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Mitigating Health Disparities among the Elderly in China: An Analysis of the Roles of Social Security and Family Support from a Perspective Based on Relative Deprivation

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  • Guozhang Yan

    (School of Public Management, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Lianyou Li

    (School of Public Management, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Muhammad Tayyab Sohail

    (GUST Centre for Sustainable Development, Gulf University for Science and Technology, West Mishref 32093, Kuwait)

  • Yanan Zhang

    (College of Arts and Law, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China)

  • Yahui Song

    (School of Public Management, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

Abstract

The joint involvement of family and society in elderly care is a crucial factor in improving the health status of older adults and narrowing health disparities, which are essential for achieving sustainable development goals. However, the interactions between these entities and their mechanisms of influence require further investigation. By utilizing data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) spanning 2014 to 2016 and employing the Kakwani index of individual relative deprivation in conjunction with a two-way fixed-effects model for unbalanced panel data, in this study, we investigated the mechanisms through which social elderly care security and familial support influence health inequalities among the elderly. The findings reveal that only senior benefits (=−0.009, p < 0.05) significantly mitigate relative health deprivation in this population. Enrollment in pension insurance amplifies the sense of relative health deprivation among the elderly, but this effect becomes insignificant after controlling for temporal effects. Both economic support (=−0.002, p < 0.05) and emotional support (=−0.004, p < 0.01) from offspring significantly reduce the level of relative health deprivation among the elderly. Mechanism testing results indicate that individual attitudes towards aging serve as a mediator in the relationship between relative health deprivation and preferential treatment, economic support, and emotional support. The results of further heterogeneity tests suggest that the impact of various elderly support models on relative health deprivation differs by age, gender, and residential area.These findings confirm that support from both society and family plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable health outcomes for the elderly. Consequently, it is recommended to enhance the social elderly care security system, bolster familial support functions, cultivate positive individual attitudes towards aging, and address health inequalities among the elderly in accordance with their distinct characteristics, thereby improving their quality of life and sense of fulfillment, and contributing to the broader goals of sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Guozhang Yan & Lianyou Li & Muhammad Tayyab Sohail & Yanan Zhang & Yahui Song, 2024. "Mitigating Health Disparities among the Elderly in China: An Analysis of the Roles of Social Security and Family Support from a Perspective Based on Relative Deprivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-16, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:18:p:7973-:d:1476589
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Huan Liu, 2021. "Formal and Informal Care: Complementary or Substitutes in Care for Elderly People? Empirical Evidence From China," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, May.
    2. Wilkinson, Richard G & Pickett, Kate E., 2006. "Income inequality and population health: A review and explanation of the evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(7), pages 1768-1784, April.
    3. Evans, Clare R., 2019. "Adding interactions to models of intersectional health inequalities: Comparing multilevel and conventional methods," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 95-105.
    4. Jiandong Chen & Sishi Rong & Malin Song, 2021. "Poverty Vulnerability and Poverty Causes in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 65-91, January.
    5. Pickett, Kate E. & Wilkinson, Richard G., 2015. "Income inequality and health: A causal review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 316-326.
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