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The impact of water quality on health: Evidence from the drinking water infrastructure program in rural China

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  • Zhang, Jing

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of a major water quality improvement program in rural China on the health of adults and children. Using panel data covering about 4500 households from 1989 to 2006, I estimate the impact of introducing village-level access to water from water plants on various measures of health. The regression results imply that the illness incidence of adults decreased by 11 percent and their weight-for-height increased by 0.835kg/m, and that children's weight-for-height and height itself both rose by 0.446kg/m and 0.962cm respectively, as a result of the program. And these estimates are quite stable across different robustness checks.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Jing, 2012. "The impact of water quality on health: Evidence from the drinking water infrastructure program in rural China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 122-134.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:31:y:2012:i:1:p:122-134
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2011.08.008
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Drinking water; Infrastructure program; Health status;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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