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Effect of Parental Migration on the Intellectual and Physical Development of Early School-Aged Children in Rural China

Author

Listed:
  • Minmin Li

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Ni Zhu

    (Department of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Shaanxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xi’an 710054, China)

  • Lingxia Zeng

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Duolao Wang

    (Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK)

  • Shaonong Dang

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Victoria Watson

    (Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK)

  • Tao Chen

    (Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK)

  • Zhongqiu Hua

    (Department of Nursing, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Zhaoqing Li

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Yijun Kang

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Hong Yan

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China
    Nutrition and Food Safety Engineering Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an 710061, China)

  • Chao Li

    (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, China)

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of parent migration on intellectual and physical development of early school-aged children in rural China. Design: setting and participants: The present cross-sectional study participants were a subset from a controlled, cluster-randomized, double-blind trial. From October 2012 to September 2013, the offspring of women who participated in a large trial were examined in the present study. Wechsler intelligence scale for children (WISC-IV) in which validity and reliability were shown to be satisfactory was used to measure the intellectual function and trained anthropometrists measured weight and height of children using standard procedures. Results: The mean difference of FSIQ scores between non-migration and both-parent migration groups was −3.68 (95%CI: −5.49, −1.87). After adjusting for the confounders, the mean difference of full-scale IQ between non-migration and both-parent migration group was −1.97 (95%CI: −3.92, −0.01), the mean differences of perceptual reasoning index and processing speed index were −2.41 (95%CI: −4.50, −0.31) and −2.39 (95%CI: −4.42, −0.35) between two groups respectively. Conclusion: Our results emphasized the impairment of both-parental migration in intellectual function (FSIQ, PRI, PSI) of children. These findings have important policy implications for the Chinese government to prevent the impairment of left-behind children. Further research is required to clarify the mechanisms by which both-parental migration influence the impairment in intellectual function of children.

Suggested Citation

  • Minmin Li & Ni Zhu & Lingxia Zeng & Duolao Wang & Shaonong Dang & Victoria Watson & Tao Chen & Zhongqiu Hua & Zhaoqing Li & Yijun Kang & Hong Yan & Chao Li, 2020. "Effect of Parental Migration on the Intellectual and Physical Development of Early School-Aged Children in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-10, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:1:p:339-:d:304911
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    References listed on IDEAS

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