The Effects of Adult Offspring Migration on Nutrient Intake of Rural Elderly People in China

Abstract

Sufficient and Reasonable nutrient intake is essential for guaranteeing elderly people’s health, especially in rural China where elderly people are the main labor inputs in agricultural sector. Using the 2011 wave data of China Health and Nutrition Survey, this study has empirical analyzed the impact of adult children’s migration on nutrient intake of their elderly parents in rural areas. The results show that dietary energy and protein intake of rural elderly parents are inadequate where it is less than the Chinese RNI value significantly. Adult offspring migration positively relates with rural elderly parents’ protein intake as well as the dietary energy intake. In the families that partly adult offspring have out-migrated or in the one-child families, elderly parents benefit more from children migration. And for male, younger and low education elders, their nutrient intake is more likely to be improved by offspring migration.