling for gender, age, and educational levels, the relationships between migration and drug abuse, selling sex, and non usage of condoms during last instance of sexual activity were found to be significant. The cases of premarital sex and multiple sexual partners were both not found to be related to migration. Conclusion Among rural youth, the HIV risky behavior such as drug abuse, selling sex, and lack of condom use, is significantly related to migration, while premarital sex and multiple sexual partners seem unrelated to migration.

A Cross-sectional Study of Health-related Behaviors in Rural Eastern China

Objective This study examined the status of health-related behaviors among rural residents and the factors influencing the practice of such behaviors. Methods One thousand and ninety subjects aged 15 years or over in a rural community, Anhui Province, China were surveyed. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the health knowledge, attitude and behavior of the subjects. Information on health behavior included smoking, drinking, dietary habits, regular exercises, sleeping pattern and oral health behavior. Results The prevalence of smoking and drinking in the male subjects was 46.5% and 46.9%, respectively. There was a positive significant association between smoking and drinking. Only 8.3% of all subjects ate three regular meals a day regularly. Among subjects who ate two meals a day, 89.7% did not have breakfast. Only 1.7% of subjects took part in regular exercise. About 85% of subjects slept 6 to 8 h per day. Only 38.4 % of the respondents had the habit of hand washing before eating and after using the lavatory. 79.3% of the subjects brushed their teeth every day, and among them, only 10.6 percent brushed their teeth twice a day Further analyses showed that 64.8% of subjects had 3-5 items of positive health behaviors out of 8 items and only 16.9% had six or more items. Logistical regression analyses suggested that better health behavior was affected by sex, age, years of education, income and health knowledge. Conclusion The status of health behaviors among rural residents was generally poor. It is thus urgent to reinforce health education in rural communities in China.

Analysis on Causes of "Micro-corruption" of Rural Cadres in China and Recommendations

This paper mainly introduced major manifestations of corruption of rural cadres in China,and analyzed causes of " micro-corruption" in rural areas. On the basis of analysis,it came up with pertinent recommendations for regulating " micro-corruption" of rural cadres,including improving the overall quality of village cadres,improving treatment of rural grass-roots cadres,improving grass-roots supervision system,activating the functions of rural discipline inspection commissioners,and reinforcing the punishment of " micro-corruption".

Better nutrition, healthier mind? Experimental evidence from primary schools in rural northwestern China

Malnutrition and mental health problems are both prevalent among rural students in China. To provide a better understanding of the functional linkage between these two problems, this study estimates the causal effect of improved nutrition on rural students’ mental health status, exploiting a randomized controlled trial involving 6 044 fourth and fifth graders in rural northwestern China. Estimation results show that a nutrition subsidy provided by the project significantly improved students’ mental health status(measured by their anxiety scale). However, an add-on incentive provided to school principals, which was tied to anemia reduction, almost entirely offset the beneficial impact of the nutrition subsidy. These findings suggest that to improve students’ mental health in rural China, not only direct subsidies, such as low-priced school meals, but also correct incentives, especially those tied closely to students’ mental health outcomes, should be provided.

Health-related quality of life among rural residents aged 45-69 years in Hua County, Henan Province, China： Results of ESECC Trial for esophageal cancer screening with endoscopy

Objective： There have been few population-based studies evaluating health related quality of life（HRQOL） in rural populations in China, and this study aimed to assess the current status of and risk factors for HRQOL in a general rural population in high risk region of esophageal cancer in China.Methods： From November 2015 to September 2016, 12,085 permanent residents aged 45–69 years from 257 villages in the Endoscopic Screening for Esophageal Cancer in China（ESECC） trial（Clinical Trials.gov：NCT01688908） randomly selected from Hua County, Henan Province, China were interviewed. The EQ-5 D-3 L,a generic measure of HRQOL, and a questionnaire were used to assess their HRQOL and potential risk factors.Results： Among all the participants, 30.62% of the participants reported problems in at least one EQ-5 D dimension. Pain/discomfort（25.52%） was the most frequently reported problem followed by anxiety/depression（7.97%）, mobility（5.82%）, usual activities（2.61%） and self-care（1%）. These rural residents had a mean EQ-5 D index score of 0.948, and lower EQ-5 D index scores were associated with older age, female gender, lower levels of household annual per capita income, living alone, using shallow wells as main source of drinking water, exposure to family members smoking, testiness, unhealthy dietary habits, overweight or obesity, upper gastrointestinal cancer related symptoms and chronic diseases.Conclusions： Rural residents in China have a relatively low quality of life. Health promotion programs in this population should focus on the elderly, especially elderly women and the elderly living alone. Improving basic living circumstances and primary medical care services should be priorities. Results of this study will also serve as the basis for the cost-utility evaluation in our ESECC screening trial.

Fermented Corn Flour Poisoning in Rural Areas of China Ⅲ. Isolation and Identification of Main Toxin Produced by Causal Microorganisms

Flavotoxin A was isolated from Pseudomonas cocovenenans subsp. farinofermentans culture in semisolid potato-dextrose-agar medium, which was isolated from fermented corn meal that had caused food poisoning outbreaks in China. The isolation, purification, and chemical structure of this toxin were studied. The NMR spectra, the uv spectra, and molar extinction coefficients, and the mass spectra of Flavotoxin A are in good agreement with those reported for bongkrekic acid. Therefore, Flavotoxin A and bongkrekic acid are the same organic chemical compound; the molecular formula is C_(28)H_(38)O_7. The oral LD_(50) of the purified Flavotoxin A in mice was 3.16mg/kg (1.53-6.15mg/kg). The existence of bongkrekic acid in toxic fermented corn samples collected during food poisoning outbreaks was also confirmed. It is concluded that bongkrekic acid has played an important role in the outbreaks of fermented corn poisoning. 1989 Academic Press, Inc.

Establishment of Rural Housing Land Standard in China

On the basis of rural household survey in 12 provinces of China in 2005,this research built an econometrical model to find the area standard for rural housing land.This standard is expected to facilitate rural housing land administration,efficient and intensive housing land use and policy making.This research concludes:1) according to the household survey data,the average area for rural housing land in China is about 235.26 m 2,and the rural housing land mainly includes unused land(42.89%) and house construction land(37.76%) with the average floor-area ratio of 0.42;2) the indexes in the standard concern the factors such as location,landform,house form,household population and cultivated land area per farmer,which all have significant effects on rural housing land use;3) the reasonable area for rural housing land may be 150 m 2 in average before 2020,and the referential standards in different provinces are 120 m 2,130 m 2,140m 2,150 m 2,160 m 2,170 m 2,190 m 2,200 m 2,210 m 2,220 m 2,230 m 2 and 250 m 2 respectively;and 4) if there are less than two persons or more than five persons in a family,these standards need to be decreased or increased by 7%.When the cultivated land area per farmer is lower than the provincial average,the standards have to reduce by 3.5%.

Chemistry and source identification of wet precipitation in a rural watershed of subtropical China

South China is one of the regions severely suffering from acid rain in the world.However,few systematic studies of rural precipitation chemistry have been performed in comparison with the extensive studies on their urban counterparts of this region.In order to characterize the current acid rain status and identify its possible sources in the rural area of South China,we analyzed precipitation collected event by event from a rural forested watershed in southern Anhui Province between March 2007 and February 2010.The results showed that the concentrations of major ions within precipitation in the studied rural area were significantly lower than those reported for the urban areas of the same latitude in China.Nevertheless,the precipitation acidity(with an average pH value of 4.49) and the frequency of acid rain(95%) were considerably high.The relatively high ratio of(SO42+ NO 3)/(Ca2+ +NH4+) was the main cause of acid rain in this rural area,as SO 2 and NO x were the main precursors of acid rain,while Ca2+ and NH4+acted as the dominant neutralizers to the acidity.Source identification indicated that Ca2+ and Mg2+ mainly were derived from alkaline dust,SO42,NO 3 and NH4+originated mainly from anthropogenic sources such as industrial and agricultural activities,most Na +,Cl,K + and some of Mg2+ were derived from the sea.The results suggested that the major ions within precipitation in the rural area of South China were related to the meso-scale and long-range transport of particles and aerosols in the air.

NEW RURAL SPACES: THE IMPACT OF RURAL INDUSTRIALIZATION ON RURAL-URBAN TRANSITION IN CHINA

Since the 1980s, rural-urban transition has been becoming one of the most important aspects in China’s fast transformation from traditional to modern modes. From the perspective of change of rural space, this paper examines the impact of rural industrialization on the rural-urban transition. After an introduction to the issue of rural-urban transition in rural-urban continuum, a historical overview of the transformations of China’s rural space in economic, social and geographical structure is presented. This is followed by an analysis of regiotal uneven development among provinces in rural industrialization and rural-urban transition. It is concluded that the fast industrialization of rural area has brought on many radical transformations of rural space in China, especially on the formation of new rural economic, social and geographical spaces and the uneven development of rural-urban trgnsition among the eastern, central and westem areas.

Chemical characteristics of rainwater in karst rural areas,Guizhou Province, Southwest China

The chemical composition of rainwater has been studied in a karst rural area from September 2012 to August 2013 in Guizhou Province,Southwest China.The results indicated that the VWM value of p H was 5.4,varied from 4.6 to 6.9.Ca^(2+)and NH_4^+were the major cations,and SO_4^(2-)was the dominant anion.Neutralization factors show that the acid was mainly neutralized by Ca^(2+),NH_4^+and Mg^(2+).Investigations of correlation coefficients and enrichment factors revealed that Ca^(2+)and Mg^(2+)were mainly crust origins,and NH_4^+was from agriculture and livestock manure.SO_4^(2-)and NO_3^-were mainly from anthropogenic sources.