Internal migration and child health: An investigation of health disparities between migrant children and left-behind children in China

Abstract

Using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), this study empirically examines the association between internal migration and child health through an investigation of health disparities between migrant children and left-behind children in China. The results show that, in comparison with being left behind, migrating with parents significantly improves children’s self-reported health, height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and BMI-for-age z-score (BAZ), and reduces their frequency of sickness. These findings remain robust to a suite of robustness checks. Furthermore, the health effects of internal migration are more prominent for children with a rural hukou compared with urban ones. Although migrant children are more likely to experience teacher discrimination, they have higher levels of parental care, family relationships, and peer relationships relative to their left-behind counterparts, which indicates possible mechanisms behind the association between children’s migration and health. Our findings underline the importance of policy improvement and evidence-based interventions aiming at reducing involuntary parent-child separation and facilitating the development in health of disadvantaged children in developing countries like China.

Elevated levels of loneliness in migrant children compared to nonmigrant children in urban China: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies

“…Because of the Hukou-based provision system for public services and social welfare, migrant children experience distinct disadvantages. Both RUMC and UUMC are unable to enjoy social services in cities to the same extent as children with local urban Hukou [8]. This disadvantage manifests as limited access to public school education, medical insurance, and benefits typically available to children with local urban residency [7,9,10].…”