AUTHOR=Cao Dan , Zhou Zhongliang , Ren Yangling , Deng Qiwei , Zhai Xiaohui , Liu Guanping , Zhao Dantong , Zhao Yaxin , Shen Chi 

TITLE=The relationship between duration of subjective poverty and health among Chinese adults: Evidence from the China Family Panel Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.939569

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.939569

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Introduction
Disadvantaged socioeconomic status could have accumulated negative effects on individual. In the Chinese context, studying subjective and relative poverty is more important under the implementation of the Targeted Poverty Alleviation campaign. This study aims to provide evidence of the relationship between the duration of subjective poverty and both physical and mental health among Chinese adults, using nationally longitudinal data from 2010 to 2018.
Materials and Methods
Data was extracted from a nationally representative survey database - the China Family Panel Study (CFPS). The total sample size contains 12003 adults, with 3532 in the urban area and 8471 in the rural area. Self-reported health and depressive symptoms were set as indicators of physical health and mental health, respectively. The duration of subjective poverty was measured by self-rated income level in the local area from 2010 to 2016. A series of ordinary least square regression was adopted to measure the relationship between duration of subjective poverty and health.
Results
For the urban residents, the average duration of subjective poverty is 1.99 time points, while 1.98 time points for the rural residents. Net of objective poverty, duration of subjective poverty has a significantly negative association with individual’s self-reported health in the rural sample (Coef. =-0.10, p<0.001). Compared with those who haven’t experienced subjective poverty, the self-reported health score of people who experienced four time points is likely to decrease by 0.54 in the rural area, and 0.30 in the urban area. In terms of mental health, 1 unit increase in the duration of subjective poverty is related to 0.15 units increase in Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-8 (CES-D8) scores in the urban sample, and 0.46 in the rural sample. Compared with those who haven’t experienced subjective poverty, the CES-D8 scores of people who experienced four time points are likely to increase by 1.47 in the rural area, and 0.95 in the urban area.
Conclusion
Longer duration of subjective poverty has a cumulatively negative effect on Chinese residents’ physical and mental health, especially in rural area. Our study advocates policymakers pay more attention to the cumulative effect of subjective poverty on health.