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Long‐Term Effects of Famine on Chronic Diseases: Evidence from China's Great Leap Forward Famine
Author(s) -
Hu Xue Feng,
Liu Gordon G.,
Fan Maoyong
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.3371
Subject(s) - famine , china , cohort , medicine , demography , term (time) , cohort study , environmental health , demographic economics , economics , geography , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , sociology
Summary We evaluate the long‐term effects of famine on chronic diseases using China's Great Leap Forward Famine as a natural experiment. Using a unique health survey, we explore the heterogeneity of famine intensity across regions and find strong evidence supporting both the adverse effect and the selection effect. The two offsetting effects co‐exist and their magnitudes vary in different age cohorts at the onset of famine. The selection effect is dominant among the prenatal/infant famine‐exposed cohort, while the adverse effect appears dominant among the childhood/puberty famine‐exposed cohort. The net famine effects are more salient in rural residents and non‐migrants subsamples. Gender differences are also found, and are sensitive to smoking and drinking behaviors. Our conclusion is robust to various specifications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.